Following Wednesday's postponed game, the Toledo Mud Hens and Gwinnett Stripers opened their series with a doubleheader on Thursday, where Gwinnett claimed both games, 5-1 and 8-1.
Game 1
For much of Game One, the Stripers controlled the action on both sides of the ball while Toledo searched for an offensive spark.
Gwinnett broke through in the top of the 3rd inning. Carlos Santana started the rally with a single to right before Brett Wisely launched a two-run home run to center field, giving the Stripers a 2-0 lead after three innings.
The visitors struck again in the 5th. Patrick Clohisy ripped a one-out double off the left-field wall before, with two outs, Jair Camargo delivered a familiar sight. Camargo sent a two-run homer to center, extending Gwinnett's advantage to 4-0.
Gwinnett added one more insurance run in the 6th when Santana connected on a solo home run that just cleared the center-field wall, pushing the lead to 5-0.
Down to their final three outs in the seven-inning contest, the Mud Hens finally mounted a threat. Cal Stevenson opened the inning with a single to right before Bennett Lee worked a walk. Max Clark followed with a sharp single to load the bases, and Max Anderson drove in Toledo's lone run with a sacrifice fly to left. The rally ended there, however, as the Stripers secured the 5-1 victory.
Game 2
Game Two got off to a similar start, with Gwinnett wasting little time putting runs on the board.
In the top of the 2nd, Aaron Schunk was hit by a pitch before José Azócar singled to center. Luke Williams reached on a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners, and Adam Zebrowski delivered a two-run double to center for the game's first runs. Cal Conley followed with another RBI double, stretching the Stripers' lead to 3-0.
Gwinnett added another run in the 5th inning. Conley led off with a single before Patrick Clohisy reached on catcher's interference. Ha-Seong Kim then drew a walk to load the bases. Rowdy Tellez grounded into a triple play, but not before a run crossed the plate, making it 4-0.
The Stripers broke the game open in the 6th. Brett Wisely walked to begin the inning, and Azócar followed with a single. Luke Williams then lined a two-run double into left field to extend the lead to 6-0. Zebrowski kept the offense rolling with an RBI double to center, and later in the inning Clohisy added an infield single that brought home another run, giving Gwinnett an 8-0 advantage.
Toledo looked for one final rally in the bottom of the 7th. Trei Cruz recorded the Mud Hens' second hit of the night with a line-drive single to center before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Cal Stevenson then delivered a sharp RBI double to right field, bringing Cruz home to make it 8-1. The late offense wasn't enough, though, as the Stripers completed the doubleheader sweep with an 8-1 victory. Both teams will be back tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 p.m. for the third game of the series.