TOLEDO, OH - The Mud Hens came out fast and kept their foot on the pedal as they defeated the Redbirds 13-6 Saturday night.
Stormy weather engulfed downtown, so game five of Toledo’s series against Memphis would be delayed by just over an hour.
Troy Watson, making his return from rehab, made his 2026 Mud Hens debut. Watson relied heavily on his sweeper and four-seem fastball to perfectly paint the corners, earning five strikeouts through 3.2 innings.
The Hens were able to capture the early 1-0 lead after Max Clark showed some serious hustle out running a throw to first, sliding into third on a hit by Paul Dejong, before being brought in on a sacrifice fly by Gage Workman.
Toledo would break the game wide open in the second, as Jace Jung led the way with a first-pitch solo-shot. Following a Tyler Gentry walk and Cal Stevenson reaching on a throwing error, Ben Malgeri loaded the bases with a line drive to left field. Clark then crushed a slider over 400 ft for what he and the entirety of Fifth Third Field believed to be a grand slam. The celebration was cut short however as fan interference was called, resulting in a two-RBI double.
The drama of the moment meant very little, however, as shortly after Workman made it 6-0 with a two-RBI single.
In the fourth inning, the Redbirds seemingly caught onto Watson, opening the inning with two runs on three-straight hits. Watson would take care of the next two batters, before Konnor Pilkington took over from the rubber. Memphis would make it 6-3, as a throwing error on Andrew Navigato kept the inning alive.
As the game continued, the Redbirds inched their way back in. Jimmy Crooks was able to shorten the deficit to one as he brought in two runs with his twelfth homer of the season.
The Mud Hens found some more of their hitting magic in the fifth inning. Three straight singles by Eduardo Valencia, Jung, and Gentry would all eventually cash in. Memphis allowed the first run to score on a throwing error following the Gentry single. Jung then came in off of a Navigato sacrifice and Stevenson made it 9-5 with an RBI single.
Catcher’s interference and a pair of singles allowed the Redbirds to score again, but Scott Effross was able to escape with some help from his outfield.
Toledo wouldn’t let Memphis work their way back in again, tacking on three more runs in the sixth to make it 12-6. Workman drove in Clark with an RBI double, before Gentry crushed a cutter for a two-RBI triple.
Come around to the bottom of the eighth and Valencia would put the final touch on the score with his solo-shot making it 13-6.
The Hens turned to Drew Sommers to wrap things up in the eighth and ninth inning. The lefty was quick to shut things down, only allowing one batter aboard in his two innings pitched.
The Mud Hens and the Redbirds will face off again Sunday at 2:05 p.m. as we celebrate Mother’s Day at Fifth Third Field.
Notables:
- Tyler Gentry (4-4, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB)
- Jace Jung (3-5, HR, 3 R, RBI, K)
- Gage Workman (2-4, 2B, 4 RBI, K)
- Max Clark (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB)