Bats Win Extra-Inning Thriller Over Stripers 5-4

The Louisville Bats (4-2) got the clutch hits they needed to take the lead in extra innings, then held on at the end to defeat the Gwinnett Stripers 5-4 in 11 innings on Thursday night at Coolray Field.

Gwinnett jumped on the board early, scoring two runs in the home half of the first. Leury García singled and Phillip Evans each drew a walk to put two men on. With two outs, Luke Waddell tripled down the right field line, allowing both baserunners to come home and take a 2-0 lead against Bats starter Carson Spiers.

Louisville responded in the following frame as Conner Capel launched a 400-foot solo home run over the right field wall to cut the Stripers’ lead to 2-1.

The two runs were all Spiers allowed. He pitched five innings, allowing two runs on two hits with two walks and seven strikeouts over five innings.

The Stripers were able to maintain the one-run lead until the seventh when Capel hit his second solo home run of the game, tying the game at 2-2 .

Stevie Branche, Justin Bruihl, Brooks Kriske, and Tony Santillan each pitched a scoreless inning to keep the game close and eventually send it to extra innings.

Rece Hinds got the tenth started for the Bats, drawing a leadoff walk. With two men on and one out, Levi Jordan singled to bring the go-ahead across the plate and to take a 3-2 lead.

The Stripers immediately answered in the home half of the tenth with a leadoff single from Ryan Casteel that brought home the designated runner to tie the game. Alan Busenitz (W, 1-0) forced a pop out and a groundout for the final two outs, sending the game to the eleventh. .

With one out in the top of the eleventh, Mike Ford got his first hit of the game with a single that allowed designated runner Blake Dunn to score. Alex McGarry came in to pinch run for Ford and later scored on a single by P.J. Higgins to make the score 5-3 Bats.

Gwinnett scratched across one run in the bottom of the eleventh, but it wouldn’t be enough as Busenitz induced a pop out to strand the tying and winning runs on base, finishing the win.

Capel starred at the plate for Louisville, going 2-for-5 with the pair of home runs, two RBI, and three runs scored. The Bats bullpen did not give up an earned run over six innings of work. All four of Louisville’s win to start the season have been by one run.

Louisville and Gwinnett will face each other in game four of the six-game on Friday, April 5 with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET. Lefty Tyler Gilbert (0-0. INF) will take the mound for the Bats, facing off against Stripers starter A.J. Smith-Shawver. Nick Curran will have the call on 1450/96.1 WXVW.