COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Louisville Bats (29-43) dominated the Columbus Clippers (37-38) Monday night at Huntington Park, winning by 11-2 in the series opener. Right-hander Robert Stephenson (6-6, 3.72) got the win and tied a career-high 11 strikeouts.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Louisville Bats (29-43) dominated the Columbus Clippers (37-38) Monday night at Huntington Park, winning by 11-2 in the series opener. Right-hander Robert Stephenson (6-6, 3.72) got the win and tied a career-high 11 strikeouts.
It was all Louisville from the jump, with Mason Williams leading off the game with a single and scoring on Phillip Ervin's double during the very next at-bat. Williams went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBI and a walk. The Bats would extend their lead to 3-0 in the third, with their offense breaking the game open in the top of the fourth with six runners crossing the plate that inning, tying a season-high.
A two-run single by Williams followed by an RBI single by Ervin made it a 6-0 Bats lead, with Dilson Herrera and Hernan Iribarren providing the latter three RBI in the inning to give Louisville a 9-0 lead, batting around in the fourth inning.
While Stephenson had plenty of run support, it was a lot more than he needed, pitching one of his most effective outings of the 2018 season. He went 6.0 innings, allowing just one run, a Yu Chang solo home run in the fourth, walking three and striking out 11 on 98 pitches, 63 strikes. The 11 strikeouts tied a career-high for Stephenson and are the most he has had in a start since April 29, 2016 with Louisville.
Josh VanMeter provided some insurance with a solo home run in the fifth, his fourth homer for Louisville this season. VanMeter went 2-for-5, one of four Bats to register a multi-hit game tonight. Along with Williams' 3-for-4 performance, Ervin (3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Herrera (3-for-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI) also nabbed three hits, with the 1-2-3 batters in Louisville's lineup all recording three or more hits for the first time this season.
Right-hander Zach Neal was tossed 3.0 innings out of the bullpen for Louisville, giving up one earned run on three hits.
The 11-2 victory gives Louisville a three-game winning streak, its longest win streak since the club won a season-best five games in a row from May 31 to June 5. The Bats and Clippers are back at it Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m., with left-hander Justin Nicolino (3-4, 4.68) slated to start for Louisville and right-hander Mitch Talbot (1-2, 2.73) listed to toe the rubber for Columbus.
