Huffman powers Hens to third straight win

TOLEDO, Ohio - Chad Huffman's mammoth two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the Toledo Mud Hens to a crucial 3-2 victory over the Columbus Clippers on Sunday at Fifth Third Field.

Trailing 2-1 entering the bottom of the eighth, the Mud Hens (68-63) captured their first lead of the contest with an electric two-out rally. JaCoby Jones hustled to first on an infield single to short, and scored when Huffman smashed a 0-1 pitch beyond the left-field wall to give Toledo a 3-2 advantage, which held on to be the final tally.
Winners in three straight and six of their last seven, the Mud Hens have pulled within a half-game of Columbus (69-63) in the Wild Card race. In search of its first postseason berth since 2007, Toledo remains 1.5 games behind first-place Indianapolis in the West Division standings following the Indians' 5-3 win versus Louisville.
Daniel Norris logged four innings of work as part of a rehab assignment, surrendering one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out four. The Hen Pen kept the hosts within striking distance, as Paul Voelker picked up his fifth win of the year after tossing two scoreless innings, while Johnny Barbato sent the Clippers down in order in the ninth to earn his 11th save of the campaign.
Norris retired the first seven batters he faced, but Columbus started the scoring in the top of the third. Eric Stamets whacked a one-out triple into deep left-center, advancing 90 feet when Oscar Mercado singled into shallow right to give the Clippers a 1-0 edge.
The Clippers doubled their lead in the top of the sixth against Blaine Hardy, who was also pitching for the Mud Hens as part of a rehab stint. Brandon Barnes pulled a leadoff double into the left-field corner, and came home on a long single to right off the bat of Bobby Bradley to make it a 2-0 ballgame.
Toledo finally made a breakthrough with a run in the bottom of the seventh. Christin Stewart opened the frame with a base hit into left, before Dawel Lugo lined a double into the left-center gap to put men on second and third with nobody down. Jason Krizan then lifted a sacrifice fly into right and cut the deficit to 2-1, a scoreline that remained intact until the Mud Hens completed their comeback an inning later.
What's Next:
The Mud Hens wrap up the home portion of their regular season schedule on Monday as they finish a four-game series against Columbus. First pitch from Fifth Third Field is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
#RoadToDetroit Report (rankings according to MLB.com 2018 Prospect Watch):
6. OF Christin Stewart: 2-for-4, two singles, run
8. OF Daz Cameron: DNP
9. RHP Kyle Funkhouser: DNP (DL)
14. IF Dawel Lugo: 2-for-3, double, single
16. OF Jacob Robson: 2-for-4, two singles
20. RHP Bryan Garcia: DNP (DL)
21. LHP Matt Hall: DNP
22. LHP Tyler Alexander: DNP
Hens Notes:
• Toledo is 21-19 in one-run games, and has won eight times when tied or trailing after seven innings this season.
• With a single in the bottom of the second inning, Dawel Lugo extended his hitting streak to eight consecutive games.
• The Mud Hens are 10-5 against Columbus during the 2018 campaign, including an 8-1 record at Fifth Third Field
• Following Saturday's game, the Detroit Tigers optioned LHP Ryan Carpenter to the Mud Hens. In a corresponding move, Detroit recalled LHP Josh Smoker from Toledo prior to Sunday's game.