Bats Win Wild Suspended Game 5-4 In 12
With the score tied 3-3 after 11 innings on Wednesday night, the Louisville Bats and Nashville Sounds were locked in a tightly contested battle. However, mother nature put the remainder of the battle on hold. When it resumed on Thursday, the Bats emerged victorious 5-4 to even their six-game series
With the score tied 3-3 after 11 innings on Wednesday night, the Louisville Bats and Nashville Sounds were locked in a tightly contested battle. However, mother nature put the remainder of the battle on hold. When it resumed on Thursday, the Bats emerged victorious 5-4 to even their six-game series at one game apiece.
When the game picked up on Thursday evening the Bats took the lead in the top of the 12th when Hernan Perez’s ground ball was misplayed by Nashville infielder Vinny Capra for an error, allowing automatic runner Peyton Burdick to score the go-ahead run. A wild pitch advanced Burdick to second before Levi Jordan lofted a shallow RBI single into left, plating Perez to give the Bats a crucial two-run lead at 5-3.
In the bottom of the frame, the Sounds quickly got a run closer off Yosver Zulueta on an RBI double from Tyler Black, putting the tying run at second with nobody out. Zulueta (S, 1) locked it down from there, striking out Joey Wiemer and inducing a ground out from Owen Miller as the tying run moved to third with two outs. Chavez Young then hit a soft ground ball past the mound. Cutting across from third, Perez made a running play to field the grounder and throw to first, getting Young by a step to finish the win for the Bats.
The game didn’t begin as well on Wednesday as it ended for Louisville on Thursday.
Nashville came out strong, taking a 1-0 lead in the first with a leadoff home run by Black. They strengthened their advantage in the bottom of the fourth, combining a couple of singles with an RBI double from Isaac Collins and bringing the tally to 2-0.
The Sounds threatened to score again in the fourth, but lefty starter Brandon Leibrandt secured a ground ball and Pérez threw out Wes Clarke at home to keep the run from scoring.
After a scoreless first half, Louisville got to work in the top of the sixth. Jordan and Rece Hinds kicked off the rally with back-to-back singles. Conner Capel then walked to load the bases for P.J. Higgins who smacked a sacrifice fly to score Jordan and cut the Sounds’ lead in half at 2-1.
Louisville fought back in the top of the eighth, starting with a leadoff walk to Jordan. A first-pitch single by Hinds put runners on first and third. On an error by Sounds third baseman Miller, Jordan scored to tie it up at 2-2.
Nashville attempted to claim the lead in the bottom ninth frame, but Tony Santillan came on and secured a flyout to force extra innings. After a quiet tenth, Edwin Ríos drove in automatic runner Hinds to claim a 3-2 lead over the Sounds in the 11th.
After substituting as catcher for Higgins, Michael Trautwein made a throwing error in the bottom half of the frame, allowing Nashville to tie the game once again at 3-3, setting the stage for Thursday’s dramatic ending.
Bats starter Brandon Leibrandt put in four innings of work, allowing two earned runs. Leibrandt set a season high strikeout record with four. The Louisville bullpen pitched the final eight innings without allowing an earned run.
Maxwell (W, 1-0) would earn his first Triple-A win after pitching the 11th and Zulueta nailed down his first Triple-A save, holding the lead in the 12th.Offensively, Jordan, Hinds, and Rios combined for all six of Louisville’s hits in the win.
The Bats (33-25) continue the series against the Sounds (31-28) with Thursday’s regularly scheduled 7:35 p.m. game. Nick Curran will be on the call for 1450/96.1 WXVW.