Mud Hens swept in doubleheader by Clippers

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Toledo Mud Hens dropped both halves of their doubleheader against the Columbus Clippers on Saturday, falling 4-2 in the opener and 4-1 in the nightcap at Huntington Park.

The results put Toledo (49-39) back into a tie with Omaha for first place in the Midwest Division standings, pending the outcome of the Storm Chasers’ home tilt against the Iowa Cubs.

Game 1: Columbus 4, Toledo 2
Both of Toledo’s hits in the first half of the twin bill came via the solo home run. JaCoby Jones homered to left-center in the top of the fifth inning to knot the score at one apiece, and Christin Stewart led off the top of the seventh with a blast to right for his 19th round-tripper of the season.

Pedro Payano recorded five strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work, but was tagged with the loss after conceding three earned runs on four hits, five walks and a HBP. Jason Foley got the final two outs in relief, but allowed an earned run on three hits while fanning a pair.

Columbus opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning, as Ryan Lavarnway smashed a leadoff homer to left-center that marked his ninth long-ball of the campaign.

The Mud Hens eventually pulled even with one out in the visiting half of the fifth. Jones spoiled the Clippers’ no-hit bid when he skied a solo shot beyond the wall in left-center.

The Clippers reclaimed the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Nolan Jones picked up a leadoff walk before Oscar Gonzalez singled up the middle to put runners on first and second with nobody out. After Trenton Brooks hit a sacrifice bunt to put both men in scoring position, Tyler Krieger sliced a two-out, two-run double down the left-field line to give Columbus a 3-1 advantage. Richard Palacios then pulled a double into the right-field corner to plate Krieger and make it a 4-1 ballgame.

Toledo managed one run in its last trip to the plate, as Stewart crushed a hanging breaking ball over the right-field wall to cut the deficit to 4-2.

Game 2: Columbus 4, Toledo 1
The Mud Hens again struggled to generate offense, managing four hits in the nightcap. Kody Clemens reached double-digits with his 10th home run of the season to end Columbus’ shutout hopes in the top of the sixth inning. Jones, Aderlin Rodríguez and Dylan Rosa all finished 1-for-3 with a single.

On the mound, Drew Carlton notched four strikeouts in three innings of work, taking the loss after allowing two earned runs on four hits. Locke St. John fanned three batters over two innings of relief, conceding two earned runs on three hits and a trio of walks. From there, Will Vest struck out two of the three batters he faced in the bottom of the sixth frame.

Columbus jumped ahead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second stanza. Gonzalez reached on a single to second baseman Josh Lester, and scored when Palacios lined a double to the gap in left-center. Trenton Brooks then whacked a double of his own to left-center to drive in Palacios and extend the lead to 2-0.

The Clippers got some insurance in the bottom of the fourth, as Gonzalez lifted a leadoff homer off the right-field scoreboard to give the hosts a 3-0 advantage. Later in the inning, Alex Call dropped a two-out single into shallow center to score Gavin Collins and make it a 4-0 contest.

The Mud Hens got on the board in the top of the sixth, as Clemens lined a two-out, solo homer to right that closed the gap to 4-1. Rodríguez followed by bouncing a single into left, but the comeback bid came to a halt when Stewart grounded out to second.

What’s Next:
The Mud Hens conclude their lengthy road trip on Sunday as they wrap up a six-game series against the Clippers. First pitch from Huntington Park is set for 4:05 p.m.