Mud Hens triumph over Indians with thrilling 8-7 victory

The Mud Hens claimed an exhilarating 8-7 victory over the Indians for the second game in a row.

The first pitch of tonight’s game went down at 7:09 PM, and the Hens started swinging the bats right away. The first inning was over quickly after both teams managed three outs fast. The second inning began with Justice Bigbie’s triple on a fly ball to left field, igniting Trey Sweeney to hit a homer on a fly ball to right field. This marked Sweeney’s first home run as a Mud Hen, giving the team an early two-run lead. Riley Unroe then hit a single off a grounder, and Andrew Navigato followed suit with another home run for the Mud Hens. It was off a fly ball to left field, and it marked his fourteenth home run this season, increasing the lead by four. Akil Baddoo made it to first on a walk and managed to steal second base, but it wasn’t enough to capitalize after three outs.

The Indians rebutted with a double and single, scoring a run, but the inning ended there. The top of the third was quiet for the Hens. The Indians scored a few runs off some singles and an error by the Hens, taking the lead for the first time in the game.

The fourth inning saw little action, but during the top of the fifth, Navigato singled on a grounder. After a double play and a groundout, the Mud Hens lost their opportunity to regain the lead. At the bottom of the fifth, Troy Watson came in for Andrew Magno and earned a strikeout. With two groundouts following it, the inning was over.

The top of the sixth inning involved a grounder to center field resulting in a single by Jace Jung, but a double play ended any further advancements. The Hens fought back with a 1-2-3 inning for the Indians, shutting them down quickly.

The action returned for the Hens when Drew Maggi hit a home run out to the left field that flirted with the foul line but was called fair. It was Maggi’s second homer with the Hens this season, decreasing the Indians’ lead. After the seventh-inning stretch, a fielder's choice out from Sweeney to Anthony Bemboom earned us two outs and a strikeout ended the Indians' chances.

The eighth inning started with Baddoo’s single on a line drive to center field, followed by him stealing second base. Jung pulled a walk, and Sweeney followed with a double, bringing in Baddoo and Jung to tie it up, making it a very interesting game. A groundout at first base during the bottom of the eighth inning earned the first out, followed by a 5-6-3 double play allowing the Hens to take the bats and hopefully the lead again.

The ninth inning flew by, calling for extra innings. With Navigato starting on second base, it made for a perfect setup for the Hens. Jung’s line drive to left field resulted in a single, bringing Navigato home and giving the Hens the lead, they needed. The Indians couldn’t fight back, and the Mud Hens ended the night with another win against the Indians.

They play one more game against the Indians at 1:30 PM tomorrow to end the series.

Notables:

Trey Sweeney (2-4, 4RBI, HR)

Andrew Navigato (2-4, 2RBI, HR)

Drew Maggi (1-3, RBI, HR)