Mud Hens walk their way to a win over the Clippers

The Toledo Mud Hens took care of business Tuesday night against the Columbus Clippers, winning 5-2. Fifth Third Field was filled with excitement as Javier Baez joined Toledo on Major League Rehab. After the long, slow-paced game, the Mud Hens and their fans celebrated with a fireworks show.

A hard-fought first inning would end with the Hens up 2-0. Parker Meadows led off with a base hit and then picked up two stolen bases, including home to take the early lead. A walk drawn by Justice Bigbie moved Baez to second and brought Anthony Bemboom to the plate. Bemboom took the 2-0 lead on a well-placed single in the right-center gap.

The strong start wasn’t limited to just the Toledo offense though, as Bryan Sammons picked up five strikeouts in his first three innings.

After dealing his fifth walk of the game, Randy Labaut’s time on the mound would come to a close after just 2.2 innings pitched. Nick Mikolajchak would relieve Labaut and escape the third inning with a strikeout on Alvaro Gonzalez.

Sammons’s starts would come to an end in the sixth inning with baserunners on the corners. He would finish with four hits, zero runs, and six strikeouts. Devin Sweet would be called upon to try and keep the Clippers off of the board. He would pick up two strikeouts, before a walk loaded the bases for Columbus. Sweet was unfazed though as he closed the inning himself when Christian Cairo hit a grounder right at the mound.

The bottom of the sixth would bring a pivotal point in the game. The Hens would expand their lead, but with very little effort. Drew Maggi began the inning with a base hit, which Gonzalez followed up with a walk. Andrew Navigato then picked up his fourteenth double and his forty-fifth RBI. It looked as though John Doxakis would escape with his team down 3-0 when pinch hitter Dillon Dingler hit into a double play. Columbus opted to intentionally walk Ryan Vilade, but this would prove to be a huge mistake as Doxakis walked the next two batters to make it 5-0.

Tim Federowics credits his team for finding success in that moment. He claims that they’ve been very successful in the box all season and knowing their zone had him feeling confident in his team.

Sweet returned to the mound in the seventh, but after giving up a two-run homer to Angel Martinez, he would be replaced with Miguel Diaz. Diaz would only see three batters, striking out the final two. Following his hold, Diaz continues to sport a 0.00 ERA and upped his strikeout count to nine strikeouts in just seven innings pitched for the Hens.

The Clippers would try to fight back, but with Sean Guenther on the mound, they had no hope. Guenther picked up two strikeouts and his third save of the season to close out the game.

Toledo and Columbus will face off again Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. Federowics confirmed that he plans to start Baez at shortstop and that he will see multiple at bats during his recovery here in Toledo. Following the game, Fifth Third Field will host the largest fireworks show in the park’s history.

Notables:

• Bryan Sammons (W, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 K)
• Miguel Diaz (H, 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 K)
• Parker Meadows (2-4, BB, 2 R, 2 SB)