Nevin's slam secures late win

TOLEDO – The Toledo Mud Hens defeated the Louisville Bats 12-8 on Saturday night at Fifth Third Field.

The pitching match-up consisted of Ashton Goudeau for the Mud Hens and Levi Stoudt for the Bats.

Goudeau sat down the Bats in order to begin the ballgame, needing just seven pitches. Stuart Fairchild lined out on the first pitch of the game. Nick Martini would flyout and Matt Reynolds would groundout.

The Mud Hens would jump on Stoudt right away. Parker Meadows would draw a leadoff walk and Nick Solak would club the first pitch he saw over the fence for the two-run home run to put the Mud Hens up 2-0. Stoudt would bounce back with a Nick Maton strikeout and a Tyler Nevin popout. Andre Lipcius would walk before Donny Sands would flyout to end the inning.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand would draw a leadoff walk to get the Bats going. Jason Vosler would lineout for the first out. T.J. Hopkins would single to give the Bats two runners on with one out. Jose Barrero would popout for the second out. Chuckie Robinson would put the Bats on the board with a RBI single, making it 2-1, still in favor of the Hens. Goudeau would get Michael Siani to lineout to end the inning.

Andrew Knapp would groundout to open the second inning against Stoudt. Johan Camargo would single and Grant Witherspoon would double to put runners on second and third with one out. The Mud Hens would only muster one run via a Meadows sacrifice fly, as Solak would follow with an inning-ending groundout.

The top of the third inning would begin with a defensive change, as Corey Joyce would enter at second base for Lipcius. Goudeau would retire the side in order, getting back-to-back flyouts to centerfield from Fairchild and Martini before striking out Reynolds to end the inning.

Maton would greet Stoudt with a leadoff home run to open the bottom of the third, putting the Hens up 4-1. Stoudt would retire the next three, getting Nevin to popout and back-to-back flyouts by Joyce and Sands to end the inning.

Goudeau would retire a big threat by inducing a groundout by Encarnacion strand to begin the fourth inning. Vosler would single, but would be stranded after flyouts from Hopkins and Barrero ended the inning.

Stoudt would retire Knapp and Camargo via flyouts before Stoudt would get pulled from the game, ending his night after 3.2 innings pitched, allowing four runs on four hits (two home runs), two walks and one strikeout. Shea Spitzbarth would enter from the bullpen for the Bats, striking out Witherspoon in a nine-pitch at-bat to end the inning.

Goudeau would return for the fifth inning retiring his first two batters, Robinson via a groundout and a Siani strikeout. Fairchild would hit a two-out single to try to get the offense going, but Martini would strikeout to end the inning, also closing Goudeau’s night. Goudeau finished with 5.0 innings pitched, allowing one run on four hits, one walk and three strikeouts.

Spitzbarth would return for the bottom of the fifth inning, inducing a Meadows popout for the first out. Solak and Maton would draw back-to-back walks to give the Mud Hens a scoring opportunity. Nevin would single in Solak to make it 5-1, before a balk would allow Maton to score and put it at 6-1 in favor of the Hens. Joyce would groundout and Sands would lineout to end the inning.

Sean Guenther would enter the game in the sixth inning for the Mud Hens and would be rudely greeted. Reynolds and Encarnacion-Strand would club back-to-back solo home runs to make it 6-3 in favor of the Hens. A Vosler flyout and a Hopkins groundout would net Guenther two outs. But then, Barrero would club another solo home run for the Bats, his third in four days, making it 6-4 Hens. Guenther would get Robinson to groundout to end the inning and stop the bleeding.

Spitzbarth would return to begin the bottom of the sixth inning. Spitzbarth would get Knapp to groundout and then would walk Camargo, which would chase him from the game. Kevin Herget would enter to escape the jam. Herget would strikeout Witherspoon and get Meadows to lineout and escape the inning unscathed. Spitzbarth’s night would officially end with 1.2 innings pitched, allowing two runs on one hit, three walks and one strikeout.

Matt Wisler would enter the game in the seventh inning for the Mud Hens. A wacky inning would ensue. Siani hit a leadoff single. Siani would move to second as a throwing error by Wisler allowed Fairchild to reach. Fairchild would get caught stealing second, allowing Siani to move up on the play. Martini would walk to put runners at the corners with one out. Matt Reynolds would popout for the second out. Martini would be caught stealing to end the inning, but in the process, Michael Siani scored to make it 6-5 for the Mud Hens. That would end Wisler’s night, picking up his third hold, pitching 1.0 inning, allowing one run on one hit and one walk.

Herget would remain in the game to begin the bottom of the seventh inning for the Bats. Solak would single and Maton would walk to put two runners on base to start the inning. Herget ould get Nevin to popout for the first out of the inning. Joyce would come through with a two-run double to put the lead at 8-5 and knock Herget out of the game. Ryan Nutof would enter the game for the Bats. Nutof would get Sands to groundout and Knapp to strikeout to end the inning and close the book on Herget. Herget would finish with 1.0 inning pitched, allowing two runs on two hits, one walk and one strikeout. That would also end Nutof’s night, pitching 0.2 inning, striking out one batter.

Sam Clay would enter to pitch the eighth inning for the Mud Hens. Clay would be greeted with a leadoff home run by Encarnacion-Strand that traveled 467 feet, making it 8-6 for the Hens. Vosler would single to keep the rally going for the Bats. Clay would get Hopkins to ground into a fielder’s choice and Barrero to groundout to get two outs. Clay would plunk Robinson to put the tying-run on base for the Bats. Siani would then rope a game-tying two-run double to knot the game at 8-8. Clay would get Fairchild to groundout to end the inning, but the damage was done. Clay finished the night with 1.0 inning pitched, allowing three runs on three hits (one home run) Clay picked up his first blown save, but also netted his second win, improving his record to 2-2.

Jared Solomon would enter the game in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Mud Hens. Solomon would walk the bases-loaded, walking Camargo, Witherspoon and Meadows each on five pitches, and was chased from the game. Silvino Bracho would enter with the bases loaded and no out. Bracho would get Solak to ground into a fielder’s choice and strikeout Maton to get two outs. Nevin would come up with the bases loaded and two outs. Nevin would club an opposite-field grand slam to put the Mud Hens ahead 12-8 for good. Bracho would strikeout Joyce to end the inning, but the damage was done. Solomon finished his night without recording an out, allowing three runs on three walks, taking the loss, falling to 1-1. Bracho would finish with 1.0 inning pitched, allowing one run on one hit (one home run) and two strikeouts.

Miguel Diaz would enter to close it out for the Mud Hens. Diaz would pick-up back-to-back strikeouts of Martini and Reynolds, and then induce a groundout from Encarnacion-Strand to end the inning and seal a 12-8 win for the Mud Hens. Diaz finished with 1.0 inning pitched, striking out two batters.

NOTABLES:

• Tyler Nevin: 2-5, HR, 5 RBI, R
• Nick Solak: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 4 R, BB
• Nick Maton: 1-3, HR, RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K
• Corey Joyce: 1-4, 2 RBI, 2B, K
• Ashton Goudeau: 5.0 IP, 4 H, R, ER, BB, 3 K

The Mud Hens will play host to the Louisville Bats for the series finale tomorrow, July 9^th at Fifth Third Field with first pitch coming at 2:05 pm ET for the final game before the all-star break.