Rios' Walk-Off Blast Powers 6-5 Bats Win
The Louisville Bats twice erased multi-run deficits and took the lead for the first time on the final pitch of the night with Edwin Rios launching a walk-off home run to give the Bats a 6-5 win over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in a thriller on Thursday night at Louisville
The Louisville Bats twice erased multi-run deficits and took the lead for the first time on the final pitch of the night with Edwin Rios launching a walk-off home run to give the Bats a 6-5 win over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in a thriller on Thursday night at Louisville Slugger Field.
Entering with the score tied 5-5 in the seventh, Casey Legumina was strong out of the Louisville bullpen with two scoreless innings, striking out three to hold the tie. Louisville threatened to take the lead for the first time in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with one out. However, Bubba Thompson and Jacob Hurtubise each flew out, keeping the score tied going to the ninth.
The Jumbo Shrimp similarly loaded the bases in the ninth. With two outs, Zach Maxwell (W, 5-2) escaped by inducing a ground out from Nick Gordon to hold the 5-5 tie. In the bottom of the inning, Rios stepped up with one out needing a triple to complete the cycle. But Rios decided to end it with one swing, crushing a 414-foot opposite field walk-off home run, his second of the night and 17th of the season, to give the Bats the 6-5 victory.
The evening ended better than it began for the Bats. Making his second Triple-A start, Bats righty Jose Acuña fell behind from the outset as three straight Jacksonville hits, capped by an RBI single from Javier Sanoja, opened the scoring. Two innings later, the Jumbo Shrimp added on with a sacrifice fly from Sanoja and a solo homer from Deyvison De Los Santos to make it 3-0 in the third.
Acuña ended his start by stranding a pair of runners on base in a scoreless top of the third. Over four innings, he allowed three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. The Bats offense would get him off the hook.
Jumbo Shrimp starter Yonny Chirinos was pulled after three scoreless innings, and the Bats were happy to see him go. Facing reliever Angel Macuare in the fourth, the offense went to work. Levi Jordan began the frame with a walk. Edwin Rios followed with a towering 434-foot two-run home run, his team-leading 16th of the season, over the roof of the Humana Cabana in right field to gets on the board and make it 3-2. Three hitters later, Joey Wiemer kept the inning going with a sharp single to left. Tucker Barnhart then laced a double into the right field corner, allowing Wiemer to hustle all the way home with the tying run.
Jacksonville wasted little time retaking the lead in the top of the fifth as a Gordon RBI triple was followed by an RBI single from Will Banfield, giving the visitors a 5-3 edge against Bats righty Connor Overton.
Making his first start for Louisville, Thompson got the bottom of the fifth started with a single, promptly stole second, and would later score on Levi Jordan’s RBI single to left. An inning later, the Bats would tie the game on an RBI ground out from Erik Gonzalez.
From there, the game was a battle of the bullpens. The Bats would prevail on Rios’ heroics in the ninth, the ninth walk-off for the Bats in 2024.
Rios led the way and continued his torrid streak for the Bats, going 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, and three RBI. Through the first three games of the series against Jacksonville, Rios is 7-for-12 with three home runs, two doubles, and 10 RBI. Barnhart doubled twice in the win while WIemer scored twice and added a stolen base.
The Bats (60-74, 22-38 second half) and Jumbo Shrimp (64-69, 29-29 second half) continue the series on Friday night at Louisville Slugger Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will be on the call for 1450/96.1 WXVW.