Torkelson goes deep to help Hens secure the 2-0 victory

The Toledo Mud Hens defeated the Louisville Bats 2-0 on Saturday night at Fifth Third Field in front of a sold-out crowd.

Ty Madden got the start for game five of this series. Madden comes into this game 0-3 with a 10.16 ERA.

Madden started the day off pitching a 1-2-3 inning in just six pitches as he punched out one and allowed two pop-outs to end the inning.

In the bottom of the first Andrew Navigato was able to record a walk while also being able to steal second. Spencer Torkelson then brought him home to score on a throwing error, however, Torkelson was tagged out at second in the process which ended the inning with the Mud Hens leading 1-0.

Madden continued to wheel and deal as in the top of the second he struck out the first two batters of the inning while making the third batter record a pop fly to end the inning as Madden mowed down the Bats 1-2-3 once again.

In the bottom of the second, the Bats were able to record a 1-2-3 inning of their own as Justice Bigbie and Stephen Scott flew out to first base and right field, while Riley Unroe ended the inning on a strikeout.

Madden added three more K’s in the top of the third as he struck out the side while throwing his third consecutive 1-2-3 inning while still maintaining a low pitch count of 31 pitches through three.

In the bottom half of the third, Alvaro Gonzalez struck out while Drew Maggi was able to reach first on a single to right field but wasn’t able to advance as Parker Meadows grounded into a fielder's choice and Navigato struck out to end the third.

Madden then started the fourth off with yet another K. However the next batter was able to record the Bat's first hit of the game as Rece Hinds doubled down the left field line. Gonzalez saved a run in the field at second base as he made a running play to get the batter out at first with Hinds advancing to third. But the damage was kept empty as a fly out to right field ended the top half of the fourth.

The two teams then exchanged scoreless innings for the next two innings.

In the top of the sixth Madden pitched yet another 1-2-3 inning however that almost wasn't the case as Bigbie made a running play in right field to take away a double and potential triple to record the out.

After 6.0 innings pitched, Ty Madden’s day was done as he tied his strikeout high with eight punchouts on the day.

Andrew Vasquez then came out on the bump as he recorded the first two outs of the inning before giving up a double but to no avail as Vasquez struck out Michael Trautwein to end the inning.

In the top of the seventh Torkelson was able to notch his fourth home run of the year while extending the Hens lead to 2-0. Later in the inning, Bigbie extended his hitting streak to nine as he reached base on a double to left field but wasn't able to be brought in as Unroe struck out and Gonzalez popped out to end the inning leaving Bigbie stranded at third.

In the top of the eighth Vasquez turned the ball over to Trey Wingenter after 1.1 innings pitched.

Wingenter got into some trouble as he gave up two singles to his first two batters to put runners on the corners. He was able to punch out the next two batters to end the inning with no damage done.

In the bottom of the eighth in hopes to add some insurance Meadows walked while Navigato singled to put runners on first and second. Ryan Vilade then came in to pinch-hit where he ended up striking out which brought up Torkelson. Torkelson struck out as well to end the inning.

Sean Guenther then came in to pitch the save in the top of the ninth. A bunt and a strikeout took us to two outs in the ninth inning where Guenther was able to punch out the final batter to end the game 2-0 Mud Hens.

The Mud Hens and Bats conclude their six-game series tomorrow with first pitch being at 4:05 p.m.

Notables:

Ty Madden (W, 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 R, 8 K)

Spencer Torkelson (1-4, HR, RBI, 2 K)

Justice Bigbie (1-3, 2B)