Iapoce victorious in managerial debut

The Toledo Mud Hens start the year off on a good note, winning 7-4 in their season opener against the St. Paul Saints.

The Mud Hens struck first, scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning. Parker Meadows hit a two-out double off Saints starter Bailey Ober and was knocked in by Tyler Nevin who tripled a few pitches later.

Starting pitcher Brenan Hanifee was stellar in his Mud Hens debut, pitching four shutout innings, striking out three, and allowing just two baserunners. The bullpen was similarly sharp the next four innings, allowing just one run, a solo home run by Edouard Julian off Zach Logue.

Today was a great day for the Mud Hens' first basemen. Tyler Nevin started the game and went 3 for 3 with an RBI triple and a run scored. Andy Ibanez came in as a defensive replacement for Nevin in the sixth inning. In his first at bat of the game, Ibanez hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to give Toledo a 6-1 lead.

The Saints rallied in the ninth inning off Mud Hens reliever Will Vest, who surrendered three runs in 0.2 innings. First time manager Anthony Iapoce called to the bullpen, replacing Vest with Miguel Diaz, who struck out Andrew Bechtold to end the game.

Toledo’s Zach Logue and Miguel Diaz earned the win and the save respectively, and St. Paul’s Bailey Ober was credited with the loss. Additionally, Anthony Iapoce earned his first career managerial win.

Toledo squares off against St. Paul tomorrow at 4:05 to continue opening weekend.