Mud Hens unload thirteen hits in 9-4 win over Bats

The Toledo Mud Hens went into their Wednesday night matchup against the Louisville Bats with a tough act to follow. The Hens came out on top 11-10 in an extra-innings thriller Tuesday night that featured 6 T-Town home runs. Toledo was able to keep the hard hitting going as five players had doubles in the 9-4 victory.

Bryan Sammons started the game by holding the Bats hitless until former Mud Hens Hernan Perez came to the plate. Perez picked up his eleventh home run of the season and the 1-0 lead. Sammons then gave up a double to Erik Gonzalez, but was able to recover from there with three straight outs.

The third inning would bring the hard-hitting Hens that we saw the day prior. Justice Bigbie led off for the Hens by reaching first on a throwing error. Back-to-back-to-back doubles from Stephen Scott, Andrew Navigato, and Akil Baddoo put Toledo on top 2-1. Spencer Torkelson then drew a walk and Baddoo found his 19 stolen base of the season before Jace Jung brought the pair home with a hit down the right field line.

The Mud Hens would be given another scoring chance in the fourth inning, but baserunning mishaps would kill the inning. Scott tried to score from second on a Navigato base hit, but was thrown out. Shortly after, Navigato was caught stealing second to close out the inning.

Toledo got right back to work in their half of the fifth. Torkelson led the way with a base hit, which Jung followed up with a walk. Dillon Dingler then made it 5-1 with an RBI double. The Hens then padded their lead even further as Ryan Kreidler joined in on the hitting spree to make it 7-1. With Kreidler’s and Dingler’s hits the Mud Hens would have five doubles in just as many innings.

To open the sixth inning, Andrew Magno would take over on the mound. Sammons finished his day with only two strikeouts, but only allowed three hits. Magno would find himself in a bit of a jam as a hit by pitch and a single put baserunners on the corners with no outs. He found the first out, but a Levi Jordan walk would load the bases. Toledo was able to escape unharmed as P.J. Higgins hit a bouncer right back to the mound that Magno flipped to Dingler for the quick out at home. Dingler then gunned the ball to first for the inning-ending double play.

Magno would not be so fortunate in his second inning of action. He would walk Edwin Rios and give up a single to Perez to put runners on first and second. Magno got back on the right track by picking up a strikeout on Gonzalez, but then gave up an RBI double to Jacob Hurtubise. After TJ Friedl drew a walk, Tim Federowicz decided that it was time for Devin Sweet to enter the game. Magno would still be held responsible for two more runs though as a grounder by Blake Dunn found the outfield and made it 7-4.

With their lead being challenged, the Hens looked for some added insurance in the bottom of the seventh. They would find it in a two-run homer off the bat of Dingler. His third home run in just two games and his 16 of the season.

Andrew Vasquez would be chosen to close out the game. He began to warm up during some of Sammons’s struggles in the third inning, but wasn’t called upon until the eighth. He would secure Toledo’s 9-4 victory and picked up two strikeouts in the process.

The Mud Hens and the Bats will faceoff for the third game of the series Thursday at 7:05 p.m. Toledo has a chance to secure at least a series split with a win.

Notables:

• Dillon Dingler (3-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R)
• Andrew Navigato (2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R)
• Stephen Scott (2-3, 2B, R)
• Bryan Sammons (W, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 K, 1 HR)