Louisville Bats 5, Toledo Mud Hens 4 (box)
After a back and forth game, the Hens just couldn’t manage a late comeback in this one. Chi Chi Gonzalez was decent, tossing five innings with two runs allowed. He did punch out seven along the way.
Toledo seized the early lead in the first inning when Ryan Kreidler singled with one out and Josh Lester doubled him home. After the Bats tied it up in the second inning, Kreidler smacked an inside-the-parker to left center field in the third to regain the lead. The Bats again tied the game up in the fifth, and then the sixth inning proved decisive as they scored three runs in the top half of the inning. The Hens fought back, loading the bases, but only managed two runs on a sac fly and then a Jack Lopez double.
The Hens got the first two runners on in the seventh, but the baserunning let them down as Spencer Torkelson lined out to first baseman Colin Moran and he and the Bats turned a triple play. They didn’t mount much of a threat after that.
Kreidler: 3-5, 2 R, RBI, HR, 2 SO
Lester: 1-3, RBI, 2B, BB
Gonzalez: 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 7 SO
Coming Up Next: LHP Ricardo Sanchez ( 6-5, 4.82 ERA) takes on RHP Raynel Espinal (0-1, 11.37 ERA) on Friday night. In other news, long-time org starter Logan Shore was released by the Tigers.
Harrisburg Senators 5, Erie SeaWolves 2 (box)
Reese Olson got bombed on in this one, surrendering a pair of home runs along the way. The offense never got much going, and the Senators cruised to victory after a big sixth inning rally on Thursday.
Olson allowed a two-run homer in the first inning, but dialed it in for the next four innings. A Dane Myers home run, his 21st of the season, got the SeaWolves on the board in the fourth inning. They tied it up in the sixth when Dillon Dingler walked and Gage Workman tripled to deep center field. Workman has finally heated up recently, which is good to see although there remains a ton of swing and miss present. Unfortunately, Olson’s outing fell apart quickly in the bottom half with two straight singles to open the inning. Wilson Garcia launched a three-run shot, and that was about it for this one.
Workman: 2-4, RBI, 3B, 2 SO
Rosa: 3-3, BB
Olson (L, 6-6): 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 SO
Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:00 p.m. EDT start on Friday night. No starters have been announced yet.
South Bend Cubs 13, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 (box)
Garrett Burhenn was rocked by the Cubs in this one, and the bullpen fared no better. It was 10-0 by the time an Esney Chacon sacrifice fly scored Izaac Pacheco in the bottom of the fifth. Jace Jung walked with one out in the sixth, Josh Crouch doubled him to third, and Pacheco lifted a sac fly for the ‘Caps second run. A Trei Cruz triple in the bottom of the ninth led to their final run on a Justice Bigbie ground out. Bigbie is just up from Lakeland so that was his first High-A RBI for the first baseman.
Cruz: 2-4, R, 3B, SO
Jung: 0-3, R, BB, 2 SO
Burhenn (L, 0-1): 3.1 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, SO
Coming Up Next: RHP Keider Montero (5-7, 5.08 ERA) takes on RHP Kohl Franklin (2-6, 7.53 ERA) at 6:35 p.m. EDT on Friday night.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 6, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 3 (Gm 1)(F/7)(box)
The Flying Tigers came back from an early deficit to take the first of two in Fort Myers on Thursday.
Ulices Campos got the short start, but was hit up for three runs in the bottom of the first inning. They got those runs back in the second inning when Mike Rothenberg launched a three-run homer. In the third, Cristian Santana walked to open the inning and moved to third on a Peyton Graham single. Luke Gold lifted a sacrifice fly and the Flying Tigers had a lead they wouldn’t give up. A two-run single from Graham in the fourth gave them a three-run lead and the bullpen did the rest.
Graham: 2-4, 2 RBI, SO, SB
Rothenberg: 2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR
Mattison (W, 5-0): 2.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 SO
Lakeland Flying Tigers 1, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 0 (Gm 2)(F/7)(box)
This was mostly the Marco Jimenez show as the Flying Tigers swept the doubleheader. The hard-throwing 22-year-old shut out the Mussels for 4.1 innings with five strikeouts. Jose Diaz took it to the final out when Blake Holub came on for the final out to steal the save.
The offense didn’t do a whole lot, but Roberto Campos and Luke Gold each had two of the Flying Tigers’ six hits. Campos doubled to right in the fourth inning, and Gold’s single brought him home for the only run in the game.
Campos: 2-3, R, 2B
Gold: 2-2, RBI
Jimenez: 4.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 SO
Coming Up Next: First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. EDT on Friday night.