Hens clobber Bats early, extend win streak to five games

Toledo Mud Hens
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo Mud Hens captured their fifth straight win over the Louisville Bats on Sunday, scoring nine runs in the second inning en route to a 10-4 victory at Fifth Third Field.

JaCoby Jones was one of two Toledo (19-16) batters to reach base three times, going 1-for-1 with a solo home run, two walks and a pair of runs, while Zack Short went 0-for-2 with two walks and a fielder’s choice. Grayson Greiner finished 1-for-2 with a single, a walk and a run to begin his rehab assignment, while Cole Peterson ended the day 1-for-2 with an RBI double, a walk and a sacrifice fly.**

Ricardo Pinto** made his first start for the Mud Hens since being reassigned from Double-A Erie, striking out six in 5.1 innings of work while allowing two earned runs on three hits and a walk. Robbie Ross Jr. and Drew Carlton also contributed a scoreless inning out of the Hen Pen.

The Mud Hens quickly jumped ahead, as leadoff hitter JaCoby Jones blasted a 3-1 pitch over the center-field wall for his first home run in a Toledo uniform since Aug. 17, 2017 at Charlotte.

Toledo blew the game wide open with nine runs on five hits, seven walks and an error in the bottom of the second stanza. Kody Clemens and Short drew back-to-back walks to begin the frame, before Christin Stewart hit a broken-bat single into right to load the bases with nobody out. Peterson then lifted a sacrifice fly to deep center that plated Clemens, and Short sprinted home on a wild pitch moments later to give the Mud Hens a 3-0 advantage.

The frame continued as Jones picked up a walk, and Jacob Robson lined a base hit into right-center to drive in Stewart and make it a 4-0 ballgame. A fifth run arrived when Jones advanced 90 feet on Louisville (12-23) catcher Chris Okey’s throwing error as Robson swiped second base. Greiner and Yariel Gonzalez kept the line moving with consecutive walks to re-load the bases for Renato Núñez, who elevated a grand slam over the right-field wall to extend the lead to 9-0.

The hosts tacked on another run prior to the end of the inning. Clemens singled to right, advanced to second when Short earned his second walk of the frame, and scored when Peterson doubled into left-center to stake the Mud Hens to a 10-0 cushion.

Louisville got on the board in the top of the fifth when Alejo Lopez hit a two-out solo shot to right. The Bats manufactured another run an inning later, before Dwight Smith Jr. whacked a two-run homer to right to trim the deficit to 10-4.

What’s Next:
The Mud Hens will begin a six-game road series against the Columbus Clippers on Tuesday. First pitch from Huntington Park is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Hens Notes:
• The Mud Hens finished 9-3 against Louisville in their regular-season series.
Jacob Robson has recorded a hit in all five starts since being reassigned from Double-A Erie, going 9-for-22 with two doubles, a homer, six RBI, two walk and six runs in that span.
• During their five-game winning streak, the Mud Hens outscored the Bats by a 36-16 margin.
• The Mud Hens scored 10 runs against the Bats five times this season, including three of their last five head-to-head meetings.
• The Mud Hens are tied with Iowa for the Triple-A lead with four grand slams this season.

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