TOLEDO, OH.: The Toledo Mud Hens bounced back quickly from a key home run hit by the St. Paul Saints, pushing three runs across in the bottom of the sixth and going on to win their third game of the set by a final score of 5-2 on Saturday evening
TOLEDO, OH.: The Toledo Mud Hens bounced back quickly from a key home run hit by the St. Paul Saints, pushing three runs across in the bottom of the sixth and going on to win their third game of the set by a final score of 5-2 on Saturday evening at Fifth Third Field.
Ryan Kreidler opened the scoring with an absolute blast to dead center field, his third home run of the season, for a 1-0 Mud Hens edge in the second inning. All three of Kreidler’s long balls have come at Fifth Third Field.
RHP Jake Faria was impressive in his start for St. Paul, limiting Toledo to a run on four hits with five strikeouts mixed in over four innings.
Royce Lewis would provide an answer for Kreidler’s homer eventually in the sixth inning, slamming a ball off the top of the scoreboard for a two-run blast, scoring Elliot Soto with him, for a 2-1 St. Paul lead.
That was the only mistake Mud Hens starter RHP Nivaldo Rodriguez (1-0) would make in six innings on the hill. He allowed two earned runs and scattered five hits and a walk.
Toledo ensured Rodriguez his first victory of the season by piecing together a huge bottom of the sixth. Josh Lester and Jacob Robson drew walks against RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez. Jack Lopez swatted a huge two-out, two-run triple down the right field line to push the Hens in front. Chris Rabago followed by driving in his first run of the season, an RBI knock to plate Lopez and make it 4-2.
With Lopez on first in the bottom of eighth, the Mud Hens capitalized on a grounder hit by Rabago and a subsequent throwing error by Saints third baseman Jermaine Palacios, permitting Lopez to score and bumping the Toledo lead to 5-2.
Gonzalez (2-1) suffered his first loss of the season for the Saints, surrendering five hits, two walks, and three runs in three stanzas. RHP Drew Strotman yielded a walk and that unearned run in relief of Gonzalez.
Toledo’s bullpen was lights out on Saturday in relief of Rodriguez. RHP Ricardo Pinto earned a hold by firing two scoreless frames and working around a hit and a walk. LHP Miguel Del Pozo slammed the door in the ninth for his first save of the campaign.
Kody Clemens extended his six-game hitting streak with a seventh inning single. He is maintaining a .308 average during this hot streak at the plate.
NEXT UP: The second home stand of the season for the Mud Hens closes with one final game against the Saints at 2:05 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Toledo is seeking to win its first series of the season.