ROCHESTER, NY.: Brendon Davis was one of three Toledo Mud Hens hitters that pieced together multi-hit efforts and Toledo capitalized on a big fifth inning to create separation from the Rochester Red Wings in a 6-3 triumph at Frontier Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Mud Hens secured a season series
ROCHESTER, NY.: Brendon Davis was one of three Toledo Mud Hens hitters that pieced together multi-hit efforts and Toledo capitalized on a big fifth inning to create separation from the Rochester Red Wings in a 6-3 triumph at Frontier Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Mud Hens secured a season series victory from Rochester on Sunday, taking seven of the twelve games played against the Red Wings. Toledo has now won eight of its last nine, has clinched its last five series played, and is 26-12 since July 23rd.
Toledo wasted no time getting on the board. Ali Sanchez dumped a one-out single into center in the top of the first opposite Rochester starter Daniel Ponce de Leon. Two batters later, Davis found grass down the left field line, a two-base knock that plated Sanchez for the first run.
In the third, John Valente began a threat by coaxing a walk against Ponce de Leon. He advanced to second on another single from Sanchez, and then touched home on an RBI double from Daz Cameron to double the Toledo lead to 2-0.
A controversial bottom of the third inning saw the Red Wings break on to the scoreboard for the first time. With Jecksson Flores at first base, Andrew Stevenson hit what appeared to be a flyout to left field. However, a balk was called on Mud Hens starter Joey Wentz instead, enabling Flores to move to second. Consecutive singles from Stevenson and Lucius Fox allowed Flores to score to make it 2-1. Hens manager Lloyd McClendon and Wentz would both be ejected from the game for disputing the balk call.
Wentz didn’t factor in the decision, yielding five hits and one earned run while racking up three punch outs over three stanzas.
A critical fifth inning opened a 5-1 advantage for Toledo. Dylan Rosa prevailed in a lengthy at-bat to lead off the frame against Ponce de Leon, slamming an opposite field blast for his first Triple-A home run since May 19th. Base hits from Valente and Sanchez forced Rochester to remove Ponce de Leon and insert Francisco Perez on the hill. Valente would then touch up later in the frame on an RBI knock from Davis and a sacrifice fly from Andre Lipcius followed to bring in Sanchez and account for the damage.
Ponce de Leon (1-3) took the loss for the Red Wings, permitting seven hits, five earned runs, three walks, and mixing in four strikeouts across four-plus innings.
Valente held strong at the top of the Mud Hens order by contributing a 2-4 effort at the plate and scoring a pair of runs, increasing his on-base streak to 12 games in the process. Sanchez picked up three hits for the second time his season as a Mud Hen, also bumping his on-base streak to eight. Every Toledo batter reached base at least once in the contest.
Stevenson banged a two-run bomb off Zac Houston in the home half of the fifth to bring Rochester within 5-3. This, however, was the last hit the Hens pitching staff would allow in the contest.
Jack Lopez moved his hit streak to five straight assignments with a base hit to begin the sixth inning. He would also swipe a base in the frame and come across on a sacrifice fly from Cameron to round out the scoring.
Dustin Garneau and Lipcius were the only two Mud Hens batters to not record a hit, but both drew a walk to propel their on-base streaks to seven and nine games, respectively.
Cody Sedlock and Sam Howard (2-2) tossed 1 and 1/3’s scoreless stanzas in relief of Houston, with Howard picking up the win. Angel De Jesus turned in a perfect eighth. Drew Carlton set down the Red Wings in order in the ninth to ensure his second save of the year.
NEXT UP: After taking Monday off, the Mud Hens begin a seven-game set over six days against the St. Paul Saints at Fifth Third Field. A resumed game from July 17th begins Tuesday’s twin bill at 5 p.m. The nine-inning suspended game, in which the Saints will be the home team, will be followed by a seven-inning contest to cap the doubleheader.