Zach MacDonald homered again as the Toledo Mud Hens defeated the Louisville Bats 10-5, reducing the Bats' series lead. Corey Julks continued his strong performance, contributing significantly to the Hens' victory.
The Mud Hens hammered Bats pitching all night, while Ty Madden put together a pretty decent start as the Hens cut the Bats’ series lead to two games to one.
The Hens opened the scoring in the top of the second inning. Jace Jung singled with one out and Trei Cruz drew a walk after challenging a strike call successfully. Corey Julks smoked a groundball single into left field to plate Jung, and Tyler Gentry followed suit with a single to score Cruz. A Max Burt grounder forced Gentry at second and allowed Julks to score and then Ben Malgeri was hit by a pitch. Max Clark wrapped up the inning with a rocket that the Bats’ second baseman couldn’t handle. The single scored Burt for a 4-0 lead.
Max Clark hits a 106 MPH rocket through the second baseman to score Max Burt and put Toledo up 4-0. pic.twitter.com/XCdnbyEd6k
Madden had a clean first inning, but he walked Noelvi Marte to open the bottom of the second and JJ Bleday mashed a two-run shot to right center field. 4-2 Hens.
From that point on, Madden locked more successfully, striking out a pair of hitters to clean up the inning. In the fourth, Madden gave up back-to-back singles to Bleday and then Michael Toglia, but Max Clark came through with his sixth assist of the young season, gunning down Toglia as he overran second base and tried to get back. A fly out from Francisco Urbaez to Clark snuffed any further thoughts of a rally.
Max knew you guys were missing him yesterday, so he just wanted to put on a little show for you.
And he did not disappoint pic.twitter.com/alg14bl38T
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Meanwhile, the Hens had already rebuilt a four-run lead in the top of the third. Eduardo Valencia and Jace Jung led off the inning with singles. Cruz grounded out, but Julks stayed hot with a two-run double the opposite way to make it a 6-2 game. Workman doubled and scored on a Valencia single in the fourth to make it 7-2.
Madden wrapped up his day with a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth, finishing with two runs charged and four strikeouts to his credit. His velocity is still down in the 92-93 mph range for the most part and he was throwing a heavy volume of cutters, splitters, and sliders.
Lefty Drew Sommers gave up a run in the sixth and Burch Smith had to clean up that inning, but in the seventh, Valencia and Jung drew walks to start the inning and Cruz singled in Valencia. Gentry later singled in Jung and Cruz for a 10-3 lead.
Might go by Max Clark, but that catch? Pure Clark Kent.
Some may even say Superman✨ pic.twitter.com/1e9OlYLskY
The SeaWolves built a slim early lead, but starter Joe Miller was knocked around as the Senators stormed back and held off a late charge from Erie to go up 2-0 in the series. A planned doubleheader’s second game was rained out, and so they’ll attempt to play two on Friday.
Miller gave up a run in the top of the first, but in the bottom half, Seth Stephenson led off with a walk and stole second base, and then third as Peyton Graham struck out. An infield single from Brett Callahan got the run home and tied things up at 1-1. Callahan then stole second and took third on a poor throw. A John Peck ground out scored the run to make it 2-1.
Miller got through the second unscathed, and the SeaWolves added on as Justice Bigbie led off with a single, stole second as Erie continued to run wild, and scored on an E.J. Exposito single for a 3-1 lead.
Unfortunately, Miller gave up the lead in the top of the third and Sean Hunley was rocked in relief, giving up four runs in the top of the fourth to make it 7-3 Harrisburg.
Aaron Antonini launched a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth to make it 7-4. The Senators answered back with a three-run shot from Kervin Pichardo for a 10-4 lead. Wandisson Charles was wild for the SeaWolves in the top of the sixth, walking three in a rough inning that included an error on Charles and a wild pitch, and finally walking in a run to make it 11-4 before Luke Taggart took over and got out of the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth, the SeaWolves did fight back. Bennett Lee and Stephenson singled to start the inning. Callahan stayed hot with an RBI double to left, and after a pitching change, Peck singled in Stephenson. Andrew Jenkins doubled in Callahan, getting Peck to third, where he too scored on a Bigbie ground out. It was 11-8, and an Exposito single made it 11-9, but that was as close as the SeaWolves would get.
Callahan: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB, 2 K
Antonini: 2-5, R, RBI, HR, 2 K
Bigbie: 2-4, R, RBI, BB
Miller (L, 0-1): 3.1 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: First pitch for Game 1 is set for 5:05 p.m. ET on Friday evening.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Lansing Lugnuts (postponed)
They were unsurprisingly rained out in Lansing on Thurday. They’ll get back at it on Friday at 6:05 p.m. ET, looking to get a doubleheader in as the Whitecaps lead the series 2-0.
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 7, Lakeland Flying Tigers 4 (box)
Malachi Witherspoon’s third start finally found some adversity as the Mussels knocked him out of the game with a long, four-run first inning. The offense rallied back to tie the game only for the bullpen to lose it anyway.
Witherspoon started off fine with a swinging strikeout. He gave up a single, and then struck out the next hitter swining as well, but the at-bats got long as JP Smitth II fouled off seven pitches in an 11 pitch AB that led to a walk. A 3-2 count to Yasser Mercedes followed as Witherspoon missed up a few times, and Mercedes got a pitch he liked and mashed a three-run homer. Because Witherspoon was already over 30 pitches, his outing was over per Tigers’ policy with their farmhands.
Andrew Pogue took over and allowed a run in the inning before going on to throw a scoreless second inning. Tyler Owens racked up a quick 1-2-3 inning in another rehab appearance.
In the fourth, a scorching hot Zach MacDonald blasted his fourth home run of the year to right field. That got the Flying Tigers on the board, and a walk to Anibal Salas and a Nolan McCarthy single followed to set up another scoring chance. Sergio Tapia singled in Salas, and a ground out from Newremberg Rondon brought McCarthty home to make it a 4-3 Fort Myers lead when the inning ended.
Zach MacDonald sends a solo home run to right center for Lakeland’s first hit of the night. It’s his 4th home run of the year. pic.twitter.com/83Xfbirel9
In the sixth, Javier Osorio reached on an error and took second base on the play, eventually stealing third as well. A McCarthy ground out scored him to tie the game 4-4. Tapia followed with a double and Rondon drew a walk, but on a Jude Warwick single, Tapia was thrown out at the plate, and that play turned the tide back to the Mussels.
Yoan Valdez allowed a run in the sixth and then two more in the seventh as the Mussels pulled ahead 7-4. The Flying Tigers were never able to make another push.
Tapia: 2-3, 2B, BB, K
MacDonald: 1-4, R, RBI, HR
Goodman: 1-4, BB, 2 K, SB
Carabello: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: Fort Myers leads the series 2-1 with a 7:05 p.m. ET start set for Friday night.
