Mud Hens score 3 in eighth to get past Louisville

7/7/2018
BLADE STAFF
Jacob Robson, pictured in a game earlier this season, went 2-for-5 as the Mud Hens won for the second straight day in Louisville.
Jacob Robson, pictured in a game earlier this season, went 2-for-5 as the Mud Hens won for the second straight day in Louisville.

The visiting Toledo Mud Hens scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie and beat the Louisville Bats 5-2 at Slugger Field on Saturday.

What happened: The Hens got a two-out, solo home run from Mike Gerber in the second to take the early lead, then Jarrod Saltalamacchia scored on Dawel Lugo’s sacrifice fly in the third gave Toledo a 2-0 lead. Philllip Ervin tied it for Louisville with a one-out, two-run single in the fifth.

But the Mud Hens won it in the eighth. Lugo’s second sacrifice fly of the game scored Pete Kozma, who led off the inning with a walk. Jason Krizan then got aboard on an error, scoring Jacob Robson, who singled earlier in the inning. An out later, Herlis Rodriguez tripled home Krizan for the final margin.

Hunter Cervenka pitched 1⅓ innings of perfect ball, in relief of Jacob Turner, to register his first victory of the season. He struck out one. Zac Reininger recorded a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out one, for his fifth save of the campaign.

Game MVP: Robson went 2-for-5. His average is .400 in nine games since being called up from Double-A Erie.

Make a note of it: Mud Hens reliever Paul Voelker has the lowest batting average allowed among International League relief pitchers at .138 (20-for-145). … Entering Saturday’s game, Toledo was tied for second in the IL with a team batting average of .262. Indianapolis is first at .276.

A look ahead: The Mud Hens will wrap up their three-game set at Louisville at 2 p.m. Sunday. Right-hander Kyle Dowdy (5-3, 4.03 ERA) will take the mound for Toledo, while the Bats will start right-hander Homer Bailey (1-2, 6.35 ERA), who is on a rehab assignment from Cincinnati.