Mud Hens hammer 6 home runs to pound Louisville

5/13/2018
BY JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
  • SPT-Hens15-31

    Toledo's Ronny Rodriguez swings at a pitch at Fifth Third Field earlier this season. Rodriguez homered twice in the Mud Hens' lopsided win at Louisville Sunday.

    Blade/Kurt Steiss

  • The Toledo Mud Hens hit six home runs, including two each by Ronny Rodriguez and Christin Stewart, to slam Louisville 10-4 at Louisville Slugger Field on Sunday. Toledo also got homers from Chad Huffman and Jason Krizan to win the series and improve to 23-12 on the season.

    Toledo's Ronny Rodriguez swings at a pitch at Fifth Third Field earlier this season. Rodriguez homered twice in the Mud Hens' lopsided win at Louisville Sunday.
    Toledo's Ronny Rodriguez swings at a pitch at Fifth Third Field earlier this season. Rodriguez homered twice in the Mud Hens' lopsided win at Louisville Sunday.

    What happened: The Mud Hens jumped in front when Stewart homered in the top of the first inning, but the Bats got that run back in the bottom half with an RBI double by Brandon Dixon.

    Toledo got home runs from Rodriguez and Huffman in the third to retake the lead for good. Louisville inched within a run on a run-scoring wild pitch by Hens starter Drew VerHagen, but Toledo got that run back with interest on a two-run double by Kody Eaves.

    The Mud Hens broke the game open with a five-run sixth that included back-to-back homers by Rodriguez and Stewart along with a three-run shot by Krizan. The Bats scored two in the bottom of the sixth, but did not score again as A.J. Ladwig improved to 5-0 on the season, allowing five hits while striking out five in 5⅔ innings.

    Game MVP: Rodriguez and Stewart each had identical lines in five at-bats to pace Toledo’s 11-hit attack.

    Make a note of it: The Mud Hens finished the first quarter of the season with a 23-12 record, the best mark since the 2008 team went 24-11 in its first 35 games. … The back-to-back homers by Rodriguez and Stewart in the sixth marked the first time Toledo had back-to-back round-trippers since Matt den Dekker and JaCoby Jones achieved the feat in Indianapolis on June 20, 2017. ... The Hens’ six homers marked the most in one game since Toledo pounded out six in an 18-1 win against Syracuse on July 23, 2009. Brent Clevlen hit three of the homers in that game.

    Comings and goings: The Detroit Tigers returned left-hander Ryan Carpenter to the Hens after Carpenter was added to their roster for Saturday’s doubleheader.

    A look ahead: The Mud Hens will have Monday off before starting a six-game homestand, with the first of three games Tuesday against Charlotte. That game will start at 6:35 p.m. and will feature left-hander Josh Turley (2-1, 3.86 ERA) as the Hens starter. The Knights have not announced their starter for the game.

    Contact John Wagner at jwagner@theblade.com419-724-6481, or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.