IL1 Louisville Bats

Villarreal's Start and Timely Hitting Power Bats

Published on May 9, 2013 under International League (IL1)
Louisville Bats News Release


ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Behind a strong outing from starting pitcher Pedro Villarreal and a quartet of timely run-scoring hits, the Louisville Bats (17-17) defeated the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (14-19) 4-2 Thursday to take three of four from the Pigs at Coca Cola Park. The game was the eighth and final meeting between the teams in 2013 as the Bats took five of eight.

Louisville's record is now leveled at .500 for the first time since the Bats were 10-10 after a 7-3 loss to Gwinnett April 24 and the victory is the Bats' third in a row to match a season-high. Thursday's game was also the last of an eight-game road trip on which the Bats won five games. The trip is Louisville's first winning road trip this season after having just one winning trip (6/22-6/29 at PAW and at BUF) in 2012.

Both starting pitchers settled in after the start of the game was delayed 13 minutes due to rain. Villarreal allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out three IronPigs through the first four innings. His counterpart, Lehigh Valley starter Tom Cochran, was just as solid, allowing just two hits with two strikeouts through four innings.

The Bats finally broke into the scoring column in the fifth inning. Denis Phipps singled on a line drive to right-center field to lead off the inning. After a Ryan Hanigan strikeout, Kristopher Negron singled on a bunt that died perfectly in the grass down the third base line. With runners on first and second, Ray Chang snuck a looping liner passed the glove of IronPigs first baseman Cody Overbeck and into right field, scoring Phipps from second and putting Louisville in front 1-0.

Louisville added to the lead in the sixth inning. With one out and the bases empty, third baseman Neftali Soto blasted a 2-2 pitch from Cochran over the wall in straightaway center field for a 2-0 lead. The home run was Soto's third of the season, all of which have come against Lehigh Valley, as the Bats' third baseman finished 1-for-5 on the day. The RBI was his 12th of the year and sixth in eight games against the IronPigs in 2013. In all, Soto hit .469 (15-for-32) against Lehigh Valley this year.

Cochran (0-1, 3.48) lasted just one more batter as he allowed a line drive single to left off the bat of first baseman Mike Hessman to follow Soto's homer. The former Bat and Cincinnati Red went 5.1 innings allowing the 2 runs on 7 hits with no walks and 4 strikeouts.

Villarreal fought passed a little trouble in the IronPigs fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Lehigh Valley shortstop Michael Martinez drew a walk to lead it off, moved to second on a Cochran sac bunt and to third on a Jermaine Mitchell flyout to deep center before Villarreal got Cesar Hernandez to ground to second to end the threat. In the sixth, Pigs left fielder Darin Ruf walked with one out, but was out when right fielder Josh Fields grounded into a 4-3 double play.

Villarreal (1-2, 3.96) earned his first win of the season, bringing his record to 1-2. The righty went 6 shutout innings, allowing just 3 hits and 3 walks while recording 3 strikeouts. The start marked the Edinburg, Texas native's fifth quality start (6 or more innings pitched allowing 3 or fewer earned runs) in seven outings on the 2013 season.

After Villarreal's departure, the IronPigs tried for a comeback. With Louisville righty Mike MacDougal on to pitch the seventh inning, Overbeck greeted him rudely, lifting a 3-2 pitch onto the berm beyond the left-center field wall to lead off the frame and cut the Louisville lead to 2-1.

The Bats answered in the top of the eighth as left fielder Felix Perez led off with a single to left and moved to second on a Soto groundout. Hessman lined a single to right to score Perez and again give Louisville a two-run cushion at 3-1. Hessman finished 3-for-4 with the RBI (13), his second three-hit game as a Bat.

Lehigh Valley would come right back in the bottom of the inning. With right-hander Curtis Partch on to pitch, second baseman Hernandez crushed a one-out double to center, moved to third on a single to right by third baseman Cody Asche and scored on Ruf's sac-fly to right to make it 3-2 Louisville. The RBI was Ruf's 12th against the Bats this season, the most of any opposing player.

Righty Yohan Pino came on in relief of Partch and struck out Fields to end the inning.

The Bats tacked on one more in the ninth as Henry Rodriguez, who came in to play third base as part of the double switch the brought in Pino in the eighth inning, walked with one out. Center fielder Billy Hamilton followed with a single to center, moving Rodriguez to third. Perez's infield hit to third scored Rodriguez and provided the final 4-2 margin. Perez collected his team-leading 20th RBI on the play and, with his 2-for-5 day, now his multiple hits in four of his last five games.

Pino retired the IronPigs in order in the home half of the ninth to pick up the 1.1 inning save for the second straight game and his second save as a Bat.

Louisville returns home Friday to start a four-game series and homestand against the offensively potent Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. First pitch is set for 6:35 as right-hander Daniel Corcino (1-5, 7.56) will take the mound of the Bats and will be opposed by Buffalo right-hander Dave Bush (3-2, 3.46). Louisville is 2-2 against the Bisons in 2013 after splitting a Derby weekend four-game series in Buffalo.

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