Bats Blast Their Way to 10-7 Come-From-Behind Victory

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Bats Blast Their Way to 10-7 Come-From-Behind Victory

April 19, 2025 - International League (IL)
Louisville Bats News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - Although the Louisville Bats surrendered a grand slam to the Columbus Clippers in the first inning, the Bats showed their resilience, bouncing back to smash four home runs of their own to win 10-7 on Saturday afternoon at Huntington Park.

After Friday's 13-2 rout, the Bats were hungry to rebound. Striking in the first inning without tallying a hit spoke to that. Tyler Callihan led off with a walk and promptly swiped second. What should've been a routine grounder off Ivan Johnson's bat became a two-on, no-outs situation thanks to a Clippers error. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch from Vince Velasquez, and a Rece Hinds groundout plated Callihan to go up 1-0. That lead was short-lived, though.

Aaron Wilkerson entered Saturday's game riding the momentum of 11 straight scoreless innings. Columbus wasted no time snapping that streak. Wilkerson quickly found himself in a bases-loaded jam and Micah Pries made him pay by blasting a grand slam, the Clippers' second in as many days, to give Columbus a 4-1 lead.

In many ways, Wilkerson's outing served as a snapshot of his season thus far. Out of the gates Wilkerson cracked, but he never crumbled. Preventing a turbulent first frame from spiraling, Wilkerson responded with poise and maturity, recording 10 straight outs without surrendering a hit. He exited after four innings, allowing four earned runs and striking out five. While Wilkerson's performance was far from stellar, by settling in, he was able to keep the Bats within striking distance.

And Louisville did indeed strike. In the third inning, Edwin Ríos doubled, and P.J. Higgins followed that by blasting a low curveball over the left field fence. Higgins' first homer of the season cut the Bats' deficit to just one run at 4-3.

However, for the third-straight game, poor defense proved costly for Louisville. The Clippers stretched their lead to 5-3 after a lapse by Hinds in the outfield, scoring a runner all the way home from first.

Hinds redeemed himself in the very next frame, launching a solo shot to dead center. With one swing of the bat, Louisville once again trailed by just one run. Four pitches later, Edwin Ríos took Bradley Hanner (L, 2-1) deep to even the score. But the Bats weren't content after the back-to-back bombs. Levi Jordan walked to extend the inning and Davis Wendzel launched the third Louisville homer of the frame, putting the Bats back on top, 7-5.

With the four-run frame, the Bats seized control which they never relinquished. Lyon Richardson (W, 3-0) relieved Wilkerson, and silenced Columbus. After surging ahead via the long ball, Louisville employed small ball to add three more runs in the ensuing three innings. The Bats' 10 runs set a season-high in runs allowed by Columbus.

Those insurance runs gave Louisville some breathing room as the Clippers threatened in the bottom of the eighth against Luis Mey. A sac fly trimmed Columbus' deficit to four, and a walk loaded the bases, bringing the tying run to the plate. Zach Maxwell (S, 1) entered with two outs and averted disaster by forcing a fly out to end the inning.

Maxwell returned in the ninth to finish the job and earn his first save of the season, despite allowing a solo homer to Will Wilson.

The Bats notched six extra-base knocks, headlined by four home runs. Ríos led the way with a season-high three hits, two runs and two RBI. Wendzel's three RBI led the team, and Higgins and Hinds each registered two hits. At the top of the lineup, Callihan reached base five times, going 1-for-2 with four walks to extend his season-opening on-base streak to 18 games. On the mound, Richardson tied a career-high by earning his third win of the season with two scoreless innings.

The Bats (10-10) will try to maintain their offensive firepower and finish their six-game series against the Clippers (12-6) on a high note Sunday afternoon at Huntington Park. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET. Nick Curran will be on the call for Sports Talk 790 AM.

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