Bats Mount Three-Run Comeback, Walk-off I-Cubs
IL Louisville Bats

Bats Mount Three-Run Comeback, Walk-off I-Cubs

July 25, 2025 - International League (IL)
Louisville Bats News Release


LOUISVILLE, Kentucky - In front of an energetic crowd on Friday night, the Louisville Bats came back to walk off the Iowa Cubs, 6-5, clinching at least a split of their six-game set. With 13 hits, three home runs among them, Louisville put together an all-around offensive effort, with five Bats tallying at least two hits in the ballgame.

It was Brian Van Belle going for the Bats in this one, and Iowa jumped on him quick. Leadoff hitter James Triantos reached on an infield single before swiping second base and moving to third on a groundout. With two away, a sharp grounder to short caught Levi Jordan deep in the hole. He made a high throw to first, allowing Jonathan Long to reach and the game's first run to come home.

Louisville got the run back in the bottom of the second, as Edwin Rios clubbed his 19th home run of the season to straightaway center. The 430-foot bomb is tied for the fourth-longest homer of the season for the Bats, and it knotted the game at one after two innings.

The I-Cubs pulled back in front in the third with a string of two-out hits, capped by Christian Franklin's RBI double. In the bottom of the second, Rece Hinds blasted a home run of his own, taking one the opposite way to once again tie the game.

Van Belle posted a zero in the fourth before running into trouble in the fifth. A single and two rare walks loaded the bases for Kevin Alcantara, but Van Belle got him swinging with a beautiful changeup. The next I-Cub to bat, Ben Cowles, came through, driving a triple over the glove of a leaping Blake Dunn in center field to clear the bases and give Iowa a 5-2 lead.

Hector Rodriguez doubled to lead off the bottom of the sixth, and after recording the first out of the inning, the I-Cubs turned to Luke Little to face Rios with a lefty-lefty advantage. The matchup didn't matter to Rios, who clobbered his second home run of the game to left-center field to bring the Bats within a run. It is the third multi-homer game of the season for Rios, who has now slugged 20 long balls for Louisville for the second consecutive season. Rece Hinds followed with a double, but the Bats couldn't bring him around as the 5-4 game entered the seventh inning.

After Connor Phillips tossed his second straight scoreless inning of relief, Louisville looked to apply more pressure at the dish. Levi Jordan roped a one-out single into left, stealing second and moving to third on a deep flyout. Stepping in was Rodriguez, the Bats' hottest hitter. With a pair of two-hit performances in his last three games entering tonight, the 21-year-old slapped his third hit of tonight's ballgame into left field, plating the tying run and prompting Iowa to make its second pitching change of the evening. Riley Martin took over and recorded the final out of the seventh.

Zach Maxwell entered for Louisville in the eighth, making his 40th appearance of the season out of the bullpen. He tossed a scoreless frame to give the Bats a chance to take a late lead. Rios ripped his third hit, a single into right, to lead off the inning, and after Trey Faltine came in to pinch run, Rece Hinds drew a walk. Christian Encarnacion-Strand cracked a deep fly ball to the wall in left, moving Faltine to third as the young Sal Stewart stood in. He lined one weakly up the middle, and it was scooped up by Triantos who turned an inning-ending double play.

Joe La Sorsa (W, 3-2), making his fifth appearance of the last seven games, hurled a scoreless ninth with three strikeouts.

Gavin Hollowell (L, 1-2) came on for the I-Cubs in the bottom of the ninth. Levi Jordan walked with one out, and Blake Dunn followed with a bloop single over the second baseman's head to put runners on the corners. Rodriguez was intentionally walked after Blake Dunn took second, bringing up Francisco Urbaez, the Bats' hit leader this season. Urbaez shot one through the right side, and Jordan scampered home with the winning run as the Bats completed the comeback and sent the raucous Louisville crowd home happy.

Rios (2) and Hinds both homered in the win, while Rodriguez, Dunn and Jordan also contributed multi-hit games. The Bats bullpen impressively put together four scoreless innings.

The Bats (44-56, 12-13 second half) will go for a series win against the I-Cubs (50-48, 11-14 second half) with game five on Saturday night. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. ET with Nick Curran and Jim Kelch on the call for Sports Talk 790.

Check out the Louisville Bats Statistics



International League Stories from July 25, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central