Bats Walked off by Stripers in Finale
Published on August 17, 2025 under International League (IL)
Louisville Bats News Release
LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia - The Louisville Bats couldn't finish off the Gwinnett Stripers on Sunday, blowing a two-run lead late in the ballgame to drop the series finale in walkoff fashion by the score of 6-5.
The Bats wasted no time getting going against Gwinnett rehabber Chris Sale. Three straight singles by Blake Dunn, Hector Rodriguez and Sal Stewart gave Louisville a 1-0 lead just a few batters into the ballgame.
Louisville starter Chase Petty ran into some trouble in the third, as a walk and two singles resulted in a run. It was Jesus Bastidas whose RBI single with two outs knotted the ballgame at a run apiece. Petty escaped further damage with an inning-ending strikeout.
Sale settled in over the next few innings for Gwinnett, being removed after the fourth inning as he approached his pitch limit. In the top of the fifth, Zach Thompson entered for the Stripers, and he was promptly greeted by a big fly off the bat of Ryan Vilade, who put the Bats back on top with his 15th home run of the season.
The offense continued to pound away, as Will Banfield extended his hot homecoming series with a double to left. Dunn was hit by a pitch, and Rodriguez lined a double into right-center field, bringing in a run and putting two more runners in scoring position. Louisville added one more run as Sal Stewart chopped one to second. He was thrown out at first, and after Dunn scored from third, Rodriguez was caught between second and third and was tagged out to end the inning.
With Petty still on the bump for the Bats, the Stripers looked to respond. A single by Cody Milligan and an RBI triple by Jarred Kelenic cut into the lead with just one away, but Petty bounced back, forcing an infield popout and ending the inning with his sixth strikeout of the afternoon.
Yosver Zulueta entered in the sixth for Louisville. With two outs in the inning, former Bat Conner Capel lined one to center field, and it snuck past a diving Dunn. Capel was off to the races, coming around to score with an inside-the-park home run to trim the Louisville lead to just one. It is the second inside-the-parker that the Bats have surrendered this season.
Louisville put two runners on base against John Brebbia in the seventh, and a wild pitch that skipped away from Leon behind the plate brought home Will Banfield from third to give the Bats their two-run cushion right back.
Reiver Sanmartin came in for the seventh, but immediately ran into trouble. A walk and two hit-by-pitches loaded the bases for Gwinnett with nobody out. The Louisville staff was able to, for the most part, dance away from disaster, as a force out at the plate, a groundout to second, and a lineout to right ended the inning with the Bats still clinging to a one-run lead.
It didn't last for long. Zach Maxwell, who recorded the final out of the seventh, came back out for the eighth, and the first batter he faced, Eddys Leonard, blasted a game-tying homer to left. Buck Farmer came on to close out the inning, keeping the game tied through eight.
After going scoreless in the top of the ninth against Wander Suero (W, 1-3), Lenny Torres Jr. (L, 1-2) entered for the Bats, looking to send the game to extras. He walked the first man he faced in Bastidas, who moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Leonard came up two batters later and laced one into the left-center gap, walking it off for the Stripers in a 6-5 ballgame.
The Bats (53-67, 21-24 second half) will continue their road trip with a six game set in Nashville against the Sounds. First pitch of Tuesday's series opener will be at 7:35 p.m. with Nick Curran on the call on Sports Talk 790.
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