Hens Fall 7-5, Despite Hot Start against Knights

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IL Toledo Mud Hens

Hens Fall 7-5, Despite Hot Start against Knights

June 27, 2025 - International League (IL)
Toledo Mud Hens News Release


TOLEDO, OH - The Toledo Mud Hens fell to the Charlotte Knights 7-5, despite some solid play early in the game Friday night. Toledo benefitted early from hot bats, but were bested by Charlotte in the later innings.

As has been a theme throughout this series so far, Charlotte was first to get on the board. The Knights pieced together two doubles in the first to get a 1-0 lead over the Hens.

The Mud Hens wasted no time in getting ahead, however, as they loaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch and two walks. Ryan Kreidler nearly optimized that opportunity, falling just inches short of a home run. He would settle for a three-run double though, as Toledo took a 3-1 lead.

The Knights would tie things up with their half of the second. They loaded the bases with base hits by Dominic Fletcher and Adam Hackenberg and a cutter that just hit Dru Baker. With just one out, Charlotte put themselves on the board with a Brooks Baldwin sac-fly and a base hit by Colson Montgomery.

Toledo inched away from Charlotte yet again in the second, with Manuel Margot leading the inning off with a triple. Andy Ibáñez would bring Margot in with an RBI single, before Justyn-Henry Malloy made it 5-3 with an RBI single of his own.

Things remained close after the third inning. The Knights got within one, before holding the Hens to their first scoreless frame of the game.

The Mud Hens' 5-4 lead continued into the fifth before Tim Elko found those couple of extra inches that Kreidler needed in the first inning. Elko's two-run homer bounced off of the yellow padding on the wall in left-center and put the Knights ahead 6-5.

Woo-Suk Go would make his Toledo debut in the sixth inning. The former Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp only saw five batters in his first inning, but the Knights expanded their lead 7-5 with base hits by Baker and Baldwin.

As Toledo's scoreless innings piled up, they brought in Tyler Owens to try and keep things within reach in the eighth. He picked up a quick one, two, three inning to keep the deficit at two.

In need of some ninth-inning heroics, the Mud Hens put their last hopes into the hands of Drew Sommers. The lefty kept hopes alive with a six-pitch one, two, three inning.

With the game on the line and needing two runs, Toledo was due to see Ibáñez, Malloy, and Jung. Ibáñez went down swinging, but Malloy delivered a clutch double to bring the game-tying run to the plate. A Jung walk and a Kreidler single loaded the bases with two outs for Akil Baddoo.

With the crowd on their feet and a chance to send everyone home, Baddoo put up a battle against Caleb Freeman. Baddoo made contact on a couple of pitches, but ultimately went down swinging. That solidified the 7-5 loss and left the bases loaded.

The Toledo Mud Hens and the Charlotte Knights will face off again Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

Notables:

Ryan Kreidler (2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, 2 K)

Justyn-Henry Malloy (2-4, RBI, R, BB)

Akil Baddoo (3-5, K)

Andy Ibáñez (2-5, RBI)

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International League Stories from June 27, 2025


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