IL1 Louisville Bats

Louisville Wins Suspended Game, Drops Series Finale in Rain-Filled Series at Charlotte

Published on June 9, 2019 under International League (IL1)
Louisville Bats News Release


CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Louisville Bats and Charlotte Knights had their Saturday night game suspended in the fourth inning in a 2-2 tie, picking up play on Sunday afternoon with the Bats coming out victorious, 6-4.

The clubs sat through a pregame rain delay of three hours and six minutes, before finally getting started at 10:10 p.m. Saturday. Right-hander Lucas Sims (3-0, 4.56) surrendered a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the first, but his offense came through with a pair of solo home runs in the top of the second, hit by Nick Longhi and Rob Refsnyder.

Charlotte would make it a 2-2 game on an Alcides Escobar RBI single in the fourth, before the game was stopped due to rain. Adding another 47 minutes of delay time before the game was eventually suspended, the 3:53 total delay time ranked second-longest in Louisville franchise history, behind only June 27, 2000, which had a 4:20 total delay time.

Play from the previous night was supposed to be picked up at 1:05 on Sunday afternoon, but weather became an obstacle yet again, with Louisville and Charlotte waiting another 77 minutes before resuming the suspended game with a 2:22 first pitch. Louisville reliever Jackson Stephens stranded a Charlotte baserunner to end the second inning, preserving the tie.

Louisville's hitters wasted no time getting the offense restarted after the long delays, with Scott Schebler giving the Bats a 3-2 lead in the fifth on an RBI single, and Juan Graterol doing the same in the next inning to make it a 4-2 game. Charlotte would tie it up 4-4 in the seventh, but the Bats showed resilience in taking the lead back with a run in both the eighth and ninth innings, on Juan Graterol's second RBI single of the ballgame and then Alberti Chavez's first Triple-A home run, respectively.

Jimmy Herget threw 2.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, earning his first win of the season and keeping the Knights off the board in the final two innings of the ballgame to secure the Bats' first win of the series.

GAME TWO

The Bats (25-38) dropped the later game on Sunday by a 9-5 score to the Knights (35-26). The contest, which was changed to a seven-inning affair following the suspension and resumption of Saturday night's game, was shortened due to more rain, with the Knights prevailing in six innings.

Louisville jumped out to a big lead, scoring four runs in the top of the first before Brad Markey (1-1, 9.00) even took the mound. Nick Longhi, who reached base three times in the game, drew a walk with the bases loaded for the game's first run. A passed ball made it 2-0 before Juan Graterol doubled in Longhi and Aristides Aquino to make it a 4-0 lead. Aquino hit safely in both games on Sunday, extending his team-high hitting streak to 14 games.

The Bats added another run in the third inning to make it a 5-0 lead nearly halfway through the seven-inning game, before Charlotte put up a crooked number in the home half of the frame. The Knights would score seven runs in the inning, six off Louisville's starter Markey, making it a 5-3 game when University of Louisville product Adam Engel hit a three-run homer. Charlotte added a couple more runs, before Ryan Goins gave them a 7-5 lead with a two-run double.

The Knights added a pair of runs in the sixth, before the game was delayed. The contest would not be resumed, with Louisville dropping their fourth rain-shortened game of the season and falling three games to one in the four-game series.

Louisville returns to BB&T Ballpark on their next road trip, but in the meantime will enjoy an off day Monday before starting a six-game homestand against the Pawtucket Red Sox and Buffalo Bisons, set to begin Tuesday. In the home stand opener, right-hander Keury Mella (4-5, 4.83) is set to go for the Bats against Pawtucket right-hander Teddy Stankiewicz (3-4, 4.46).

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International League Stories from June 9, 2019


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