Petty Reels in Stripers, Bats Win Opener 6-4
IL Louisville Bats

Petty Reels in Stripers, Bats Win Opener 6-4

August 12, 2025 - International League (IL)
Louisville Bats News Release


LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia - The Louisville Bats staked starter Chase Petty to an early lead and never looked back from there, defeating the Gwinnett Stripers 6-4 in the opener of a six-game series at Coolray Field on Tuesday night.

Facing reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale, the Bats had their work cut out for them against the Atlanta Braves ace. They couldn't do much in the top of the first, and Petty worked around a leadoff double to match Sale's zero from the top half.

In the second, the Bats worked hard to scratch across a run. Singles from Connor Joe and Davis Wendzel, followed by a walk to Levi Jordan, loaded the bases with one out. Blake Dunn then hit a slow ground ball to second for a fielder's choice ground out, allowing Joe to come home with the first run of the night. The second inning was Sale's (L, 0-1) last, as he allowed a run on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts to suffer the loss in his first outing with Gwinnett.

Facing reliever Enoli Paredes in the third, the Bats quickly added on. Sal Stewart worked a walk to begin the inning. Rece Hinds then crushed a towering two-run home run 437 feet into the Gwinnet bullpen in left center field, his 19th home run of the season. Louisville was not done in the inning, as Ryan Vilade followed the Hinds homer with a double to right. Three hitters later, Eric Yang grounded a single through the left side of the infield, bringing Vilade home to make it 4-0 Bats.

Louisville added one more in the fourth against reliever Dane Dunning as Stewart hit a blistering line drive down the left field line that stayed fair and cleared the fence for his fifth Triple-A home run, increasing the lead to 5-0 Bats.

After working through the first three innings unscathed, Petty ran into trouble in the fourth. The first four Stripers reached base to start the inning, and they would all eventually come around to score as the home team rallied to make it a 5-4 game.

Petty needed just eight pitches to retire the Stripers in order in the fifth. The Bats got a big insurance run in the sixth as Jordan started the inning with a double off the wall in center. Two hitters later, Hector Rodriguez hit an RBI fielder's choice to second, allowing Jordan to score and make it 6-4 Bats.

From there, Petty pitched around a two-out double in the sixth and made quick work of the Stripers in the seventh to finish his longest start of the season. Petty (W, 4-9) tied a career-high with 7.0 innings pitched, giving up four runs on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts to earn the victory.

Connor Phillips was first out of the Louisville bullpen in the eighth and retired the final three hitters he faced after a leadoff walk to protect the two-run lead. Louisville turned to former Striper Buck Farmer (S, 4) with a save opportunity and the veteran righty set down his former teammates in the ninth to finish the win and earn his fourth save of the season with the Bats.

Eight of the nine Louisville starters recorded a hit in the victory. Vilade was the only Bat to record more than one hit, going 2-for-5. Stewart walked twice and scored two runs while going 1-for-3 with the homer while Hinds drove in a pair with his home run.

The Bats (50-65, 18-22 second half) and Stripers (47-67, 18-21 second half) continue their series on Wednesday night at Coolray Field. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. Nick Curran will be on the call for Sports Talk 790 AM.

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International League Stories from August 12, 2025


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