Sports stats



IL1 Toledo Mud Hens

Pitching Leads Hens Past Knights

June 23, 2018 - International League (IL1)
Toledo Mud Hens News Release


CHARLOTTE, NC- The Toledo Mud Hens defeated the Charlotte Knights in a pitcher's duel 2-1 at BB&T Ballpark on Saturday evening.

The Mud Hens (44-29) bullpen came through and held off the Knights (32-41) in a close game. Toledo is now 13-8 in one run games and 40-0 when leading after eight innings.

Mike Gerber broke up the no hitter in the first inning with a bunt single with one out but was caught stealing to end the top of the first inning. Kyle Dowdy got the nod for the Mud Hens and only allowed a weak infield single in the first.

Jim Adduci got Toledo started in the second inning with a single to left field. Dawel Lugo moved him to second with a soft ground ball to third base. Christin Stewart then drew a four-pitch walk to put runners on first and second with one out. Jarrod Saltalamacchia flew out to deep right and strand the runners.

With two outs in the third inning, Gerber drew a walk and Ronny Rodriguez followed it with a single to left putting runners on first and second. For the second straight inning, the Hens could not convert the runners into runs.

Both offenses went quiet until the seventh inning. Stewart led off the top of the inning by drawing a walk and then Espinal singled to right field to give Toledo runners on first and second with no outs. Mahtook sent a two-out single to right field that scored Stewart for the first run of the game. During Gerber's at-bat, Espinal scored on a wild pitch to make the score 2-0 in favor of the Mud Hens. In the bottom half of the inning, Charlotte used a two out rally to score one run to cut Toledo's lead in half.

Ronny Rodriguez began the eighth inning with a bloop single but was caught stealing on the 1-1 pitch to Aducci. With two outs, Lugo and Stewart hit back to back singles to put runners on first and third but were unable to cross home plate. Dowdy's picked up his third win after seven innings of work allowing one earned run on six hits. Dowdy sent down five Knights batters on strikes and walked a pair. Junichi Tazawa came in to replace Dowdy and pitch the eighth inning. The Knights loaded the bases in the eighth and Tazawa got out of the inning without allowing a run.

Pete Kozma drew a walk and stole second base with one out in the ninth inning. Mahtook grounded into a fielder's choice to the shortstop as Kozma was picked off at third. Mahtook advanced to second on a wild pitch but was stranded there as Gerber grounded out to short.

Zac Houston came on to close for Toledo as Tazawa made his exit. Tazawa delivered one scoreless inning on two hits while walking one and striking out one. Houston recorded his first save of the season as he allowed no runs on one hit. Houston struck out two batters and walked zero.

What's Next:

The Mud Hens prepare for the final game in North Carolina on Sunday against the Charlotte Knights. First pitch from BB&T Ballpark is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.

#RoadToDetroit Report (rankings according to MLB.com 2018 Propsect Watch):

10. OF Christin Stewart: 1-for-2, run scored

11. OF Mike Gerber: 1-for-4

12. IF Dawel Lugo: 1-for-4

15. RHP Grayson Long: DNP (DL)

16. RHP Bryan Garcia: DNP (DL)

18. LHP Tyler Alexander: DNP

30. RHP Artie Lewicki: DNP

Hens Notes:

- Adduci has recorded a hit in 18 consecutive road games, which stands as the International League's longest active streak.

- Toledo is now 13-8 in one run games and 40-0 when leading after eight innings.

- With the win, Toledo is now 4-1 on this current road trip and will head back to Toledo on Monday for a seven game homestand.

- The last time a Mud Hens pitcher went the distance was June 8 of last season when Anthony Vasquez through a complete game shutout versus Indianapolis.

- The Hens will look to sweep the Knights in tomorrows contest and remain atop the division.

Check out the Toledo Mud Hens Statistics



International League Stories from June 23, 2018


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