By Josh Cook
The Louisville Bats broke out of a season-long hitting slump in a big way Monday night.
The Bats scored a season-high 20 runs, collecting a season-best 24 hits along the way, in a 20-7 win at Buffalo that also ended a nine-game losing streak.
Catcher Corky Miller went 3-for-5 with five RBIs to lead the Bats' batters, who entered the game last in the International League in batting average, hits, runs and RBIs.
Even highly-touted pitching prospect Aroldis Chapman got into the act, going 2-for-2 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. He also struck out eight Bison over five innings to improve to 2-1 on the young season.
Louisville (8-17), whose previous season-best run total came in an 8-2 win over Columbus on April 19, scored single runs in the first and second innings before a four-run third. Miller's two-RBI double was the big hit of that inning.
The Bats added another run in the fourth before Buffalo rallied for five runs in the bottom of the inning.
Louisville answered, though, with a six-run fifth and a five-run sixth.
Also for the Bats, Daniel Dorn went 4-for-5 with four runs scored and three RBIs, while Juan Francisco matched Dorn's 4-for-5 while scoring twice and knocking in four runs.
Buffalo (15-10) recorded 12 hits, but also had three errors.
The Bats play at Buffalo at 7:05 p.m. again Tuesday night before an off day for travel on Wednesday. Louisville then begins an eight-game homestand at 7:05 p.m. Thursday against Rochester at Louisville Slugger Field.
