After losing five straight games by a total of 23 runs a doubleheader split wasn’t half bad for the Louisville Bats.
Louisville ended its losing streak with a 3-2 triumph over Indianapolis in the first game of Tuesday’s doubledip, but dropped the second one 2-1 at Louisville Slugger Field.
The win, and loss, left the Bats (7-12) four games behind International League West-leading Columbus (11-8) in the division standings.
In the first seven-inning game, another strong start by Jon Moscot and Eugenio Suarez’s home run lifted Louisville to victory.
Moscot (3-0), a 6-foot-4, 210-pound right-hander, remained undefeated by giving up two earned runs on six hits while walking four and striking out four in five innings. Nathan Adcock threw two solid innings, yielding two hits while walking one and striking out one, of relief to pick up his third save of the season.
Indy took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Gorkys Hernandez singled, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error by Bats catcher Kyle Skipworth and scored on Steve Lombardozzi’s one-out single to right field.
Louisville responded by tallying two runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Hernan Iribarren walked with one out, moved to second on Ivan De Jesus Jr.’s single to center, then scored on Steve Selsky’s double to left. Indy starter Casey Sadler (1-1) then walked Chris Dominguez and Suarez to score De Jesus.
Three innings later Suarez’s solo home run boosted the Bats’ lead to 3-1.
The Indians (11-9) plated one run in the top of the fifth on Tony Sanchez’s sacrifice fly, but that was it.
In the second game back-to-back RBI-singles by Alen Hanson and Pedro Florimon in the top of the sixth broke a scoreless tie and propelled Indy to the win.
Louisville tried to rally in the bottom of the inning. Indians starter Charlie Leesman issued a leadoff walk to Iribarren then got Ryan LaMarre to line out before giving up a single to Suarez. DeJesus then greeted new pitcher John Holdzkom with an RBI-double to right field that left Suarez at third. Unfortunately for the Bats, he stayed there.
Holdzkom intentionally walked Selsky to load the bases then struck out Dominguez before getting Yorman Rodriguez to hit into a fielder’s choice (Selsky was out at second).
Louisville pitcher Donovan Hand was outstanding in his first start of the season. The big right-hander, who had previously made five relief appearances, allowed only two hits while striking out three in five innings. Unfortunately new Bats reliever Drew Hayes (0-1) couldn’t continue the scoreless streak. He absorbed the loss by allowing two earned runs on two hits while walking three in his only inning of action.
The split five-game series shifts to Indianapolis on Wednesday night. Louisville right-handed pitcher Dylan Axelrod (1-1, 2.89 earned-run average) is slated to start against fellow righty Wilfredo Boscan (1-0, 1.50 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
TRANSACTIONS: Tuesday the Bats released right-handed pitcher Chris Carpenter (0-0, 16.20 ERA), while picking up Hayes, a right-hander who was assigned from the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Cincinnati Reds’ Double-A affiliate.
Photo courtesy Louisville Bats Facebook Page
