The Louisville Bats made good use of some timely hitting and terrific bullpen work to come away with their third consecutive victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 5-3 Wednesday afternoon. A crowd of 9,634 at Louisville Slugger Field watched the Bats complete a three game win streak for the first time this season.
Corky Miller’s two-run single with the bases loaded and two out in the seventh was the big hit of the night for the Bats. Miller’s hit gave Louisville a 4-3 lead in a back and forth game that saw four lead changes.
The Bats took the lead the in second inning on a bases loaded walk from Miguel Rojas.
The Yankees responded in the fourth with a two-run homer off the bat of Russell Branyan. It was Branyan’s seventh home run of the season.
After the Bats tied the game at two in the fifth on an RBI double from Felix Perez, the Yankees regained the lead on Jack Cust’s solo home run in the sixth.
After Miller’s hit in the seventh, Felix Perez later scored when Paul Janish reached on an error, making it 5-3.
Chad Reineke started for the Bats and was charged with all three runs. Reineke gave up four hits and walked four in 5-1/3 innings of work. His final walk, to Branyan in the sixth after Cust’s homer, was the final straw and Wirfin Obispo was called to the mound.
Obispo got the final two outs of the sixth and one in the seventh before giving way to Bill Bray. Bray walked the bases loaded in the seventh but worked his way out of trouble without giving up any damage.
Kanekoa Texiera came in to get the final two outs of eighth and Jordan Smith tossed a perfect ninth for his eighth save of the season.
In the series against the Yankees, the Bats’ bullpen has not given up a run in eleven innings pitched.
Along with their first three game winnings streak of the season, the Bats guaranteed themselves their second series victory of the season and a season series victory over Scranton.
The Bats go for a four-game sweep of the Yankees Thursday night. Tim Gustafson (2-1, 5.06 ERA) will be on the mound for the Bats against the Yanks’ D.J. Mitchell (5-3, 5.15 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
