After giving up 13 runs to Toledo on Opening Night, the Louisville Bats allowed an average of only 2.8 runs over their next nine games.
In their last four games, though, the Bats are giving up an average of 9.3 runs.
For the second straight game Columbus clubbed Louisville pitching for a dozen runs minus one. Friday night it was an 11-7 triumph at Huntington Park.
The Clippers pounded out 17 hits - 11 against Bats starter Michael Lorenzen - as they handed the Cincinnati Reds’ pitching prospect his first loss of the season.
Things were looking good for Louisville and Lorenzen early as the Bats plated four runs in the top of the first inning.
Columbus had other ideas, though. The Clippers reeled off 11 runs in a row - two in the first and fifth frames, one in the third and six in the eighth. Louisville scored three runs in the top of the ninth to account for the final margin.
But it was a great start by the Bats, who were coming off an 11-1 loss to Columbus on Thursday.
Eugenio Suarez led off the game with a walk. He moved to second on Irving Falu’s sacrifice bunt, then third on Toru Murata’s wild pitch. Murata walked Ivan De Jesus Jr., then Suarez stole home before Donald Lutz walked. Josh Satin then singled in De Jesus. A throwing error allowed Lutz to advance to third and Satin to get to second. After Yorman Rodriguez hit into a fielder’s choice (Lutz was out at home), Steve Selsky singled in Satin and Rodriguez.
The Clippers chipped away at Louisville’s lead. They eventually tied it when Jesus Aguilar led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run to left-centerfield. Columbus took the lead a short time later on Adam Moore’s RBI-single.
Lorenzen lasted six innings, yielding five earned runs (to raise his season ERA to 2.84) on those aforementioned 11 hits while walking one and striking out seven. The Clippers then scored six runs off a pair of Bats relievers - Jose De La Torre and Pedro Villarreal.
Louisville’s three ninth-inning runs came via Falu’s two-RBI double and Lutz’s RBI-single.
Lutz, Selsky and Ramon Cabrera led the Bats’ 10-hit attack with two apiece.
The same two teams will meet at 7:15 p.m. Saturday night. Right-hander Raisel Iglesias (0-0, 1.80 ERA) is slated to start for Louisville. He’ll face lefty Michael Roth (0-0, 3.27).
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