Jace Jung sent one towering fly ball toward the right-field seats at Fifth Third Field, and Jackson Wolf and the Toledo bullpen spent the rest of Wednesday night making sure it held up.
Jung’s three-run homer in the third inning supplied all of the Mud Hens’ scoring in a 3-1 victory over the Louisville Bats. Wolf allowed one run across 5⅔ innings before Nick Sandlin escaped a bases-loaded jam and helped begin a hitless, scoreless finish by the Toledo bullpen.
The decisive rally came together with two outs against Louisville starter Kent Emanuel. Andrew Navigato drew a walk, and after Max Burt flied out, Trei Cruz lined the first pitch he saw into center for Toledo’s first hit. Navigato never slowed rounding second, taking third as the throw came back toward the infield.
Jung followed with a high fly to right. Noelvi Marte retreated to the warning track and could only look up as the ball carried out, Jung’s 21st homer giving Toledo a 3-0 lead.
Cruz said the Mud Hens’ plan was to keep extending the inning until somebody delivered.
“I mean, honestly, the guy did a good job on their team. We just tried to string good at-bats, try to get the ball in the air. Jason was able to get one in the air for a homer, so that was nice. But just trying to pass the baton, you know, everyone can do it in this lineup, so just trying to get the next man up.”
— Trei Cruz, Mud Hens Right Fielder
That was the only opening Toledo needed. Jung finished 1-for-4 and drove in all three runs, while Emanuel kept the game close by allowing nothing further through six innings.
Wolf worked around baserunners in each of the first two innings, struck out two in the third and retired Louisville in order again in the fourth. The Bats finally reached him in the fifth, when Dominic Fletcher, P.J. Higgins and Garrett Hampson collected three straight singles. Hampson’s liner into center scored Fletcher, trimming the lead to 3-1, but Wolf retired the next two hitters to stop the rally there.
His most difficult spot arrived an inning later. Orlando Arcia walked and Marte reached on a soft ground-ball single before Wolf recorded two outs. A hit batter loaded the bases, bringing Sandlin in to face Higgins with Toledo’s entire lead in play.
Higgins lined the ball to right, where Cruz made the catch to end the inning.
Wolf improved to 4-1 after allowing all five Louisville hits, striking out five and walking two. His unusual motion has become part entertainment, part nightmare for opposing hitters.
“Oh, man, that’s my DJ. But, you know, he’s been great since he’s gotten here. It’s been fun to watch. I mean, his whole dance and everything before he’s pitching it is pretty fun. I’ve never seen anything like that, but he shoves.”
— Trei Cruz, Mud Hens Right Fielder
Sandlin handled the seventh himself, striking out Hampson and Francisco Urbaez before Edwin Arroyo grounded out. He recorded four outs in all, two by strikeout, without allowing a hit or a walk.
Toledo had chances to add breathing room but could not convert them. Max Anderson followed Jung’s homer with his 23rd double and later singled in the eighth, finishing 2-for-4. Navigato reached twice, including a two-out double into the right-field corner in the seventh, but was stranded.
The bullpen made the missing insurance irrelevant. Jack Little retired Louisville in order in the eighth, and Tanner Rainey worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth for his fifth save. The Bats put their next three balls in the air, the last settling into Justice Bigbie’s glove in left.
Together, Sandlin, Little and Rainey covered 3⅓ hitless innings to protect the swing Jung supplied in the third.
“Oh, they’ve been great all year. I mean, Salen, Rainey, I mean, those are two workhorses for us, and so, you know, we have complete faith in those guys when they come in.”
— Trei Cruz, Mud Hens Right Fielder