For six innings, Sawyer Gipson-Long kept turning Louisville hitters back toward the dugout, preserving a tie by retiring the final 11 batters he faced. Toledo had the stronger pitching line, more traffic on the bases and twice as many hits.
What the Mud Hens did not have was room for a difficult seventh.
Yoniel Curet opened the inning with a four-pitch walk to Michael Chavis, and Louisville turned that opening into the decisive rally in a 3-1 victory Friday at Fifth Third Field. Leo Balcazar broke the tie with a line-drive single to left, and Dominic Pitelli’s sacrifice fly supplied the final run.
Curet struck out Will Benson after the walk but could not close the inning. Balcazar shot his single into left to bring Chavis home, P.J. Higgins followed with another single, and a walk to Garrett Hampson loaded the bases. Andre Granillo replaced Curet and limited the damage, though Balcazar scored on Pitelli’s fly to left before Granillo struck out Edwin Arroyo.
The two runs made Curet the losing pitcher. He was charged with both in one-third of an inning, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out one.
That abrupt turn spoiled Gipson-Long’s sustained control of the game. The right-hander allowed one earned run over six innings, striking out three and walking two. Louisville’s only damage against him came in the third, when Garrett Hampson and Arroyo singled and Orlando Arcia lifted a sacrifice fly to right.
From there, Gipson-Long did not allow another batter to reach. He set down Louisville in order in each of his final three innings, finishing his outing with 11 consecutive outs and leaving a 1-1 game to the bullpen.
Toledo had taken the lead in the second with two singles and an unusual finish to the rally. Corey Julks opened the inning with a ground-ball single and went to third when Cal Stevenson lined a hit to right. Seby Zavala then chopped a ball toward first baseman Michael Chavis, whose attempt to get Julks at home did not produce an out. Julks scored on the fielder’s choice, giving Zavala Toledo’s only RBI.
The Mud Hens kept putting runners within reach of another run but never found the hit that would bring one home. Max Anderson singled and Jace Jung walked in the third, leaving two in scoring position. Toledo also put a runner aboard in the fourth and fifth before mounting its best late threat in the sixth.
Carlos Pérez’s one-out grounder deflected past third baseman Dominic Pitelli for a single, and Stevenson followed with a liner to right for his third hit. With two aboard, however, Seby Zavala and Michael Siani struck out against two different relievers.
That was the game in miniature: Toledo collected eight hits to Louisville’s four but went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left eight aboard. Stevenson did all he could to keep innings alive, finishing 3-for-3 with a walk. Anderson added two hits in four at-bats.
Louisville’s bullpen erased the rest. Jared Lyons, Anthony Misiewicz, Cameron Cotter and Hunter Parks combined for six scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts after Darius Vines departed. The Mud Hens went down in order in the seventh and eighth, and their final chance ended after Stevenson drew a leadoff walk in the ninth.
Parks struck out Zavala, retired Siani on a sharp liner to left and caught Trei Cruz looking to secure his 11th save. Toledo had one last runner, just as it had throughout the night, but no last hit to rescue Gipson-Long’s work.