Game Recap | Nine on the board

Des Moines, IA – In Game 2 of the series, the Toledo Mud Hens continued their strong play against the Iowa Cubs, taking a 9-1 victory.

Toledo recorded the first hit and run of the game in the top of the 3rd inning. Justice Bigbie led things off with a soft single into center field before advancing on a groundout to the pitcher from Michael Siani. Cal Stevenson then put the Hens on the board with an RBI triple into the left-field corner, giving Toledo an early 1-0 lead.

The Hens added to their advantage in the following inning. Jace Jung reached with a single on a ball hit past the second baseman, setting the stage for Carlos Pérez. Pérez launched his second home run in as many days since returning from injury, sending a 457-foot shot out of the park to extend Toledo’s lead to 3-0.

Iowa answered in the bottom of the 4th. Owen Miller and Owen Ayers opened the inning with back-to-back singles before a wild pitch from Jackson Wolf advanced both runners 90 feet. After Wolf recorded a strikeout, Kevin Alcántara brought a run home with a groundout to third base, cutting the Cubs’ deficit to 3-1.

Toledo quickly regained that momentum in the 5th. With one out, Max Burt singled on a fly ball to center field before stealing second and moving into scoring position. Stevenson came through again, lining his second RBI triple of the night off the center-field wall to bring Burt home. Max Anderson followed with an RBI single on a ground ball into left field, giving the Hens a 5-1 advantage.

Looking for some insurance, Toledo added four more runs in the top of the 8th. Corey Julks and Jace Jung opened the inning with back-to-back singles before Bennett Lee drew a walk to load the bases. With nobody out, James Outman worked a full count through a seven-pitch at-bat before earning a walk that brought Julks home. Bigbie then battled through another full count and came through with an RBI double, though both Lee and Outman were thrown out attempting to score. With two outs and Bigbie standing on second, Siani capped the inning with a home run over the right-field wall, putting Toledo ahead 9-1 after 7 1⁄2 innings.

The Hens finished off the night from there, holding Iowa to just one run while securing a 9-1 win. Toledo now leads the series 2-0 and will return tomorrow evening for Game 3, with first pitch set for 8:08 p.m.

Noatables:

Jackson Wolf

W, 5.0 IP (2 H, 1 ER, 5 SO)

Justice Bigbie

3-4 (2B, RBI, 2 R)

Cal Stevenson

2-5 (2 3B, 2 RBI, R