Toledo Mud Hens 10, Columbus Clippers 6 (box)

A bullpen game saw the Hens fall behind early and then storm back with a pair of big innings to take the first of six at Fifth Third Field on Tuesday in walkoff fashion.

Geoff Hartlieb was the nominal starter in this one and he had a rough go, giving up a Kahlil Watson solo shot in the second and another run in the third before getting lifted in favor of Chase Lee. That didn’t go well either, as the sidewinding right-hander allowed two more runs in the fourth.

So, it was 4-0 Clippers through five innings and the Mud Hens weren’t showing many signs of life against lefty Will Dion.

Things started to turn in the bottom of the sixth once Dion was out of the game. Reliever Jack Leftwich walked Akil Baddoo with one out and Justyn-Henry Malloy singled him to second. Max Anderson’s first Triple-A knock was an RBI single to score Baddoo. Ryan Kreidler doubled in both runs, sending the Clippers back to their bullpen. Eduardo Valencia greeted the new reliever with a double to score Kreidler and we had a 4-4 game.

The Hens needed a stopper right here and Alex Lange was up to the task. The right-hander was 95-96 with his sinker, whiffing Jhonkensy Noel for the first out. Lange got a ground out from George Valera, and then struck out Watson swinging over an 88.7 mph knuckle curve.

Lange’s work there led right into the Hens first lead of the game. Hao-Yu Lee doubled to start the seventh, and he scored on a Malloy double down the third base line. 5-4 Hens.

Matt Seelinger handled the eighth without issue, but Jordan Balazovic couldn’t close it out. He surrendered solo shots to Johnathan Rodriguez and Noel, and the Clippers had stormed back to take a 6-5 lead.

The Hens wouldn’t go away, however. Malloy led off the bottom of the ninth with another double, this one to right field. Jace Jung and Anderson singled back-to-back to tie the game 6-6. Gage Workman pinch-hit for Kreidler and flew out, but the Clippers intentionally walked Valencia to pitch to Trei Cruz. Big mistake.

Cruz turned on a sinker and lifted a walk off grand slam to left and the Mud Hens fans went hope very happy.

Malloy: 4-5, 2 R, RBI, 3 2B

Anderson: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 K

Cruz: 1-2, R, 4 RBI, HR, 3 BB

Erie SeaWolves 10, Chesapeake Baysox 6 (box)

The Baysox started out hot, but Kevin McGonigle and the SeaWolves’ offense was up to the task.

Max Alba got the start and it was a rocky one. He gave up a run in the first and four in the second inning, surrendering a three-run shot to Enrique Bradfield Jr. One more run allowed in the third was the end of the line for him in this one.

However, the SeaWolves were doing a good job keeping pace already. Max Clark started the game with a line drive single to center and McGonigle launched his third home run with the SeaWolves to right center for an early 2-0 lead.

In the second, Roberto Campos and Carlos Mendoza doubled back-to-back with one out to score one run. Seth Stephenson beat out an infield single for his first Double-A knock, and Clark drew a walk to load the bases. McGonigle lifted a sac fly to center to score Mendoza, and it was 4-1 SeaWolves at that point. Unfortunately, Josue Briceño grounded out to end the inning.

It was 5-4 Baysox entering the top of the third, and that’s where the SeaWolves started to pull away. Jake Holton and John Peck singled with one out, the latter being Peck’s first Double-A knock. Campos pulled a ground rule double to left to plate Holton and Mendoza lifted a sacrifice fly to bring in Peck from third. A Stephenson single scored Campos, and it was 7-5 SeaWolves.

Travis Kuhn succeeded Alba, and he was good for a pair of scoreless innings.

McGonigle led off the fourth with his second homer of the game, this one to left center field. Briceño followed him by drawing a walk and Justice Bigbie cracked his 10th home run of the season. At that point, it was 10-6 and the game was over. The Baysox just didn’t know it yet.

Ryan Boyer spun three scoreless frames of relief, and Andrew Magno closed it out as the SeaWolves run their record to 64-44 on the year.

McGonigle: 2-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR

Bigbie: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB

Campos: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, 2 2B, 2 K

Alba: 3.0 IP, 6 R, 5 ER, 6 H, BB, K

Fort Wayne TinCaps 6, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (box)

The Whitecaps offense is going to have some trouble closing out the year. They held up really well after losing McGonigle, Clark, and Briceño, but it was Peck and Stephenson carrying quite a bit of the load. With those two now promoted, some other players, including some of the promotions from Lakeland, will have to step up down the stretch for manager Tony Cappucilli.

Preston Howey got the start in this one, and the Tigers program to stretch him out into a starting role has gone pretty well. Not so much in this one. Howey gave up two in the first and then a two-run shot in the second inning. That was all for him as Joe Adametz took over for a pair of scoreless innings.

Meanwhile the Whitecaps couldn’t get much going at the plate. Jackson Strong singled in the first, and Peyton Graham doubled in the second, but neither runner advanced. Jack Penney doubled in the third, but was stranded at third base. The Whitecaps would only record three more hits the rest of the way.

CJ Weins pitched the fourth and into the fifth, but he walked four batters and gave up a run in the fifth before Matt Stil collected four outs without issue.

Finally in the seventh, Garrett Pennington led off with a double and Peyton Graham singled him to third, taking second on a poor throw in from the outfield. Brett Callahan lifted a sacrifice fly to right, and it was 5-1 TinCaps. That was all they’d get, unfortunately.

Carlos Lequerica allowed a run in the eighth, and the Whitecaps couldn’t mount a comeback. They’ll try again at 6:35 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Pennington: 1-4, R, 2B, 2 K

Howey (L, 5-2): 2.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, K

Lakeland Flying Tigers 16, Clearwater Threshers 6 (box)

The Tigers 2025 draft class made their presence felt on Tuesday as they mauled the Threshers in Clearwater.

Right out of the gate, the Tigers 13th rounder, shortstop Jack Goodman, opened his pro career with a solo shot to left center field with one out in the first. Ricardo Hurtado doubled with one out, and Cristian Santana cashed him in with a two-run shot and a 3-0 lead.

Things got much, much worse for Clearwater in the top of the second. Jude Warwick led off with a single and Samuel Gil doubled him to third. Zach MacDonald plate both runs with a single back through the box. Nick Dumesnil followed with a single of his own, and Goodman walked to load the bases. At that point Hurtado crushed a towering grand slam to left, and it was 9-0. Clearwater would eventually escape the inning down 11-0.

Zack Lee got the start, and while he was gifted an enormous lead, he pitched very well, firing five perfect innings with three strikeouts.

Dumesnil kept the party going, leading off the third with a 104.5 mph double to left. Goodman moved him to third with a ground out, and a Hurtado double made it 12-0. A Jude Warwick double in the fourth led to another run, and so it was 13-0 when Lee left the game after five innings of great work.

Shay Timmer had a rough sixth, giving up four runs, three earned. The Flying Tigers got most of that back in the eighth.

Goodman and Hurtado started the inning with walks, and Carson Rucker doubled in Goodman. Hurtado scored on a Santana ground out, and Rucker would score their final run on a soft grounder to shortstop from Warwick that he beat out for a single.

The bullpen would leak two more runs, but the game was long over by then.

Hurtado: 3-4, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 2B, HR, BB, K

Goodman: 1-4, 3 R, RBI, HR, 2 BB, K

Dumesnil: 3-6, 2 R, 2 2B, K

Rucker: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, 2B

Lee (W, 7-4): 5.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K