The Mud Hens made history with a thrilling 5-3 comeback win over the Louisville Bats
The Toledo Mud Hens hammered three home runs in a single inning for just the second time in more than two decades fueling a thrilling 5-3 comeback win over the Louisville Bats in the series opener at Fifth Third Field on Tuesday.
“It was unbelievable,” Mud Hens second baseman Max Anderson said to Frenetic Pace Sports in an exclusive interview.
“No matter how many times you see a home run, it never gets old, so to see three in one inning, it was awesome.”
Toledo trailed 3-1 in the seventh inning and it appeared the Mud Hens were going to suffer a narrow loss before left fielder Corey Julks connected on a clutch solo home run to cut into the deficit and get the home crowd on its feet.
“The pitch was a slider and he left it up a little bit,” Julks told me. “They were mixing it in on the previous at bat, so I got a good swing on the previous pitch and got the timing down. Then I just got a good pitch to hit and let it swing.”
On the very next at bat, right fielder James Outman kept the momentum going with a game-tying solo shot of his own.
Still, the party wasn’t quite over yet as catcher Seby Zavala stepped up to the plate with the game now tied 3-3.
Zavala proceeded to drill a go-ahead homer to send Field Third Field into a frenzy and go up 4-3 in the blink of an eye.
The historic performance was just the second time since 2005 that Toledo recorded three home runs in one inning.
“It definitely fired me up. It really got the boys going,” Julks said following the historic win. “We had some really good at bats and just kept fighting. We’re never out of the game so we kept going, kept scratching and got the job done.”
The Mud Hens improbably turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead, completely seizing control over the Bats late in the game.
Zavala put the final touches on the memorable win with an RBI single to extend the lead to 5-3 in the eighth inning.
Toledo has been playing at a high level this month compiling an 8-4 record over the last 12 games and that was on full display against Louisville as the Mud Hens caught fire at the plate and eventually secured an impressive victory.
With just five games remaining in the regular season, Toledo is focused on entering the offseason on a high note and building momentum heading into next spring. The Mud Hens did just that, and made a little history in the meantime.
“It's been a fun season. It's been good,” Julks said. “There are always going to be ups and downs, but it’s a great group of guys and we all stick together. We try to get better each and every day, and I feel like as a whole, we’ve done that.”
