LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – The Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A affiliate, St. Louis Cardinals) and Louisville Bats (Triple-A affiliate, Cincinnati Reds) played two tight games in a doubleheader on Friday night in Kentucky. The Bats took the first game, 4-2, while the ‘Birds grabbed revenge in the second game, 2-1.
Early on in game one of the doubleheader, each team played long ball. Lane Thomas hit a home run on the first pitch of the game, and Max Schrock answered with a solo shot of his own with one out in the bottom of the first. Each team scored again in the third inning – the Redbirds scratched across a run via two walks and a passed ball, while the Bats used the long ball again. Schrock smacked another homer (this one a two-shot shot) to put Louisville in front after three innings, 3-2.
After that, the game belonged to Riley O’Brien. The starter for the Bats was fantastic, allowing just two hits and two runs (one earned) in 5.0 innings of work with four strikeouts. O’Brien helped his cause with an RBI double in the fourth to make the game 4-2, and then Michael Lorenzen pitched scoreless sixth and seventh innings to clinch the victory for the home team.
The second game of the doubleheader was dominated by both starters. Bo Takahashi for Louisville (24-33) and Angel Rondón for Memphis (22-36) combined to toss 9.0 innings with just two runs allowed, one for each team. The dueling right-handers also fanned a combined 11 batters while walking just two and only allowing seven hits. Takahashi went five innings, while Rondón went four.
Conner Capel plated the lone run off of Takahashi via a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. The native Texan now has five home runs this season.
The game remained tied at one all the way until extra innings, when Scott Hurst produced a sacrifice fly for an RBI and a 2-1 lead for the Redbirds entering the bottom of the eighth. TJ McFarland slammed the door shut in the bottom of the eighth with a 1-2-3 inning to preserve the win and split the doubleheader.
