Mud Hen relief pitching a real relief for Buffalo

3/30/2004

LAKELAND, Fla. - The Mud Hens wasted a solid start by right-hander John Ennis in dropping a 5-4 decision to Buffalo yesterday.

Ennis, who is expected to be part of the Hens starting rotation, pitched five scoreless innings against the Bisons. But Toledo reliever Rick Palma gave up three runs in one inning while Chris Mears and David Cortes each allowed a run in their inning of work. Matt Anderson needed just seven pitches to record one scoreless inning of relief.

Meanwhile the Toledo offense managed just six hits, with Ben Petrick, Brant Ust, and Rayner Bautista getting two each. Bautista hit a two-run homer and Ust had the other two RBIs.

The Hens, currently 2-6-1 in spring games, will host Houston s Triple-A affiliate from New Orleans today.