Mud Hens hit 3 homers, beat Clippers

9/2/2012

The Mud Hens jolted the Columbus Clippers with a power surge of three home runs tonight at Fifth Third Field.

Two homers in the first inning staked Toledo to a three-run lead and the Hens added five more runs in the fifth with the bulk of the damage coming on a three-run home run from John Lindsey.

In the penultimate game of the 2012 season, the Hens used the long ball to knock Columbus off 8-5 before a sellout crowd of 9,831.

Toledo starter Duane Below (1-2) benefited from the offensive explosion to get the win. Below gave up eight hits and five runs on 104 pitches over 6 1/3 innings. Reliever Collin Balester then gave up no hits and no runs over 1 2/3 innings and Bruce Rondon closed it out with a scoreless ninth.

Toledo did instant, early damage against Columbus starter Eric Berger with home runs by left fielder Jerad Head and first baseman Danny Dorn to seize a 3-0 lead.

After the Clippers struck back for two, Toledo responded with five runs in the fifth.

Right fielder Ben Guez came up with a two-out, two-run single to make it 5-2 in the fourth. Guez's single drove in Cale Iorg, who had doubled, and Justin Henry (walk).

Lindsey, who went 2 for 4 with two runs scored, then smacked a three-run home run to give the Hens a 8-2 edge.

Columbus countered with two runs in the seventh to knock Below out. But Balester was sound in the seventh and eighth innings, while Rondon pitched a perfect ninth. Rondon ended it with a strikeout.

Toledo wraps up a disappointing season (60-83) on Monday afternoon at home. The Hens close the year with a 1 p.m. contest against the Clippers (74-69), who also will miss the International League playoffs.