Mud Hens road woes continue with 12-3 loss at Charlotte Knights

5/28/2013

FORT MILL, S.C. — Charlotte used a pair of six-run innings to pound Toledo 12-3 on Tuesday.

The Knights scored six times in the fifth and sixth innings as the Hens fell to 1-5 on their current road trip, having lost nine of their last 11 contests.

The six-run rally in the fifth came against Toledo starter Ramon Garcia, who got the first out before allowing three hits, a walk, and another hit that produced three runs. Garcia then got the second out of the inning before giving up a three-run homer to Jordan Danks.

The sixth inning was ugly, as the Knights sent 12 men to the plate and scored six times with just a single hit in the frame.

Hens reliever Kenny Faulk gave up three walks to load the bases with one out; Steve Tolleson followed with a two-run double. When Toledo shortstop Argenis Diaz committed a throwing error, two more runs scored after Tolleson’s hit.

An error by Kevin Russo at third base was followed by two more walks by Faulk and a sacrifice fly by Josh Phegley. Faulk then walked his sixth batter of the inning to reload the bases, and Evan Reed came on to walk the first batter he faced, Mike McDade, to force home a sixth run.

Those two big innings overshadowed a strong offensive performance by the Mud Hens’ Jordan Lennerton, who went 3-for-4.

Lennerton singled in the first inning to extend his hit streak to 17 games, which is tied with Durham’s Vince Belnome for the second-longest in the IL.

In the third inning Lennerton followed a single by Brandon Douglas by slamming a long home run to left, and in the ninth Lennerton pounded his second home run of the game, giving him a team-leading 10 this season.