Hill, Hessman help Hens
Toledo pounds first-place Clippers
8/20/2014COLUMBUS — Shawn Hill’s second solid start since rejoining the Mud Hens and a strong offensive effort by the top of the batting order led Toledo to a 9-1 win over Columbus on Tuesday.
Hill allowed five hits and one walk over eight innings to win his second straight game with the Hens.
Toledo’s top five hitters — Tyler Collins, Hernan Perez, Jordan Lennerton, James McCann, and Mike Hessman — each had two hits as part of a 13-hit attack.
With the victory, the Mud Hens moved to within seven games of the Clippers in the International League standings, but only 13 games remain in the season.
The game was scoreless until the fourth, when Lennerton slammed his eighth home run, and second in three games.
The Clippers tied the game with a run in the fifth off Hill as Matt Carson doubled, took third on a groundout by Elliot Johnson, and came home on a sacrifice fly by Justin Sellers.
The Mud Hens took the lead for good with a three-run sixth inning, that began with a one-out single by Perez. Lennerton drew a walk that pushed Perez to second, where he scored on a single by McCann.
An error by Columbus right fielder Carson on McCann’s hit put runners on second and third, and both came home on a double to Hessman.
Toledo took advantage of Columbus’ sloppy play to add a run in the seventh as a passed ball, a wild pitch and a throwing error by Clippers catcher Dusty Brown scored Collins, who had singled.
In the eighth, Ben Guez slammed his 16th home run.
Toledo capped the scoring with with three runs in the ninth as Collins doubled, took third on a groundout by Lennerton, and scored on a single by McCann.
Hessman then hammered his team-leading 25th home run.
Kyle Davies was the losing pitcher.