The Columbus Clippers put together the kind of night that turns a box score into a statement, pounding the Louisville Bats 12-3 on Friday behind a deep pitching effort and a relentless offense.
Austin Peterson got the start for Columbus and set the tone immediately, working 4.0 scoreless innings while allowing three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. Shawn Armstrong followed in a rehab assignment and handled the fifth, giving up one run on two hits.
Trent Denholm then closed the door over the final four innings, earning the win to move to 11-5. He allowed two runs on five hits, did not issue a walk, and struck out five.
The Clippers never let Louisville settle in. Columbus scored 12 runs on 14 hits and eight walks, and the game got away fast in the opening inning.
After a hit-by-pitch and two outs, Kody Huff and George Valera ripped back-to-back singles, with Watson scoring on Valera’s knock. Milan Tolentino followed with another single to bring home Huff, Blake Perkins worked a walk, and that forced an early pitching change.
Dayan Frias and Dom Nuñez then drew walks to push across two more runs before Cooper Ingle struck out to end the frame.
Columbus kept adding pressure in the fourth, stringing together another wave of singles. Frias and Nuñez opened the inning with consecutive hits, and with two outs Kyle Manzardo singled to right to score both runners and make it 6-0.
The fifth inning blew the game open. Tolentino started it with a one-out solo homer to right, then Perkins and Frias drew walks.
Nuñez followed with a single to center that scored Perkins, and Cooper Ingle capped the burst with a three-run homer to left center. By the time the inning ended, Columbus was sitting on an 11-0 lead.
The Clippers added one more in the ninth for good measure. Louisville recorded two quick outs, but Kahlil Watson reached on another hit-by-pitch. Kyle Manzardo and Kody Huff then delivered back-to-back singles to bring Watson home before the inning closed.
In Akron, the RubberDucks fell 4-2 to the Altoona Curve after holding the game close for most of the night.
Rafe Schlesinger gave Akron exactly what it needed for most of the evening, working 6.1 scoreless innings on 83 pitches. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out five.
The game turned in the eighth. Michael Kennedy, who came on to finish the seventh with a 2-0 lead, was charged with a blown save and took the loss to drop to 1-2. Kennedy loaded the bases on two singles and a walk, then gave up a two-out grand slam that flipped the game to Altoona.
Akron’s runs came in the sixth. Aaron Walton singled, stole second, and then Welbyn Francisca drove him in with an RBI single.
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