COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Clippers fell apart in the ninth inning and lost to the Louisville Bats 6-2 at Huntington Park Thursday night.
Mark Lowe (1-2) allowed the rally and took the loss. Pedro Villarreal (5-2) picked up the win out of the bullpen.
With the game tied at 2-2, the Bats sent nine hitters to the plate in the top half of the ninth inning. Jason Bourgeois started the rally with a lead-off single. Felix Perez hit a one-out single to get to aboard and a passed ball that got by Luke Carlin allowed both men to move into scoring position. The Clippers opted to load the bases by intentionally walking Neftali Soto. Former Clipper Thomas Neal walked and forced in a run. Rey Navarro singled to left and made it a 4-2 game and Tucker Barnhart smacked a two-run double to right to cap the rally and tie the three-game series at one game apiece.
The rubber match and series finale is Friday at Huntington Park at 7:15 p.m.