Navigato shines in Wednesday afternoon win in Iowa

Des Moines, IA – The Toledo Mud Hens defeated the Iowa Cubs in Wednesday’s afternoon matchup at Principal Park. The final score in a rain-shortened game after seven innings was 5-1.

Toledo sent Lael Lockhart to the mound, entering with a 4-7 record and 5.56 ERA. Iowa countered with Connor Noland, who came in at 9-5 with a 3.89 ERA.

The first inning was quiet, with both pitchers issuing two walks but keeping runs off the board.

Toledo broke through in the second as Andrew Navigato went yard, launching a 399-foot solo home run. Iowa quickly answered with a leadoff solo shot of their own in the bottom half, but the Mud Hens escaped further damage to keep things tied.

The Hens responded in the third. Hao-Yu Lee led off with a double, and Eduardo Valencia drove him home with an RBI double. Iowa threatened in the bottom half on a one-out single that advanced to second on a throwing error, but Toledo held firm to preserve the lead.

The next two innings mirrored each other. Both teams managed to get on base in the fifth, while the fourth inning was a quick three up, three down for both sides.

Toledo extended its lead in the sixth. Jace Jung opened the frame with a solo homer that went 111 off the bat to make it 3-1. Max Anderson and Gage Workman followed with back-to-back singles, and Navigato continued his big day at the plate with a two-run double to plate both runners.

After a solid outing, Lockhart’s day ended after five innings. He allowed one earned run on three hits, walked two, struck out three, and surrendered one homer. Brenan Hanifee worked a scoreless sixth, allowing only a single, before Tyler Mattison handled the seventh. As heavy rain moved in, the game was called after seven innings, sealing a 5-1 Mud Hens victory.

Notables:

Lael Lockhart: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR

Andrew Navigato: 1 R, 2 H, 3 RBI

Jace Jung: 1 R, 1 H, 1 RBI

Toledo will look to make it three straight against Iowa tomorrow evening. First pitch is set for 7:38 p.m.