Bleday homers, Daniel dazzles as Louisville edges Toledo 2-1

Louisville won the series the hard way, riding Davis Daniel’s command and JJ Bleday’s one big swing to a 2-1 win over Toledo at Louisville Slugger Field. Daniel worked seven shutout innings, allowed one walk and struck out eight for his season high, while Bleday launched a two-run homer in the first inning that proved to be the difference in a game that tightened only at the end.

The Bats struck quickly after Noelvi Marte ripped a two-out double, setting the stage for Bleday’s fifth homer of the season. The ball left his bat at 109 mph and traveled 418 feet to right field, giving Louisville an early 2-0 cushion. Louisville did not need much more. Daniel settled in and controlled the middle innings, keeping Toledo from building any real momentum and handing the lead to a bullpen that did its part behind him.

Lyon Richardson followed with a scoreless inning to preserve the shutout into the ninth, but Toledo finally scratched out a last push. Ben Malgeri led off with a single, Max Clark followed with another hit to move Malgeri to third, and Gage Workman brought him home with a sacrifice fly to left. That cut the margin to 2-1, but Louisville shut the door before the tying run could score.

The victory gave Louisville its first series win over Toledo since 2024 and a 4-2 edge in the six-game set. The Bats improved to 12-9, while the Mud Hens fell to 9-12. It also underscored how Louisville can win without a barrage of offense, something that mattered after a week in which the club had already shown its run-production ceiling in an 18-4 rout of Toledo on April 14, another game in which Daniel earned the win.

Bleday’s homer extended his on-base streak to 19 games, the second-longest run in the International League. Through his first 20 games, he was hitting .338/.443/.635 with 12 extra-base hits, production that has made him one of Louisville’s most consistent threats and given Daniel a slim margin that turned out to be enough.