Mud Hens' explosive lineup buries Clippers 18-5 in Columbus

The Toledo Mud Hens turned a 4-0 hole into a runaway, hammering the Columbus Clippers 18-5 at Huntington Park behind an attack that put every hitter on base and buried the home club with three explosive innings. Ben Malgeri, Tyler Gentry and Andrew Navigato each drove in four runs as Toledo scored all 18 of its runs after the fifth inning and kept piling on until rain stopped the game in the top of the ninth.

Columbus had the better start, with Nolan Jones driving the early damage and helping the Clippers build a 4-0 lead. But once Toledo cracked the scoreboard in the fifth, the game changed fast. Malgeri lined an RBI single, Gentry followed with a two-run double, and the Mud Hens were within one before the inning was over. That first punch opened the door for a lineup that kept stacking quality at-bats for the rest of the night.

The sixth inning delivered the decisive blow. Navigato started the frame with a game-tying single, then Toledo kept the line moving with an RBI single and an error that helped Max Burt and Navigato score. Gentry capped the inning with his second two-run double of the night, and suddenly the Mud Hens had the lead for good. They were not done. In the seventh, Navigato and Tomas Nido drew bases-loaded walks, Malgeri followed with a one-out, three-run double, and Toledo had another five-run inning on the board.

Navigato added the loudest swing of the night in the eighth, launching his first home run of the season, a three-run shot that stretched the margin even further. Eduardo Valencia and Cal Stevenson added RBI singles in the ninth before rain ended the game with Toledo batting, the bases loaded and no outs. By then the Mud Hens had long since turned a competitive game into a statement, one that showed how quickly a Triple-A lineup can overwhelm a staff when the pressure keeps coming.

The finish also fit the bigger picture for Toledo, which entered at 17-14 and left Columbus with its eighth win in nine games. At 5,136 fans and a 2-hour, 54-minute game time, the numbers told the story as clearly as the scoreline: Malgeri, Gentry and Navigato looked like the bats carrying the most immediate value, and the Mud Hens left Columbus with a 3-3 split in the series after the Clippers bounced back over the next two days.