Nick Sando shines in Triple-A debut as Louisville beats Toledo 4-2

After more than an hour in the rain, Louisville’s annual Thunder Over Louisville showcase turned into a stage for two rookies and a needed win. The Bats beat Toledo 4-2 at Louisville Slugger Field on April 18, and Nick Sando, in his Triple-A debut, delivered the kind of first impression that can change the way a front office looks at a pitcher.

Sando, promoted from Double-A Chattanooga the day before, handled the moment without looking overwhelmed. The 24-year-old left-hander struck out two in a clean first inning, then worked through six scoreless frames with just two hits allowed, three walks and six strikeouts. His first Triple-A strikeout victim was Max Clark, the Tigers’ No. 2 prospect, a detail that only sharpened the impact of the debut. Sando had entered the outing after allowing one run over his first nine innings with the Lookouts, and his season line improved to 2-1 with a 0.60 ERA over 15.0 innings and 21 strikeouts.

Louisville also got an immediate boost from Dominic Pitelli, who was making his own Triple-A debut after a promotion from Chattanooga. The Reds’ 2023 seventh-round pick out of Miami reached base three times and collected multiple hits, giving the Bats steady traffic in front of a lineup that finally broke through in the fifth inning. Will Banfield, Blake Dunn and Edwin Arroyo helped turn a scoreless game into a 3-0 lead, with Dunn lining a double, Arroyo lifting a sacrifice fly and an error bringing home another run.

Tejay Antone added another important bridge out of the bullpen. He had opened the year on a streak of 7.2 scoreless innings without allowing a hit or a run before giving up his first earned run of the season, and Louisville still had enough behind him to finish the job. JJ Bleday added an insurance run in the seventh, and the bullpen held off Toledo’s late push.

The win mattered, too, because it came one night after Louisville lost 6-2 to the Mud Hens. Pat Kelly, in his seventh season managing the Bats, watched his club answer quickly on a night built around a festival crowd, a delayed start and a pitcher who looked ready for a faster climb.