Jace Jung homers and triples in Mud Hens loss

Scores, news, and notes from the Detroit Tigers’ farm system for Wednesday, April 2, 2025.

The Toledo Mud Hens and the Round Rock Express locked up in a pretty close game on Wednesday night. Ultimately the Express bullpen held up longer, as they walked this one off against the Hens’ PJ Poulin for a 5-2 victory.

Both teams had early scoring chances but couldn’t capitalize. After the Hens went 1-2-3 in the top of the first against right-hander Nolan Hoffman, they got a one-out single from Bligh Madris in the second. The first baseman stole second base, but was stranded there as Brewer Hicklen grounded out and Ben Gamel struck out to end the inning.

Meanwhile, Lael Lockhart Jr. made his second start for the Mud Hens and issued walks in each of the first two frames that he successfully stranded.

In the third, Jahmai Jones reached on a comebacker to Hoffman that he couldn’t corral in time. The Express went to their bullpen and brought in RHP Cole Winn. A passed ball moved Jones to second, and Hao-Yu Lee waited out the new reliever and drew a walk. Jace Jung followed and he too walked to load the bases. However, Andrew Navigato chased a slider down and struck out to squander the chance.

Lockhart was cruising along, striking out Evan Carter with a sinker that froze him, and Justin Foscue, who whiffed on three straight pitches, to open the bottom of the third. Express first baseman Blaine Crim tripled, but Lockhart wasn’t done and he bounced back from a 3-0 count to get Trevor Hauver hacking and missing on a 3-2 slider. Lockhart struck out two more in the bottom of the fourth, and was pitching very well. His fastball was notably hitting 91-92 mph pretty consistently, which is a notable development. Lockhart has some of the best swing and miss stuff in the system but typically is just a little too vulnerable sitting around 89-90 mph.

Finally though, Lockhart ran out of gas in the bottom of the fifth. He walked the leadoff hitter, and the next hitter reached on slow rolling bunt to Jung at second. Lockhart yanked four straight pitches gloveside and walked Carter. That loaded the bases with no outs, and ended the lefty’s night.

RHP Brendan White took over and quickly allowed a pair of RBI singles. They were able to keep the Express moving station to station, but two runs were in and the bases still juiced. White got a grounder to Madris at first and he fired home to get the out at home. White them punched out the next two hitters to escape the jam. Pretty solid work in a really tough spot to enter the game. 2-0 Round Rock

Left-hander Jacob Latz took over from Winn in the sixth. Jace Jung greeted him with a drive to center field that probably should have been caught, but went for a triple. Still, Navigato, Madris, and Hicklen struck out in order. Another good swing from Jung against a lefty but nothing to show for it on the scoreboard.

White spun a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth. The Hens got a leadoff single from Gamel in the seventh and a one-out walk to Jack Dunn, but Jones struck out and Lee grounded out to end the threat.

Jason Foley had the bottom of the seventh, and pitched around a Navigato error at shortstop without issue. The sinker was still mostly 96 mph, and Foley appears to be working on the slider quite a bit. He punched out Trevor Hauver whiffing at back-to-back sliders to finish the inning.

Jace Jung got the Hens on the board against RHP Jacob Latz, leading off the eighth with a solo shot to right center field. Jung’s first shot of the season was a missile, leaving the bat at 108.8 mph.

Navigato followed with a single, but Madris popped out and Navigato was cut down trying to steal second base. Hicklen drew a walk, however, and Gamel ripped a double to right to score him and the game was finally tied up at 2-2.

Lefty PJ Poulin spun a quick bottom of the eighth, and it was time for the Hens to seize control. They couldn’t quite manage it. One-out singles from Jones and Lee got them in position, but Jung struck out. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, but Navigato whiffed on a well located 3-2 slider at the bottom of the zone.

Poulin continued in the bottom of the ninth, but leadoff hitter Cody Freeman reached on a Jung error on a routine grounder right to him, and then Poulin couldn’t make a bang-bang play on a bunt that went for a single. The lefty punched out Evan Carter, and then a blooper over Jung to Hicklen in right field dropped in. Jung put up a nice deke on the play, freezing the runners and Hicklen fired to second base to get the second out of the inning.

Poulin was on the verge of escaping, when a 1-1 slider got right into Blaine Crim’s sweet spot down and in over the plate. The Express first baseman ripped a three-run walkoff homer to put this one to bed.

Jung: 2-4, R, RBI, HR, 3B, BB, 2 K

Lee: 1-4, BB, K

Gamel: 3-4, RBI, 2B

Lockhart: 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: They’ll match up again on Thursday night at 8:05 p.m. ET with the Hens down 0-2 in the six-game series.

If you missed the announcement of Erie and West Michigan’s rosters, you can find them right here.