Josh Randall leads Lakeland while Akil Baddoo powers Toledo with two home runs

Scores, news, and notes from around the Detroit Tigers’ farm system for Saturday, May 3, 2025.

Toledo Mud Hens 7, Worcester Red Sox 2 (box )

The Hens pitched really well on Saturday, while Akil Baddoo supplied the power.

John Brebbia made a strong rehab appearance in the first inning. He collected fly outs from Roman Anthony and Nick Sogard before striking out Marcelo Mayer with a nasty back door slider. Akil Baddoo then led off the bottom half with a laser beam at 111.5 mph to right field to make it 1-0 Hens.

Bailey Horn had the second inning, and the lefty ran into two-out trouble as he allowed a single and then a two-run shot to Trayce Thompson. 2-1 Red Sox. Jordan Balazovic handled the third with no trouble, and in the fourth the Hens broke the game open a little bit.

Baddoo started them off by hitting one of the longest home runs of the season. The towering drive carried well over the batter’s eye in straightaway center field, landing an estimated 461 feet from home plate. 2-2 game. An Andrew Navigato single followed, and Stephen Scott launched a two-run shot to make it 4-2 Hens.

At that point the game went through a nearly two hour long rain delay. When player resumed, Hens manager Gabe Alvarez turned to new southpaw starter Nick Margevicius. The Tigers signed the former prospect to a minor league deal last week, and his Tigers debut went very well. He tossed five scoreless frames with five strikeouts, and no runs or walks allowed. That carried them to the ninth, but by then the game was all but over

Jahmai Jones hit a solo shot in the fifth and then added another in the sixth. Baddoo doubled to complete a huge day in the eighth inning, and Carlos Mendoza singled him in for their final run.

Matt Seelinger closed the game out in the ninth.

Baddoo: 3-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 HR

Hicklen: 2-3, BB, K

Margevicius: 5.0 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: The Hens lead the series 3-2 heading into a 1:05 p.m. ET finale on Sunday.

Erie SeaWolves vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (postponed)

For the second time in the series, the SeaWolves and Rumble Ponies were rained out in Erie. They’ll play a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. The series is tied 2-2.

West Michigan Whitecaps 1, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 0 (box )

Left-hander Joe Miller threw a great game on Saturday, totally shutting down the Rattlers offense. Trevin Michael and Preston Howey were just as good in two innings of relief work apiece as the trio combined to hold them to just four hits and a walk.

Miller struck out nine in five innings of work, scattering three hits and a walk. The lefties in the Rattlers lineup struggled, but so did everyone else. Michael and Howey too over in style as each punched out three hitters, with Michael allowing one hit and Howey none.

The Whitecaps offense didn’t have a particularly good day either. A two-out double from Izaac Pacheco in the second inning with two outs, and a two-out single from Seth Stephenson in the third were their only baserunners in the early innings.

Finally in the sixth, Archer Brookman reached on an error to lead off the top of the inning. Stephenson struck out, but Jack Penney singled to finally get a runner in scoring position. Unfortunately, Josue Briceño popped out, and John Peck struck out to squander their best chance.

In the eighth, Brookman and Stephenson led off the inning with singles. Penney grounded into a force of Stephenson at second, but Briceño got the run home from third with a sacrifice fly. Howey then carved up the Rattlers for two innings to earn the save.

Pacheco: 2-4, 2B, K

Stephenson: 2-4, K

Miller: 5.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, BB, 9 K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps lead 3-2 in the series heading into Sunday’s 2:10 p.m. ET finale.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 2, Palm Beach Cardinals 1 (box )

Another low scoring game went the Flying Tigers way as they secured a series win on Saturday.

Josh Randall got the start and he was excellent. The Detroit Tigers third round pick last summer went five innings, allowing just one run along the way. Randall struck out five and didn’t walk a hitter, which you love from a rookie in pro ball. He scattered six hits sitting close to 95 mph with his sinker and mixing in cutters and sliders as the main secondary offerings.

The Flying Tigers opened the scoring in the bottom of the third. Garrett Pennington doubled, Patrick Lee was hit by a pitch, and Franyerber Montilla walked. Bad timing for the Cardinals as Bryce Rainer stepped to the plate and hammered a bouncer up the middle at 106.5 mph to score two runs.

That was all they’d get, but they didn’t need any more. Randall allowed a couple of singles in the fourth as the Cardinals scored one, but he shut the rally down with a strikeout and tossed a good fifth to end his outing.

Duque Hebbert and Chris Williams Jr. carried the one-run lead through the final four innings, each collecting two strikeouts.

Rainer: 1-3, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K

Pennington: 2-2, R, 2 2B

Randall (W, 1-2): 5.0 IP, ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers look to sweep the three-game home series on Sunday at noon.