The Toledo Mud Hens snapped a four-game losing streak, withstanding a rally to beat the Buffalo Bisons 7-5 at Fifth Third Field on Wednesday.

Toledo got out to a 5-0 lead before insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings proved crucial as Buffalo put up five late runs of its own.

Starter Jack O’Loughlin pitched five scoreless innings for Toledo, and the Hens gave him a lead to work with when Parker Meadows scored Jermaine Palacios with an RBI groundout in the third. Justyn-Henry Malloy’s two-run home run later in the inning brought Corey Joyce home and grew the lead to 3-0.

In the fifth, Andre Lipcius hit a two-run single, scoring Joyce and Meadows. That was the end of the line for Buffalo starter Wes Parsons, who allowed five runs on five hits over 4⅔ innings.

Buffalo got on the board in the seventh with a Davis Schneider RBI single, but the Mud Hens responded with a Kerry Carpenter base knock to score Malloy in the bottom of the inning, making it 6-1.

The Bisons put up another pair of RBI singles in the top of the eighth, and Michael Papierski’s RBI single for Toledo made it 7-3 entering the ninth. Reliever Miguel Diaz retired the first two batters, but Buffalo mounted a rally while down to its final out.

A single, a walk, and an error loaded the bases for Cam Eden, who doubled to left field to score two runs. Another walk loaded the bases and put the go-ahead run on first, but Diaz struck out Otto Lopez to end the game.

Toledo (25-33) and Buffalo (26-33) have split the first two installments of their six-game set. Thursday’s game is set for 7:05 p.m. at Fifth Third Field, with Toledo’s Bryan Sammons pitching against Buffalo’s Paxton Schultz.

First Published June 8, 2023, 2:28 a.m.