Louisville Bats mascot consist of the winged mammal, the bat is also synonymous with the Louisville Slugger baseball bat. Traditionally one of the top-drawing minor league teams, the Bats' attendance in 2011 was second of all minor league teams with an average of 8,716 per game. In 2016, "Forbes" listed the Bats as the 11th-most valuable Minor League Baseball team with a value of $36 million. The Bats have once won the Governors' Cup—the championship of the IL—and twice played in the championship series. "Note: The Bats were ahead 1-0 in the championship series when the September 11, 2001, attacks occurred. The
Louisville Lightning a rematch of the US Open Cup final the previous year, except this time in San Diego. The outcome was a familiar one, losing 11-5. After an easy victory in the US Open Cup over the Evansville Crush 25-3, Louisville welcomed San Diego to Louisville again, losing 10-7, followed by a losing trip to Cincinnati 11-9. Following another easy US Open Cup victory over A.A.F.C. (following that team's impressive upset of the Detroit Waza in the first round) 23-5, Louisville sacked Detroit on the road 10-4, followed by yet another loss to Cincinnati 10-7. Standing at 2-6, Louisville made a