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IL1 Indianapolis Indians

Early runs lift Indianapolis past Buffalo 6-5

June 18, 2006 - International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Indianapolis scored six early runs and used strong pitching down the stretch to post a 6-5 victory over Buffalo Sunday afternoon at Dunn Tire Park.

The Indians improve to 37-32, while the Bisons fall to 35-37. Indianapolis continues to lead the International League's West Division by one game over Toledo and Louisville.

Indianapolis cracked the scoreboard with two runs in the first. CF Rajai Davis drew a base on balls to open the contest. LF Rich Thompson followed with a single through the left side and advanced to second on a throw to third. DH Raul Gonzalez and 1B Chris Richard then came up with back-to-back RBI groundouts to score Davis and Thompson.

The Indians opened up the advantage with three scores in the third. Davis reached on a fielder's choice and eventually scored on a Buffalo error. Thompson smashed a double down the left-field line and came around to touch the dish on Richard's RBI groundout, while Gonzalez reached on another Bisons miscue and came plateward on RF Adam Boeve's double to left.

Indianapolis tacked on another score in the fourth. SS J.J. Furmaniak and Davis registered back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners. Furmaniak then trotted home when Davis stole his 22nd base of the season and the Buffalo catcher's throw sailed into center field.

Buffalo rallied for five runs, but couldn't get over the hump. RF Jason Dubois ripped a two-run double to score CF Ben Francisco and 2B Joe Inglett in the fourth, while 3B Andy Marte launched a three-run homer in the sixth -- his 10th long ball of the season.

Indians LHP Sean Burnett (5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO) earned the win, improving to 6-5. He now owns a 5-0 record and 2.12 ERA in six road starts.

Tribe LHP C.J. Nitkowski (1.0 IP) and RHP Scott Strickland (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 SO) were credited with holds, while RHP Matt Whiteside (1.0 IP) notched his seventh save of the campaign. The trio faced just one over the minimum in the game's final three innings.

Buffalo RHP Jake Dittler (6.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO) was charged with the loss, falling to 2-9.

Indianapolis 1B Chris Richard went 1-for-5 with two RBI and has now reached base safely in 32 consecutive games. His streak stands as the longest by an IL batter in 2006.

Thompson, Boeve and Furmaniak collected two hits apiece for the Tribe, while Davis and Thompson scored two runs each. Bisons C Kelly Shoppach, who scored ahead of Marte on the dinger, wrapped up the afternoon 2-for-4 with one run.

The two clubs return to Dunn Tire Park Monday evening at 7:05 p.m., for game three of the four-game series. LHP Tom Gorzelanny is scheduled to start for Indianapolis, while RHP Rob Bell is expected to get the nod for Buffalo.

The game will be carried by ESPN-950 AM and IndyIndians.com as Howard Kellman and Scott McCauley have the call. Monday's pre-game show begins at 6:45 p.m.

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