IL1 Indianapolis Indians

Indians Cruise, 13-2

Published on July 27, 2007 under International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Right-hander Runelvys Hernandez allowed just one run over six innings for his first win of 2007 and five Indianapolis hitters recorded more than one hit in a 13-2 thumping of Columbus before a crowd of 6,209 Friday evening at Cooper Stadium.

The Indians improve to 53-52 overall and 23-29 on the road, while the Clippers fall to 47-59 on the season and 26-30 at home. Saturday will be the Tribe's 250th consecutive day with a record of .500 or better.

Indianapolis collected 17 base knocks in the win, including a season-high seven doubles. Five Indians -- 3B Jose Hernandez (4-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI), 1B Yurendell de Caster (3-for-6, 3 R, 1 RBI), RF Brad Eldred (2-for-6, 1 R, 3 RBI), C Carlos Maldonado (3-for-4) and LF Michael Ryan (2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI) -- turned in multi-hit performances.

The Tribe raced out to a 10-0 advantage and never looked back in its second-largest win of the campaign. The offensive display featured one run in the second, two in the third, six in the fourth, one in the sixth and three more in the seventh.

Indianapolis cracked the scoreboard when J. Hernandez roped a single to right, moved to second on Maldonado's base knock to center, advanced to third on a walk and came plateward on 2B Luis Ordaz's sacrifice fly.

The next two scores came when Ryan smoked an RBI double to score de Caster and J. Hernandez drilled an RBI single to plate Ryan.

The Tribe continued to pad the lead in its fourth at-bat and most productive inning. De Caster whacked an RBI double, J. Hernandez tagged a two-run single and Eldred cranked a two-run double before the final run scored on a wild pitch.

Eldred kept the hit parade rolling with a run-scoring double in the sixth before SS Brian Bixler highlighted the seventh with a two-run double. Eldred, Ryan and de Caster recorded a pair of two baggers each as Indianapolis notched seven doubles in a game for the first time since Aug. 12, 2005.

R. Hernandez (6.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO) picked up his first win of the season after starting with six losses and nine no-decisions. Three Indianapolis relievers -- RHP Josh Sharpless (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO), RHP Bret Prinz (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 SO) and RHP Franquelis Osoria (1.0 IP, 1 H) -- worked one inning apiece in the win.

Clippers RHP Levale Speigner (3.1 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO) was pinned with the loss, falling to 2-3.

Columbus scored once in the sixth and once in the seventh. CF Brandon Watson finished the contest 3-for-4 with one RBI, while C Juan Brito and 3B Kory Casto collected two hits apiece for the Clippers.

The game was delayed for 34 minutes in the top of the second due to rain in central Ohio.

Indianapolis returns to Victory Field on Saturday at 7 p.m. for the first of two games against Charlotte. Former Tribe RHP Vladimir Nunez is scheduled to start for the Knights, while LHP Michael Tejera is expected to get the nod for the Indians.

The contest will be carried by ESPN-950 AM and IndyIndians.com with Howard Kellman and Scott McCauley. The pre-game show begins at 6:40 p.m.

The Famous Chicken will make its only appearance of the season courtesy of the NCAA. Recognized as one of the most entertaining shows in all of sports, the former San Diego Chicken will perform throughout the game and be available for autographs starting in the eighth inning.

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International League Stories from July 27, 2007


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