IL1 Indianapolis Indians

Indians Prevail in Charlotte, Head Home with 11-Inning Win

Published on July 22, 2018 under International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kevin Kramer bounced a go-ahead RBI single into right field in the 11th inning, redeeming himself after a ninth-inning error led to the tying run for Charlotte, and the Indians defeated the Knights with a 6-4 win to conclude a seven-game road trip. Indy improved to 2-3 in extra innings this season, with Sunday's contest being the first to reach 11 innings.

The Indians (52-46) snapped the Knights' (47-53) five-game winning streak in dramatic fashion. The Tribe led 4-2 until the ninth, when the Knights nearly walked off for a fourth time on their homestand. Charlotte pulled within one run on a Matt Skole sacrifice fly, and Kramer saw an in-between liner skip through his legs in the ensuing at-bat, allowing Charlie Tilson to race home from second.

Jesus Liranzo (W, 1-1) took over for Alex McRae and walked Trayce Thompson on five pitches to reload the bases. Liranzo then fell behind Patrick Leonard 3-1 but battled back for the strikeout to send the game to extras.

Both teams failed to score in the 10th. Indy's free runner reached third with no outs but was stranded there. Liranzo answered the call in the home half, stranding Charlotte's free runner at third thanks to a pair of line drives snagged at the corners by Jose Osuna and Wyatt Mathisen.

The Tribe carried the momentum into the 11th and scored twice off former Indian Rob Scahill (L, 2-3). Mathisen added a sacrifice fly after Kramer's run-scoring single for insurance.

Osuna homered with Kevin Newman aboard and two outs in the opening frame to give Indy a 2-0 advantage. His fifth long ball with the Tribe sailed 388 feet to left.

The Tribe doubled their lead in the second as two runs crossed home on a fielder's choice off the bat of Newman. The turn to first by Knights second baseman Ryan Brett sailed into the seats, giving the Tribe a meaningful fourth run.

Leonard roped a two-run double off Mitch Keller in the bottom of the second to make it a 4-2 ballgame. The score remained that way until Charlotte's late rally.

Kramer finished with two hits for his team-high 32nd multi-hit game. He batted .577 (15-for-26) on the road trip.

Keller struck out seven over four innings of two-run ball. He allowed three hits and walked four.

Following an off day on Monday, the Indians return to Victory Field for eight games in six days beginning Tuesday night against Rochester. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. EDT. Tribe left-hander Brandon Waddell (4-4, 4.95) gets the nod against Red Wings southpaw Stephen Gonsalves (6-3, 3.34).

Check out the Indianapolis Indians Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



International League Stories from July 22, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central