Indians Use Three Homers to Sink Columbus in Series Opener
IL Indianapolis Indians

Indians Use Three Homers to Sink Columbus in Series Opener

Published on September 2, 2025 under International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - On his first day with the team, Nelson Velázquez clubbed a two-out, two-run homer to untie the game in the eighth inning and give the Indianapolis Indians a 5-3 triumph over the Columbus Clippers at Huntington Park on Tuesday night in the lidlifter of a six-game series.

Indianapolis (34-24, 76-56) entered the eighth inning locked in a 3-3 tie. Nick Solak led off and was hit by a pitch for the second time in the contest. Two outs later, Velázquez launched a pitch from Bradley Hanner (L, 3-4) over the right-center field wall to give Indy a 5-3 lead that proved to be the final margin.

The Indians used the long ball to break a 1-1 draw in the fourth inning. Alika Williams led off with a towering blast over the wall in left field, the big fly coming on the heels of the month of August in which Williams was named the team's Player of the Month. One batter later, with Solak aboard after his first hit by pitch, Rafael Flores went the other way and homered over the right-field fence to make it 3-1.

Columbus (19-37, 53-75) chipped away at the lead with a run in the sixth and another in the seventh to tie the game prior to Velazquez's blast. Travis Bazzana, the 2024 top pick, scored from third base on a groundout in the sixth and Will Wilson doubled home Petey Halpin in the seventh to briefly tie the contest.

The Clippers obtained an early lead with a home run of their own in the third shortly before the fourth-inning rally by Indy. Halpin, who finished a double shy of the cycle, smashed a two-out blast to right-center to give Columbus its only lead of the night.

Brandon Bidois (W, 1-0) earned the victory in relief when he retired four of the five batters he faced. Ryan Harbin (S, 1) retired the Clippers in order in the bottom of the ninth to earn his first save. While Jarod Bayless did not earn the victory due to inning requirements, he put Indy's pitching staff in a great spot as the opener in a bullpen game. He worked 4.2 innings and allowed just one run before he was lifted after 61 pitches.

Hanner was handed the loss after allowing the Velazquez home run in the eighth. Starter Austin Peterson conceded three runs over 5.1 innings in the no-decision.

The Indians and Clippers will tangle in game two of the six-game series on Wednesday evening, first pitch is set for 6:35 PM. Ryan Webb (5-7, 4.78) is slated to start for Columbus while Indianapolis has yet to announce who will oppose him.

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