Louisville Batts 5, Indianapolis Indians 2 [ box ]
The Indianapolis Indians and Louisville Bats played 6.5 scoreless innings at Louisville Slugger Field, before each team scored in its last two at-bats. The Bats' first rally was sparked by their winning pitcher Daryl Thompson, and the second rally, in the bottom of the 8th, was aided by 3 Indians' errors. The Tribe was not able to catch up, and the Bats took the first game of this 4-game away-and-home series.
Justin Wilson (photo) made the start for the Indians, coming off a tough start last Saturday in Toledo. He got through the first two innings rather quickly, allowing just one hit, a double by Bats' 1B Todd Frazier in the 2nd. Wilson worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the 3rd. 3B Michael Griffin reached base when his Tribe counterpart 3B Pedro Alvarez bobbled his grounder for an error. After two outs, 2B Chris Valaika grounded to short, where SS Jordy Mercer also had trouble with bobbles on the scoop. Valaika reached base ahead of Mercer's throw, and the play was ruled a single. LF Yonder Alonso walked to load the bases. Wilson bore down and got C Devin Mesoraco to fly out to RF Anthony Norman, to escape the inning without a run scoring.
Wilson worked around a single by Frazier in the 4th inning, then got into another jam in the 5th. He walked the opposing pitcher Thompson, and hit Valaika with a pitch. With two outs, Mesoraco hit a screaming liner right back at Wilson. The ball hit Wilson's glove and dropped, but Wilson was so surprised that it took him a moment to realize that the ball had been stopped and had not sailed into the outfield. Then he looked up, thinking that maybe the ball was still in the air, then finally looked down -- and still took a moment to realize that the ball was at his feet. Mesoraco was safe on first, and the bases were loaded, but Wilson had kept the ball from going into the outfield and allowing at least 2 runs to score. He ended the inning with a ground out by RF Jeremy Hermida, leaving the bases full of Bats for the second time in the game.
That was all for Wilson, on a hot and humid night. He had thrown 97 pitches (57 strikes), and thrown 5 scoreless innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 walks, with 5 strikeouts. Wilson was relieved by former Bat (just a couple of weeks ago) Steven Jackson, who retired his old teammates in order in the 6th.
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