Indians Use Long Ball to Beat Bulls

INDIANAPOLIS - Eric Wood and Erich Weiss launched back-to-back home runs on consecutive pitches in the fourth to power the Indianapolis Indians to an 11-6 comeback win over the Durham Bulls Wednesday afternoon at Victory Field. Danny Ortiz and Jason Rogers blasted long balls as well to help Indy snap a four-game losing streak. 

Indianapolis (43-35) ended its scoring drought at 23 consecutive innings on Wood and Weiss' towering drives against Bulls starter Hunter Wood. Rogers preceded Wood's game-tying dinger with his first of a career-high tying four hits. After Wood completed his ninth trip around the bases, Weiss cranked the first pitch of his at bat out to right to give the Tribe the lead for good.
Indy continued to mash over the final four innings, highlighted by Ortiz's three-run homer in the fifth that made it 6-2. Rogers and Wood then strung together a single and double after Ortiz's fourth homer of the season to push the advantage to 7-2 after five frames.
Durham (48-30) tallied one run in the sixth and two more in the eighth, but the Indians answered with two of their own in the sixth and one apiece in the seventh and eighth to keep the Bulls at a distance.
Clay Holmes (6-3) allowed a home run on the second pitch of the game to Johnny Field but settled in to toss five innings of two-run ball. He surrendered another run in the fourth that gave the Bulls a 2-0 lead before Indy totaled 11 runs over the final five innings.
Hunter Wood (1-1) suffered his first Triple-A loss after being roughed up for seven earned runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings pitched.
The Indians and Bulls conclude their four-game series Thursday night at Victory Field. Indianapolis will send southpaw Steven Brault (6-3, 2.24) to the mound, opposite Durham righty Brent Honeywell (7-6, 4.87). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.