Father’s Day Frenzy: Indians Walk Off in 11

INDIANAPOLIS – With home plate unguarded following a game-tying single off the bat of Christian Bethancourt, Wilmer Difo raced in to score the walk-off Indians run in the 11th inning on Sunday afternoon. The 8-7 win was Indy’s second walk-off over the Memphis Redbirds and capped a 5-1 series victory in the six-game set.

Facing a 7-6 deficit with two outs in the bottom of the 11th, Difo walked to extend the inning to Bethancourt. He shot a line drive into center field to score Anthony Alford, the automatic runner on second base, to tie the game at 7-7. On the play, the throw home allowed Difo to advance to third, which took Redbirds catcher Tyler Heineman off the plate. With first base uncovered, Bethancourt stalled between first and second to bring pitcher Tyler Webb ­– who was covering home – toward first base. Difo then broke toward the plate, narrowly missing a tag at third base, to score the winning run.

Memphis (16-26) took an early 3-0 lead in the second inning thanks to a three-run triple off the bat of starting pitcher Zack Thompson. Two walks and a single loaded the bases before, with two outs, Thompson shot a line drive over the head of Alford to support his own cause. The Redbirds then extended their lead to 5-0 in the fourth inning off a two-run single by Kramer Robertson.

Facing a 6-1 deficit after a two-out double by Joe Hudson put Indy on the board in the fourth and an error by Will Craig plated another Redbirds run in the seventh, the Indians inched their way closer to a tie game. Alford, who walked in his first three plate appearances, singled up the middle to score Joe Hudson and make the score 6-2.

The Indians (23-18) tied the game in the eighth with a four-run frame, led off by a one-out double off the bat of Difo. Bethancourt then entered the game as a pinch hitter and launched the first pitch he saw over the left-field wall to cut the Redbirds lead to 6-4. Bligh Madris drove in another run on a ground out, and Alford tied the game with a single up the middle.

Memphis scored its automatic runner from third base on a one-out single by Justin Williams off Shea Spitzbarth (W, 3-1) to take the short-lived lead in the 11th inning. Tyler Webb (L, 0-1) took the mound for the Redbirds in the bottom of the inning.

Alford reached base safely in all six of his plate appearances with four walks and a pair of singles. Hudson led the offense in hits, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored.

The comeback victory was the Indians second come-from-behind win of five runs so far this season. The first came on Sunday, May 16 when Bethancourt singled home the walk-off run in the ninth inning after facing a 5-0 deficit in the first inning.

Indianapolis travels to Louisville for their upcoming six-game series. First pitch at Louisville Slugger Field is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET, and both teams have yet to name starting pitchers.