Harrison's Record Night Paces 10-5 Win
INDIANAPOLIS -- Shortstop Josh Harrison tied two Victory Field records by knocking two triples, both with the bases loaded, for a total of six RBI to boost the Indianapolis Indians (52-27) to a 10-5 win and series split with the Charlotte Knights (34-44) on Monday night. With the 2-2 split, the Tribe remains unbeaten in series at home this season, earning seven wins and four splits.
With his pair of triples and six RBI tonight, Harrison became just the seventh Indians batter to knock two three-baggers in one game, and first since Felix Pie on May 15 vs. Buffalo, as well as the eighth Tribe hitter with six RBI in a single contest, and first since Brandon Moss on July 23, 2010 vs. Charlotte.
The shorstop wasted no time putting the Indians on the board, slapping a leadoff double in the contest's opening frame and advancing to third on a groundout from CF Alex Presley. Following a walk to RF Jose Tabata, 1B Matt Hague gave the Indians a quick 1-0 edge as he lined an RBI single up the middle to bring Harrison jogging home.
In the midst of LHP Andy Oliver's quality start, the southpaw gave up the Tribe's early lead when he surrendered all three of his runs in the second inning. 1B Andy Wilkins began the three-run rally with a leadoff double and moved to third when C Josh Phegley rolled a grounder to the hot corner. RF Steve Tolleson and 2B Angel Sanchez then coaxed back-to-back walks to load the bases and set the stage for CF Blake Tekotte, who has been an absolute thorn in the Indians side this season.
True to form, Tekotte continued his dominance of Indianapolis by crushing a two-run double to center field that brought both Wilkins and Tolleson plateward to give Charlotte a 2-0 edge. With his three hits tonight, Tekotte finished the four-game series 8-for-15 (.533) with four runs scored, three doubles, two triples, a home run and six RBI.
Up 2-1, the Knights padded their lead when Oliver uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Sanchez to cross home and extend the advantage to 3-1. With another runner still waiting just 90 feet from the plate with only one out, Charlotte showed no signs of slowing down, however Oliver induced a line-drive double play to escape any further damage.
The three-run inning proved to be the only major blemish on Oliver's (W, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO) otherwise solid outing. The southpaw worked his sixth quality start of the season, allowing just three runs through 7.0 innings in which he walked four and fanned six. Oliver retired 15 of his final 17 batters from the third frame to the seventh en route to picking up his fourth win of the season.
After falling behind 3-1, Indianapolis' starter found himself in position to earn the victory after an impressive offensive display in the bottom of the fourth. The Tribe batted around the order through the game-changing inning, beginning with a leadoff single from 3B Jared Goedert in front of a walk to LF Brett Carroll. With the first two runners aboard, the Indians threat temporarily stalled courtesy of back-to-back flyouts.
With two on and two out, DH Darren Ford initiated what proved to be the play that decided the contest's final outcome, as he dribbled a grounder down the third-base line. Charlotte's 3B Brent Morel then scooped up the grounder and instead of throwing to first for the inning's final out, he flipped the ball to SS Carlos Sanchez who was covering third. In a foot race, Goedert beat Sanchez to the bag to allow all the runners to advance safely and keep the frame alive.
Charlotte's mental lapse allowed the hot-hitting Harrison to dig in at the plate, and the shortstop made the visiting team pay with his first bases-clearing triple of the night that gave the Tribe a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish. Just one batter later, CF Alex Presley offered some firepower of his own, crushing a two-run homer to right that made the score 5-3.
Indianapolis, or rather Harrison, then put the game out of reach in the fifth inning. Goedert and Carroll both reached on consecutive singles and C Ali Solis coaxed a one-out walk to put three men on for Harrison, who responded with his second bases-clearing triple in as many at-bats to augment the Indians lead to 9-3. The three-run three-bagger capped off Harrison's Victory Field era record tying two-triple and six RBI night.
Before all was said and done, Presley picked up his fourth hit over the last two games with an RBI single that scored Ford and put the Indians up 10-3.
Charlotte attempted to make it respectable in the top of the ninth against RHP Vic Black, who took the mound for the first time since being activated off the disabled list earlier in the day. Although the Knights plated two unearned runs, the Tribe's closer fanned two to slam the door on Charlotte and send the Indians to a 10-5 win and series split.
LHP Charlie Leesman (L, 4.0 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO) took the defeat for the visiting squad, and although he was dominant in his last outing against the Tribe in Game One of the 2012 IL Playoffs, the southpaw was tagged for 10 hits and eight runs (three earned) in tonight's losing effort.
Indianapolis will now welcome the Rochester Red Wings for a four-game set beginning Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. at Victory Field. The Tribe is expected to send LHP Kris Johnson (6-3, 2.82 ERA) to the mound while the Red Wings will give the ball to LHP Logan Darnell for his Triple-A debut.
The contest will be televised on HTSN, Hometown Sports and News, available via cable or over-the-air on digital channel 6.2. The game will also be carried on WNDE 1260 AM, WNDE.com and via iheartradio, a mobile application for iPhone, Blackberry and Android phones with Howard Kellman and Will Flemming on the call. The pre-game show begins at 6:45 p.m.
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Postgame Interview with SS Josh Harrison
(on hitting two bases-clearing triples)
"I can definitely say it's the first time I've seen it. You know, I just happened to be in those situations and got a pitch I could do something with and it found a hole."
(on the first triple looking as though it might actually be caught by the left fielder before rolling to the wall)
"Definitely. When I hit it, he looked like he had a pretty good jump on it. I was like, get down, and once I saw it get down I was like, I'm about to go to third."
(on how well Indians starter Andy Oliver pitched)
"Andy's been a guy that's been battling all year. He's throwing great. It's just a matter of stringing them together. He got out of that second inning, and you could see he started to roll through and really trust his stuff and it got him out of some innings and before you know it we're into the seventh inning."