Indians Blank Clippers Behind Eppler's Excellence

INDIANAPOLIS -Tyler Eppler fanned a career-high 10 batters over 5.2 scoreless innings to propel the Indianapolis Indians to a 10-0 shutout over the Columbus Clippers on Saturday night at Victory Field. The Tribe offense collected six extra-base hits while the pitching staff combined for 16 strikeouts.

Indianapolis (1-1) evened the series in dominating fashion, scoring two runs in the second on a two-out, bases-loaded single off the bat of Kevin Newman. The Tribe then doubled their lead in the fourth with back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Jacob Stallings and Eric Wood.
Eppler (W, 1-0) set the tone by striking out the side in the first and tallying two more punchouts in the second. The 25-year-old worked in and out of trouble during the next two frames, stranding five total baserunners.
The Texas native recorded his final two strikeouts in the sixth before handing over to Richard Rodríguez who added five punchouts in his Tribe debut.
Indianapolis busted the game open with five runs on five hits in the sixth to go up 9-0. Max Moroff opened the frame with a triple and Stallings followed with his second double of the night. Newman later contributed an RBI double, ahead of run-scoring singles by Austin Meadows and Moroff as Indy sent 11 batters to the dish.
Tyler Jones finished off the shutout of Columbus (1-1) with a 1-2-3 ninth.
After notching 15 strikeouts and nine walks in the season opener, Tribe pitchers posted a sparkling 16:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in their second game of the season.
Newman led the Indians with three RBI from the leadoff spot. Stallings finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI, and Moroff reached base all five times (two hits, three walks) in the blowout.
Adam Plutko (L, 0-1) suffered the loss after yielding four earned runs on six hits in five innings pitched.
The Indians and Clippers conclude their three-game set with the finale set for 1:35 p.m. on Sunday, April 8. Tribe right-hander Alex McRae will make his Triple-A debut, while Columbus sends righty Stephen Fife to the bump.
To purchase tickets for any Indians home game, contact the Victory Field Box Office at 317-269-2282 or [email protected]. For more on the Tribe, visit IndyIndians.com.