Ji Hwan Bae and Malcom Nuñez Power the Indians to a 7-3 Victory

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ji Hwan Bae and Malcom Nuñez each slugged solo home runs as the Indianapolis Indians defeated the Louisville Bats 7-3 in the second game of a six-game set at Louisville Slugger Field on Wednesday afternoon.

Braxton Ashcraft (W, 1-2) tossed 5.0 innings of one-run, three-hit ball while allowing no walks and striking out six en route to the first win from an Indians starter this season. The victory also marked Ashcraft’s first since he earned the win in his Triple-A debut on June 13, 2024, at Jacksonville.

With the Indians (3-5) trailing 1-0 in the top of the third inning, Bae knotted up the game at 1-1 with a solo shot off starter Randy Wynne (L, 0-1). Nuñez broke the tie with a solo shot of his own on Wynne’s first pitch of the fifth inning to begin a stretch of three consecutive innings with at least one run scored for Indy.

Louisville (6-5) chipped away at the Indians 5-1 lead with one run in the eighth, but RBI knocks from Liover Peguero and Henry Davis plated insurance in the ninth. Edwin Ríos then homered in the Bats final offensive half inning to cap the scoring.

The Bats first run of the game came on the very first pitch, when Tyler Callihan took Ashcraft deep to right field for the first home run surrendered by the Indians’ pitching staff this season. Indianapolis’ streak of seven games without allowing a home run to start the season is their longest since not allowing a homer in nine consecutive games to begin the 1975 season (April 16- April 27).

The Indians and Bats six-game set from Louisville Slugger Field continues tomorrow at 6:35 PM ET. RHP Carson Fulmer (0-1, 0.00) is set to toe the rubber for Indy against lefty Drew Parrish (0-1, 5.79).