Indians Run Wild in Win Over Charlotte

INDIANAPOLIS - After stealing just two total bases through their first 11 games, the Indianapolis Indians ran wild with five stolen bases in a 4-1 win over the Charlotte Knights Friday night at Victory Field. Kevin Newman set the tone from the leadoff spot recording two hits, three runs scored and a theft of second base.

Facing top White Sox prospect Michael Kopech, Indianapolis (6-6) capitalized on a leadoff walk and stolen base by Newman with a two-out RBI single off the bat of José Osuna. The liner to left extended Osuna's hitting streak to a league-best 10 games and gave Indy a 1-0 lead.
Two innings later, Newman again sparked the Tribe to a run. He doubled to right and later scored on a Kevin Kramer run-scoring single up the middle.
After Clay Holmes and Kopech worked quick 1-2-3 half-innings in the fourth, Newman fulfilled his leadoff role one more time in the fifth. The 24-year-old pounded a single through the left side, advanced to second on a Kramer sacrifice bunt, took third on a balk and then raced across home plate on a wild pitch.
The Tribe added an insurance run in the sixth to go up 4-0. Jacob Stallings doubled to left to start the inning and hustled home on a Jerrick Suiter single back up the box.
Charlotte (6-8) strung together a Casey Gillaspie single and Patrick Leonard double in the seventh to get on the scoreboard.
Dovydas Neverauskas (S, 1) pitched the final two innings for Indy, tallying four strikeouts en route to his first save of the season.
Holmes - making his first 2018 start for the Tribe and third appearance overall - pitched four clean innings, allowing just two hits with three strikeouts. Tyler Jones (W, 2-0) tossed two shutout innings to earn the win. Kopech (L, 0-1) was charged with three earned runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts in five innings of work.
Indy last stole five bases in a single game on June 29, 2017 vs. Durham.
The Tribe entered the contest with a minus-17 run differential in the first inning but kept the visitors off the board and tallied a run of their own in the home half.
The Indians and Knights continue their three-game weekend series on Saturday, April 21 at The Vic. Right-hander Austin Coley (0-1, 32.40) is slated to start for the Tribe, opposite southpaw T.J. House (0-2, 7.00).
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.