LOUISVILLE, Ky - The Louisville Bats (18-26) fell to the Indianapolis Indians (23-18) by a score of 4-3 in the first game of the three-game series and seven-game homestand. Scott Schebler extended his season-high hitting streak to seven games with a two-hit game.
LOUISVILLE, Ky - The Louisville Bats (18-26) fell to the Indianapolis Indians (23-18) by a score of 4-3 in the first game of the three-game series and seven-game homestand. Scott Schebler extended his season-high hitting streak to seven games with a two-hit game.
Bats starter Keury Mella (2-4, 5.20), coming off a win in which he gave up no earned runs in 5.2 innings, could not keep the momentum going as Indianapolis Indian Jason Martin hit a leadoff homer on the second pitch of the game. Mella would give up another solo shot in the fourth to Kevin Kramer, making it the fourth time he's given up multiple homeruns in a game this season.
The Bats finally got on the board in the third when Christian Colón singled home Rob Refsnyder. In the same inning, Schebler extended his season-high hitting streak. He is now tied for the second longest streak by a Bats hitter this season, only trailing Refsnyder who had an eight-game streak from April 23 to April 30.
The third inning hitting proved to be an outlier for the Bats, as the top prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization pitcher Mitch Keller (5-0, 3.45) shut down the Bats for 7.0 innings. At one point he had a streak of ten consecutive at-bats without allowing a hit, but in the bottom of the seventh Narciso Crook ended the streak with a two-out triple, his first three-bagger as a Bat.
Crook would not come in to score, as he was one of the nine Bats players left on base during the game. Heading into the ninth it seemed as if the Indians were going to cruise to a win, with the Bats unable to get any sort of momentum going. However, Louisville would not go away quietly, as they loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Refsnyder scored Aristides Aquino and Juan Graterol on a single to right, lowering the deficit to one. A walk loaded the bases again, putting the hot-hitting Schebler up to bat, but he would strike out on a full count, sealing the heartbreaking loss. With the defeat, the two teams are an even 4-4 against each other on the season, and an even 93-93 all-time at Slugger Field.
The Bats continue the three-game series against divisional foe Indianapolis on Wednesday, with first pitch set for 11:00 a.m. Right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez (1-4, 9.26) will toe the rubber for Louisville, trying to improve on his last outing when he gave up a season-high nine runs in just four innings on May 16. He will face off against Indians right-hander Alex McRae (4-2, 5.62).
