Bats Back Spiers In 7-1 Win Over Indians

The Louisville Bats stormed ahead with a six-run bottom of the second inning and never looked back, defeating the Indianapolis Indians 7-1 on Sunday afternoon to finish a dominant week at Louisville Slugger Field.

With the victory, the Bats won five of six games over the Indians to increase their record to a season-high three games over .500 at 21-18 and tie their season-long with a three-game winning streak.

Louisville starter Carson Spiers navigated through some early trouble before settling in. A pair of two-out walks and a single loaded the bases for the visitors with two outs in the top of the first. Matt Frazier followed with a hard line drive right at Bats right fielder Rece Hinds to get Spiers through the inning unscathed. Spiers struck out a pair in a clean second, giving the Bats an opportunity to strike.

Michael Trautwein goth the Bats started in the bottom of the second with an infield single that deflected off Indians pitcher Eric Lauer (L, 2-2). Francisco Urbaez singled as well to put runners on the corners. Hernan Perez got the Bats on the board with a double off the left field wall, plating both runners. Two hitters later, Blake Dunn’s RBI double increased the Louisville lead to 3-0 and put two runners back on base. Levi Jordan capped the inning’s scoring with a towering three-run home run 410 feet down the left field line, his second home run of the season to double the lead to 6-0 after two. Erik Gonzalez added a run for the Bats in the third with a sacrifice fly.

Pitching with the lead from the third inning on, Spiers cruised on the mound. A two-out triple in the third did little to deter him. In the fourth, a Louisville error allowed Grant Koch to come home and score for Indianapolis. Spiers recorded another one, two, three inning in the fifth and ended his start by Setting the Indians down in order in the sixth.

Over six dominant innings, Spiers (W, 3-1) allowed one unearned run on four hits, walking two and tying a career-high with nine strikeouts to earn his second victory of the week. In his pair of victories against Indianapolis this week, Spiers allowed one unearned run over 12 innings, striking out 15 to lead the Bats to the series win.

Yosver Zulueta pitched a scoreless seventh and Stevie Branche did the same in the eighth. Rehabbing Cincinnati Reds lefty Alex Young ended the game with a one, two, three top of the ninth in his fifth appearance with the Bats.

Offensively, Jordan led the way for Louisville by going 2-for-3 with the three-run homer and two walks. Gonzalez went 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Urbaez was 1-for-2 with two walks while Trautwein and Perez each recorded a pair of hits in the win.

The Bats (21-18) hit the road on Tuesday to begin a six-game series with the Columbus Clippers. First pitch at Huntington Park is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Nick Curran will be on the call for 1450/96.1 WXVW.