Bats Squander Leads, Swept By Indians With 4-3 Loss

The Louisville Bats had numerous chances to finish off a win on Sunday afternoon at Victory Field but were unable to hold two separate leads and ultimately suffered a 4-3 loss in the series finale against the Indianapolis Indians.

After tossing five scoreless innings against the Bats in the series opener, Bubba Chandler got the start again and didn’t fare as well.

Leading off the game for the Bats, Indianapolis native Jacob Hurtubise got it started with a perfect bunt single to third. Blake Dunn followed with a single to put two on and a fielder’s choice from Francisco Urbaez had runners on the corners with one out. Chandler nearly got through the inning after a strikeout of Edwin Rios. With Ivan Johnson at the plate, Urbaez broke for second but stopped but stopped halfway. As the Indians chased down Urbaez in a rundown between first and second, Hurtubise dashed for the plate and scored the first run of the day before Urbaez was tagged out.

Staked to a lead from the start, Bats righty Aaron Wilkerson also ran into an early jam, as a hit batter, a single, and a sacrifice bunt had two runners in scoring position with one out. Jack Suwinski then hit a line drive right at Urbaez at second. The Bats second baseman made the catch, then doubled off the runner returning to second base for an inning-ending double play, getting Wilkerson through the first unscathed.

The 1-0 Bats lead remained until the fourth when Levi Jordan took a two-out walk against Chandler. P.J. Higgins then laced a double into the left field corner, allowing Jordan to come all the way home and double the Louisville advantage to 2-0. With one out in the fifth, Chandler’s day came to an end. Over 4.1 innings, the top pitching prospect in baseball allowed two runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out seven.

Wilkerson kept rolling by retiring all three hitters he faced in the fourth and fifth. Alika Williams led off the frame with a triple off the center field wall. The Bats righty nearly got through the jam by striking out the next two hitters he faced. But the third out wouldn’t come for Wilkerson. On the first pitch he saw, Endy Rodriguez tied the game with a two-run homer to right, spoiling Wilkerson’s strong start. The home run was Wilkerson’s last pitch. Over 5.2 innings, he allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

Albert Abreu was called on to get the final out of the sixth and he induced a fly out to end the frame. The Bats quickly restored their lead in the seventh. Dunn began the frame with a double and a single from Urbaez put runners on the corners. Rios grounded into a double play, bringing Dunn home with the go-ahead run.

Looking to hold the lead, the Bats turned to Connor Phillips (L, 0-1) in the seventh. Two singles and a sacrifice bunt put the tying and go-ahead runs on second and third. DJ Stewart then lifted a fly ball to right. Jack Rogers settled under it and made the catch. Jack Suwinski came home with the tying run on a sacrifice fly. Rogers’ throw to the infield was errant, allowing Nick Yorke to score and give the Indians their first lead of the day at 4-3.

Carson Fulmer was called on to hold the lead in the eighth and got two quick outs. Higgins kept the inning alive with his first triple since the 2023 season. Davis Wendzel nearly tied the game with a hard ground ball to third. But Liover Peguaro made a diving snag and threw to first just in time to get Wendzel and hold the lead.

Yohan Ramirez (S, 2) finished the win and the six-game sweep for the Indians by retiring the side in order in the ninth.

Dunn and Higgins each recorded three hits in the loss. The Bats went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, stranding nine runners on base. Over the six losses at Victory Field, the Bats went 10-for-54 with runners in scoring position, stranding 53 runners on base.

Louisville (19-25) returns home to begin a six-game series against the Gwinnett Stripers (20-25) on Tuesday night. First pitch at Louisville Slugger Field is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will be on the call for Sports Talk 790.