Indians drop longest game in Victory Field history

INDIANAPOLIS -- Catcher Eli Whiteside blasted a three-run homer in the top of the 15th and Ottawa hung on for a 4-2 win over Indianapolis Wednesday afternoon in the longest game ever played at Victory Field. The Lynx improve to 7-7 with the victory, while the Indians fall to 6-8 with the setback.

The four-hour and 18-minute marathon included 12 pitchers, 21 position players, 23 runners left on base, 24 hits and 107 official at-bats.

Whiteside's dinger, which sailed 340 feet down the left-field line, put an exclamation point on the 15th inning after 2B Eddy Garabito roped a base knock through the right side and DH Alejandro Freire blooped a single to center.

The Tribe attempted to rally in its last at-bat. 1B Brad Eldred opened the frame with a double down the left-field line. DH Gookie Dawkins followed with a two-out, run-scoring triple to left-center, but Lynx RHP Julio Manon (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO) re-gained control quickly to register his sixth save of the season.

The classic pitchers' duel between Lynx RHP John Stephens (6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO) and Indians RHP Nerio Rodriguez (7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO) stayed scoreless through six frames. Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision.

LF Ed Rogers put Ottawa on the board with a solo homer to left field in the seventh. Indianapolis answered in the bottom half of the inning when Dawkins bounced into a double play with runners on the corners and no outs.

Lynx RHP Chris Piersoll (0.1 IP), who retired one batter in the 14th, earned the win. Indians RHP Ron Chiavacci (1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO), who gave up the 15th-inning long ball, was tagged with the loss.

Whiteside and Freire managed two hits apiece for the visitors. RF Raul Gonzalez led the Tribe by going 3-for-7 with one run. Eldred, CF Rajai Davis, 3B Jose Bautista and LF Ray Sadler also recorded two hits for Indianapolis, which collected a season-best 15 hits.

The Indians and Lynx, who have now played 29 innings in three games over the first two days of the series, continue their five-game set Thursday morning at 11 a.m. The contest is the first of three Baseball in Education days at Victory Field. LHP Sean Burnett is scheduled to start for Indianapolis, while RHP Cory Morris is expected to get the nod for Ottawa.

The game will be carried by ESPN-950 AM and IndyIndians.com as Howard Kellman and Scott McCauley have the call. Thursday's pre-game show begins at 10:40 a.m.