INDIANAPOLIS - A two-out, two-run double by Austin Meadows sparked the Indianapolis Indians to an 8-7 comeback win over the Toledo Mud Hens on Saturday night at Victory Field. Jason Rogers provided the power early with a two-run homer, and the Tribe held off a late Mud Hens rally to
INDIANAPOLIS - A two-out, two-run double by Austin Meadows sparked the Indianapolis Indians to an 8-7 comeback win over the Toledo Mud Hens on Saturday night at Victory Field. Jason Rogers provided the power early with a two-run homer, and the Tribe held off a late Mud Hens rally to secure their seventh consecutive win.
Trailing 5-4 in the seventh, Indianapolis' (23-18) four-run frame was jumpstarted by a hit batsman and a walk to Joey Terdoslavich. Following a sacrifice bunt by Barrett Barnes, Christopher Bostick dribbled a grounder in front of the plate and was retired for the second out. Up came Meadows - who belted a go-ahead, three-run home run on Thursday at Columbus after delivering a walk-off hit last Sunday against Norfolk - came through in the clutch. The 22-year-old lined his two-bagger inside first base down the right-field line, scoring Erich Weiss and Terdoslavich to give the Tribe the lead.
On top 6-5, Indy added another run on a double steal executed by Meadows and Max Moroff. Mud Hens catcher Bryan Holaday sailed his throw into center field on the play, allowing Meadows to score from third. Rogers then smashed a single into right to make it 8-5.
Pat Light stranded two runners in the eighth and walked the tightrope in the ninth for his second save. Toledo (20-21) used four singles in its last at-bat to pull within one, but a fielder's choice to Phil Gosselin on Light's 50th pitch of the evening sealed the Mud Hens' fate.
Angel Sánchez (2-3) earned the win with a scoreless seventh. Toledo starter Buck Farmer (1-3) suffered the loss after going six-plus innings and allowing six earned runs.
The Mud Hens took advantage of three defensive errors by the Tribe to grab three separate leads. After Toledo scored two unearned runs in the first against Tyler Eppler, Indy drew even in the second on a two-run single by Weiss.
Toledo regained the lead in the third on a run-scoring double by Holaday and a double steal later in the inning to go up 4-2, but Indy countered in the home half on Rogers' fifth home run of the season.
An RBI double by Brendan Ryan in the sixth followed a walk from Eppler and error by Terdoslavich at first, giving the Hens a 5-4 advantage.
The Indians improved to 16-3 in the month of May and with 10 games remaining before June hits, are closing in on rarified air - a 20-win month. Since 1996, there have been just six 20-victory months by a Tribe squad, most recently in April 2013 when Indy went 20-7 in the opening month of the season.
Indy and Toledo wrap up their four-game weekend set on Sunday afternoon at Victory Field. The Indians will send southpaw Steven Brault (2-3, 2.95) to the mound, opposite Toledo right-hander William Cuevas (2-3, 4.24). First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m.
