Thirteen looked like it was going to be a lucky number for the Louisville Bats on Friday night but in the end it was, as it usually is, unlucky.
Louisville broke a 1-1 tie with host Indianapolis by pushing across one run in the top of the 13th inning. The Indians, however, one-upped the Bats, plating two in the bottom of the inning to pull out a 3-2 triumph at Victory Field.
The loss ended Louisville’s two-game winning streak and dropped the Bats (4-5) into a three-way tie for second with Columbus and Indy in the International League West Division.
The same two teams will pick up their five-game split series at 2:05 p.m. Saturday at Louisville Slugger Field in the home team’s annual Thunder Over Louisville game.
Friday night’s game didn’t feature much in the way of offensive fireworks with each squad scoring once in the first 12 innings.
Louisville took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Steve Selsky doubled with one out, then scored on Bryson Smith’s two-out single to center field.
The Indians tied the score in the bottom of the fourth. That’s when Bats starter Raisel Iglesias gave up a leadoff single to Jeff Decker, who then stole second before scoring on Steve Lombardozzi’s two-out double to center field.
Those were the only real mistakes, though, for Iglesias. The Cuban, who made his Major League debut Sunday against St. Louis (he gave up three earned runs on five hits in five innings) before being optioned to Louisville, gave up that one earned run on three hits while walking one and striking out three in five frames in his first Triple-A start.
Five Louisville relievers - Chris Carpenter, Carlos Contreras, Nate Adcock, Donovan Hand and Nick Christiani - then combined to hold Indy scoreless over the next eight innings.
Indianapolis starter Casey Sadler was equally as strong as Iglesias, giving up one earned run on four hits while striking out four in six innings and five Indians relievers were even better than their Bats counterparts.
Louisville, though, did have a very good chance to take a lead in the top of the 10th. But with the bases loaded and only one out Irving Falu hit into a 6-2-3 double play.
The Bats did break through in the 13th, however.
Falu greeted new Indians pitcher Charlie Leesman with a line-drive single to center field, stole second then moved to third on Chris Dominguez’s ground-ball single. Then Dan Johnson, who entered the at-bat 1-for-27 (.037) at the plate in the early season, singled to right field to score Falu with the go-ahead run.
Louisville’s lead, and any celebration, was short-lived.
In the bottom of the inning Christiani gave up back-to-back walks to Decker and Mel Rojas Jr. before striking out Hunter Morris. Lombardozzi followed with a game-tying single to score Decker before Christiani walked Wilkin Castillo intentionally to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Elias Diaz then lined a single to center field to score Rojas Jr. with the winning run.
Christiani gave up two earned runs on two hits while walking three and striking out one in 1 and 1/3 innings to absorb the loss.
Smith led Louisville’s 11-hit attack with a trio of singles while Selsky added two hits.
Saturday’s game will pit a pair of right-handers on the mound. Josh Smith will take to the bump for the Bats and face Wilfredo Boscan.
Photo courtesy Louisville Bats Facebook Page
