Indianapolis Indians  10,  Louisville Bats  4
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During batting practice today, Indians' SS Pedro Ciriaco (photo)  declared that "tonight is the night".  Then he made good on it, leading the Indians in their win over the Bats at Slugger Field in Louisville, Kentucky.

Ciriaco came into the game with a .059 batting average, with just 2 hits in his first 11 games of the season.  Tonight, he posted the first Indians' run of the game with a single in the 3rd inning.  He singled again in the 6th innings, and nearly picked up an RBI, though 1B Matt Hague was out at the plate.  Then Ciriaco capped the Indians' big 8th inning with a 3-run home run, giving the Tribe a defiinive lead that would carry them to the win.

After yesterday's 13-inning marathon, tonight's game began in much the same way:  two perfect innings by both starters, Sean Gallagher for the Indians and Scott Carroll for the Bats.  Ciriaco was the first base runner of the game when he singled up the middle in the 3rd.   He stole second base, but was left stranded.  Gallagher walked RF Brian Barton and hit C Corky Miller with a pitch to begin the bottom of the 3rd, but when Barton strayed too far off second base, the alert Tribe C Jason Jaramillo picked him off.  Gallagher got out of the inning with a strikeout and a fly out.  

(Photo:  Starter Sean Gallagher)

The Indians got the scoring started in the top of the 4th.  2B Chase d'Arnaud led off the inning with a line drive single into center field.  A ground out by LF Alex Presley moved d'Arnaud to second, and a balk by Carroll pushed d'Arnaud to third.  D'Arnaud scored the first run of the game when Bats' SS Zack Cozart bobbled RF Andrew Lambo's grounder.  Lambo reached second base on a passed ball.  3B Andy Marte nearly had an RBI double with a sharply hit ball down the left field line, but it was ruled a foul ball, and Marte went back to try again.  He worked a walk, to put two Indians' runners on base.  Jaramillo drove both of them in with a line drive that just barely got past Bats' CF Dave Sappelt, and the Indians had a 3-0 lead.

Louisville got one of the runs back in the bottom of the inning.  Cozart reached base on an error, when his grounder skipped off the glove of Marte at third.  LF Yonder Alonso walked, and a fly ball gave the Bats runners on the corners.  A wild pitch let Cozart come in to score.  Alonso stole second base then moved to third when 3B Chris Valaika reached base on Ciriaco's fielding error.  Gallagher stopped the rally with two strikeouts, and held the score at 3-1.  The bottom of the 5th began with a single by Miller, which hopped past the diving Ciriaco.  Moments later, Sappelt  brought in Miller with his 2-run homer, to tie the score at 3-3.  

Monday evening's games in the Pirates' lower minor leagues

Harrisburg Senators  6,  Altoona Curve  2
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The Curve were able to put runners on base but not push them across the plate tonight.  Starter Bryan Morris worked around a double in the 1st and a pair of walks in the 3rd to keep the Senators scoreless in the first three innings.  He got into trouble in the 4th, with a lead-off triple, followed by a walk and an RBI double.  A single drove in 2 more runs for a 3-0 Harrisburg lead.  The Curve had left CF Starling Marte stranded on third base in the 1st, after his single, stolen base, and a throwing error.  2B Brock Holt also singled in the 3rd and was left on base.  SS Jordy Mercer answered the Senators' 3-run inning with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the 4th, but LF Quincy Latimore singled in that inning, and he was also left stranded.  

Tim Alderson took over for Morris to begin the 5th inning, and he pitched 2 scoreless frames.  He loaded the bases in the 6th with a single and two hit batters, but ended the inning with a ground out.  Mike Colla allowed a triple in his scoreless 7th.  Then Noah Krol came on for the 8th, and gave up 3 more runs on a single, an RBI double, an RBI triple, and a wild pitch.  

The Curve put two runners on base in the 7th, when 1B Miles Durham singled and 3B Jeremy Farrell walked, but both were left on base.  Marte singled again in the 8th, and again could not come around to score.  The final Curve run scored in the 9th, when Durham tripled, then scored on Latimore's sacrifice fly.