Kent Emanuel struck out eight in 4.2 innings of relief in Indy’s second straight win
By Jack McMullen
DES MOINES, Iowa – Four runs in the final two innings, three of which courtesy of shortstop Alika Williams, gave the Indianapolis Indians the final edge in a win over the Iowa Cubs at Principal Park on Friday night, 9-6.
Tied 5-5 heading into the top of the eighth, Iowa right-hander Adrian Sampson (L, 0-1) allowed a solo blast to Williams to break the tie. For Williams, it was his seventh homer as an Indianapolis Indian. The shortstop wasn’t done at that point; after center fielder Josh Palacios punched a ball into left to score an insurance run in the top of the ninth, Williams singled in both Palacios and right fielder Miguel Andújar to put the game away.
The Cubs (54-38) jumped out to a 2-0 lead against Indians opener Andre Jackson in the first thanks to a two-run double down the left field line by first baseman Jake Slaughter. Indianapolis responded a half-inning later for a run of their own with three straight two-out hits, including a double from Williams and an RBI single from second baseman Vinny Capra.
After Iowa extended their lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the third, the Indians (44-49) used command issues from the I-Cubs pitching staff to claw back to level. Indians catcher Jason Delay drew a walk with the bases loaded against Iowa reliever Hunter Bigge, and designated hitter Rodolfo Castro laced a two-run double down the third base line against Cubs southpaw Bailey Horn.
Then came the long balls. Iowa center fielder Nelson Velazquez pelted the first of his two blasts of the night to left-center in the fifth, but third baseman Chris Owings responded with a shot to straight-away center in the top of the sixth. After Williams’ eighth inning homer and the three insurance runs in the top of the ninth, Velazquez’s second home run was all that Iowa could muster in their final effort.
Punchouts were aplenty on Friday night, with 28 of the 54 total outs recorded in the game coming via strikeout. The Indians pitching staff punched out 15 I-Cubs hitters, including eight from left-hander Kent Emanuel and one from Chase De Jong (W, 1-2).
The Indians and Cubs play the fifth game of their six-game set on Saturday night at 7:08 PM ET at Principal Park. No. 10 Pirates prospect Jared Jones (2-1, 5.18) gets the ball for Indianapolis against Iowa right-hander Hayden Wesneski (1-0, 1.80).
Originally posted on milb.com