Indianapolis spent most of Thursday night building cushions, restoring them and handing the bullpen another lead to protect. Two walks and two run-scoring singles in the ninth erased the last one, and Brett Wisely’s two-out hit in the 10th finished the collapse.
The Indians lost 8-7 to Gwinnett at Gwinnett Field after carrying a 7-5 advantage into the bottom of the ninth. Beau Burrows was charged with his fourth blown save, and Michael Darrell-Hicks took the loss after Indianapolis stranded its automatic runner at third in the top of the 10th.
Burrows had already watched the margin tighten in the eighth. His hanging breaking ball to Jordan Groshans was driven deep to left, clearing the wall for a two-out solo homer that pulled the Stripers within 6-5.
Indianapolis answered once more. Jesus Castillo walked in the ninth and went to third on Robert Hassell III’s single before Nick Cimillo lifted a sacrifice fly to center. The throw home sailed well off line as Castillo scored without a play, restoring a two-run lead.
It was Cimillo’s fourth RBI of a night in which he repeatedly gave the Indians room. He finished 1-for-2 with a walk, opening the scoring with a two-run homer to left-center in the second and adding sacrifice flies in the seventh and ninth.
The final cushion disappeared quickly. After Burrows retired Luke Williams to begin the bottom of the ninth, he walked Maverick Handley and Wisely. Patrick Clohisy entered as a runner at first, then scored when Jim Jarvis grounded a single into right.
José Azócar followed with a sharp liner into left, bringing Wisely home with the tying run. Burrows departed having allowed three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning, with two walks and three hits against him across the eighth and ninth.
Darrell-Hicks prevented further damage by getting a flyout and a strikeout, but Indianapolis could not reclaim the lead. Grae Kessinger’s sacrifice bunt moved automatic runner Tyler Callihan to third in the 10th. Christian Bethancourt struck out, however, and Mitch Jebb grounded out to leave Callihan there.
Gwinnett began its half with automatic runner Chuckie Robinson at second. Groshans singled him to third, and Darrell-Hicks struck out Lizandro Espinoza before intentionally walking Williams. Another strikeout, this one of Clohisy, put Indianapolis one out from escaping.
Wisely instead looped a ball into shallow left, where it dropped in front of Hassell. Robinson scored the winning run as the Stripers completed their comeback.
The ending spoiled an offense that produced 11 hits and led from the second inning into the bottom of the ninth. Hassell doubled before Cimillo’s home run, and the Indians stretched the lead to 4-0 in the third behind Jebb’s single, Enmanuel Valdez’s RBI triple and a Gwinnett error on Castillo’s fielder’s choice.
After the Stripers halved the margin in the bottom of the third, Duce Gourson doubled and scored on Castillo’s fifth-inning single. Gwinnett pulled within 5-4 in the sixth, but Cimillo’s first sacrifice fly made it a two-run game again in the seventh.
Valdez finished 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk and an RBI, while Hassell went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. Christian Bethancourt went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts.
Starter Nick Dombkowski allowed three earned runs over five innings, striking out six and walking two. Evan Sisk supplied 1 2/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no walks before Burrows entered with two outs in the eighth.
Darrell-Hicks was charged with no earned runs over 1 1/3 innings and struck out three. That line could not preserve the result: Indianapolis had an apparent insurance run in the ninth, its automatic runner 90 feet from home in the 10th and, by the end, an 8-7 loss.