Iowa Cubs edge Indianapolis Indians with 10th-inning walk-off single

Indianapolis turned a four-run hole into a tie, but the Iowa Cubs still found the last swing. James Triantos lined a one-out RBI single in the 10th inning and Iowa beat the Indians 6-5 on June 16 at Principal Park in Des Moines, finishing a 3-hour, 7-minute game before 4,982 fans.

Iowa built the early cushion in the fourth inning, when Ben Cowles unloaded a grand slam as part of a five-run frame. The Cubs then had to survive a determined Indianapolis response, as the Indians chipped away with three runs in the sixth and added one run in both the eighth and ninth to force extra innings. Iowa finished with nine hits, five walks and three errors, while Indianapolis piled up 11 hits and committed two errors.

The 10th did not take long to settle. Beau Burrows struck out Kevin Alcántara to open the inning, but Triantos followed by sending a single to right field that brought home the automatic runner from second. The winning run scored with one out, and Vince Reilly was credited with the win in relief after Iowa needed just six pitches to end the game. Burrows took the loss.

Triantos’ finish mattered because it matched the kind of form he brought into the day. He entered the game batting .333 in June, with four doubles, one home run and eight RBI in 11 June games, and his bat supplied the final answer when Iowa needed a clean hit more than a big swing. For Indianapolis, the rally showed real backbone. The Indians were never fully out of a game that looked dangerous after Cowles’ grand slam, and they forced Iowa into an extra inning where one mistake could decide everything.

That thin margin has been a theme for Indianapolis, which had already played extra innings in its previous two games against Columbus on June 13 and 14. The loss also opened a six-game set between the clubs, extending a back-and-forth stretch that has kept both lineups under constant pressure. Indianapolis clawed back hard enough to make a statement, but Iowa answered with one sharp single, and that was enough to turn a comeback into a walk-off defeat.