"RTV 6 and HTSN are proud to be teaming up with such a family-friendly Hoosier institution like the Indianapolis Indians," says Blackerby. "Live Indians baseball coverage in the spring and summer is a perfect complement to the local sports programming of High School Football in the fall (Friday Football Frenzy) and HTSN's High School Basketball coverage in the winter (Hoosier Hoop Hysteria.) This new partnership bringing all the home baseball games to HTSN is a home-run for viewers across Central Indiana!"

"The Indianapolis Indians are pleased to enter into this relationship with WRTV Channel 6 and their digital channel, HTSN," says Burleson. "This arrangement will provide us with a great way to uplift the fun and excitement of Indians Baseball at Victory Field to over a million households in central Indiana. It's an important part of our overall marketing strategy."

The new partnership will offer baseball fans an opportunity to see all 72 Indianapolis Indians home games on HTSN. HTSN is available via cable and over-the-air reaching more than one million homes across central Indiana.

The first Indians home game is Friday, April 13 against the Toledo Mud Hens at Victory Field.

HTSN can be seen over-the-air on channel 6.2, and is available on numerous cable systems in central and southern Indiana, including Comcast and Brighthouse. For Comcast subscribers, HTSN is on channel 247 in some areas and channel 420 or 130 in others. For Brighthouse subscribers, HTSN is on channel 164. For information on how to find HTSN visit www.TheIndyChannel.com.

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With the loss, Indianapolis finishes with a 76-68 in 2011. Despite the defeat, the Indians end the 2011 campaign in second place in the International League's West Division ahead of Louisville.

The Bats got on the board first in the opening inning thanks to the longball on Soto's two-run homer to right field.

Indianapolis however, would tie the game at 2-2 with a score in back-to-back innings. 3B Andy Marte scored on a RBI single from Miles Durham in the second, while SS Brian Bocock came home on a Jeff Clement RBI single in the third.

But Louisville would retake the lead at 3-2 in the bottom half of the third when SS Kristopher Negron scored on Denis Phipps' RBI single to left.

The Bats then plated insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings to increase their advantage to 5-2.

Bats starter Chad Reineke earned the win after yielding two earned runs on six hits in five frames, while Indians LHP Jeff Locke suffered the loss to fall to 1-2 after allowing three earned runs on four hits in his five innings.

With their final record of 76-68 the Indians finish with their highest win total since 2006, when the club compiled a 76-66 mark.

The Tribe will begin their 2012 season with an eight-game road trip, before their first homestand of the season at Victory Field starts on Friday, April 13 against the Toledo Mud Hens.

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The Indians find themselves only two games out of the wild card spot with four games left to play. The Gwinnett Braves and Lehigh Valley IronPigs are currently tied for the wild card spot with identical 76-64 records with the Indians two games back at 74-66.

The Tribe is in the midst of a four game winning streak while the Iron Pigs have lost four in a row and the Braves have lost their last three.

Playoff tickets went on sale this morning in the event that Indianapolis does make the International League Governors’ Cup Playoffs. If the Indians do secure a playoff spot, they would host the first two games of the best of five series to be played on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. Tickets are available at indyindians.com, the Victory Field box office or by calling 317-269-2282.

The Tribe begin their playoff push tonight at Victory Field in the final two home games of the season. Louisville’s Edinson Volquez will take the mound for the Bats while the Indians will counter with Jose Ascanio. First pitch is set for 7:15 with tomorrow’s home season finale set to begin at 6:05.

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Locke was brilliant on the afternoon, allowing just a single run over seven innings to earn his first career Triple-A victory and improve his record to 1-1 on the season.

While Locke locked down Toledo, the Indians' offense, led by Mercer, mashed their way to six runs on nine hits, including a four-run outburst in the bottom of the third. Pedro Ciriaco stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and in a rare show of patience for the free swinging Ciriaco, who entered the game with just four walks over 265 at-bats, the Indians left fielder induced a bases loaded base on balls to force in the first run of the game.

Then after SS Brian Bocock plated another run with a sacrifice fly to center, Mercer stepped to plate looking to put the game out of reach. The Triple-A rookie came through with a clutch two run single to center push the Tribe advantage to 4-0.

The Mud Hens then put their tally off Locke on the board in the top half of the fourth when 3B Danny Worth singled home LF Andy Dirks, who led off the frame with a double. However, Ciriaco would quickly give the Indians their score back, when he singled home DH Andy Marte in the bottom half of the fifth to extend the Tribe advantage back to four at 5-1.

Mercer tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth when he blasted a leadoff home run, his third homer in as many days.

The Indians bullpen continued to turn in strong efforts as LHP Garrett Olson and LHP Daniel Moskos finished off the contest with two solid innings of relief. On the other side, Mud Hens starter Adam Wilk was pinned with the loss to fall to 8-6 on the season after surrendering four runs on four hits over just 2.1 innings of work.

After an off day on today, Indianapolis begins the final home series of the season with a match up against Louisville on Friday night at 7:15 p.m. The Bats are expected to send RHP Edinson Volquez to the mound, while the Indians have yet to name a starter

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The win also draws the Indians with-in three games of the International League Wild Card lead with 5 games left to be played.

After the Indians and Mud Hens combined to leave 29 runners on base over 11.2 long innings, Ciriaco came through with a clutch walk-off base knock through the left side to give the Tribe an exciting 5-4 victory. Durham began the eventual game-winning rally when he lined a one-out single to center before moving up to second on a Mud Hens error.

Ciriaco's walk-off base knock gave the Indianapolis bullpen a well deserved victory as relievers Steven Jackson, Daniel Moskos, Aaron Heilman, Evan Meek, Justin Wilson, Jared Hughes and Justin Thomas combined to allow just one run over 8.1 innings of work. The lone blemish came off Meek who was pinned with a blown save, while Jackson, Moskos, Heilman, Wilson and Thomas all turned in scoreless outings.

Thomas notched his eighth win out of the Tribe bullpen this season in what was his IL leading 61st appearance. Despite ultimately being pinned with the loss, the Toledo bullpen also turned in an excellent effort as Robbie Weinhardt, David Purcey and Enrique Gonzalez combined to allow just one unearned run over 6.2 innings of relief.

Gonzalez was pinned with the loss to fall to 4-6 on the season for the Mud Hens, while Toledo starter Ramon Garcia, who allowed four scores over five innings, did not figure in the final decision.

Toledo jumped out to an early 3-0 advantage with a single score in the second and two more in the third.

The Indians, however, battled back to even the score with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the fourth on a two run double by CF Gorkys Hernandez and a RBI single by Pedro Ciriaco to tie the game at 3-3.

2B Jordy Mercer then powered the Indians out to their first lead of the game, when he led off the bottom half of the fifth inning with a solo home run over the left field wall.

The Mud Hens would continue to threaten after the Indians took the 4-3 advantage with a scoring opportunity in the sixth but a fine defensive play by Indians RF Miles Durham cut down Will Rhymes as he tried to score the tying run at the plate and the Indians maintained their one run lead.

Yet after countless scoring opportunities, Toledo finally broke through with a game tying run in the top of the eighth on a controversial RBI double by LF Timo Perez down the right field line that saw Indians skipper Dean Treanor ejected after arguing that the ball was foul.

Indianapolis now wraps up their season series against Toledo on Wednesday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. The Indians are expected to send LHP Jeff Locke to the mound, while the Mud Hens have yet to name a starter.

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Entering the tenth inning tied at 3-3, the Indianapolis offense busted out for five runs to lead them to victory. 2B Jordy Mercer drew a lead-off walk and moved to second on Bowker's single, while Hague followed with his two-run double to left to score both Mercer and Bowker.

Hague then was plated when Alvarez blasted his fourth home run of the year to right center to extend the margin to four. DH Andy Marte kept the frame going with a double to center and advanced to third on RF Miles Durham's base hit, before coming across on a force out to make it 8-3.

Both offenses were held in check until the fourth, when the Indians struck first to take a 1-0 lead. SS Pedro Ciriaco led off the inning with a single and eventually came home when Bowker lifted a sacrifice fly to right.

The lead would be short-lived however, as Toledo answered right back to two scores in the bottom half of the inning. LF Timo Perez began the rally with a double and moved to third on 1B Ryan Strieby's base hit, prior to coming across on an RBI single from DH Scott Thorman. Consecutive groundouts then sent Strieby to third and eventually home, with the RBI groundout courtesy of CF Jeff Salazar giving Toledo a 2-1 advantage.

The Indians however, grabbed back the lead in the sixth with a pair of scores to make it 3-2. CF Gorkys Hernandez drew a lead-off walk and was brought in when Ciriaco doubled to left to tie the contest, while Mercer followed with an RBI base knock to right that brought home Ciriaco.

But the Mud Hens drew the contest even at 3-3 with a run in the seventh inning on a RBI single by Omir Santos. But the Mud Hens squandered an opportunity to take the lead, ending the inning with the bases loaded.

Toledo reliever Robbie Weinhardt suffered the loss to fall to 1-4 after giving up five earned runs on five hits in his inning of work, while Indians LHP Justin Thomas earned the win to improve to 7-2 after allowing just one hit and fanning five in 2.2 shutout frames of relief.

Both teams' starters did not factor in the final decisions, with Tribe RHP Sean giving up three earned runs on seven hits in seven innings, while Toledo RHP Thad Weber allowed three earned runs on five hits in six innings.

Indianapolis now continues their four-game road/home series with Toledo on Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. RHP Nelson Figuera is scheduled to get the nod for the Tribe, while LHP Fu-Te Ni is scheduled to take the mound for the Mud Hens.

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After entering the ninth trailing 2-1, Indians RF John Bowker led off the inning by reaching on a key defensive miscue from Columbus 1B Nick Johnson. Then after Bowker was forced when 1B Matt Hague reached on a fielder's choice, DH Jeff Clement doubled to put runners on second and third and set the stage for Fryer.

The Indians' backstop came through in the clutch as he lined a single over the glove of Columbus 2B Argenis Reyes into right center to stun Columbus by plating Hague and Clement for the win.

Columbus starter Joe Martinez quieted the Tribe's bats for a large majority of the contest, but did not receive a decision despite yielding just one earned run on four hits in 7.1 innings pitched. The right-hander at one point retired 17 consecutive Indians hitters, while also giving up just one hit through seven innings, a single from 2B Jordy Mercer in the first.

Fryer also ended the drought with a base hit in the eighth to trigger Indianapolis' first scoring rally and later scored on CF Gorkys Hernandez's RBI single to narrow the margin to 2-1.

Columbus struck first in the fourth inning with a single score to make it 1-0 when RF Chad Huffman scored on a squeeze play to give the Clippers the lead.

Reyes would also double Columbus' margin to two all on his own in the seventh frame, with a home run to right center.

The Clippers had plenty of other chances to score, however the Tribe turned key double plays in the fifth, sixth and eight innings to erase potential runs.

Indians starter Jeff Locke was in line for the loss before Fryer's clutch hit, but ultimately received a no-decision after giving up a lone earned run on eight hits over five innings. RHP Aaron Heilman earned the win after firing 0.1 innings of relief.

Columbus reliever Nick Hagadone suffered the loss, as well as his second blown save of the year, to fall to 4-3 after yielding two unearned runs on two hits in the final 0.2 of an inning.

Indianapolis and Columbus now travel to Columbus for a two-game series, which begins tonight at 7:05 p.m. RHP Corey Kluber is scheduled to get the nod for the Clippers, while the Indians have yet to announce their starter.

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Both starting pitchers, Indianapolis RHP Nelson Figueroa and Columbus' Talbot, pitched seven solid frames, with Talbot getting the best of Figueroa and earning the win to improve to 2-2 with the Clippers. Figueroa was pinned with the loss in his 2011 Indians debut despite giving up just two earned runs on six hits in his seven innings of work. Figueroa, who joined the Tribe on August 23 as a Minor League free agent, had previously pitched for Indianapolis during the 2002 season, recording a 5-0 mark and 3.63 ERA in six starts.

Talbot retired 13 of the first 14 Tribe hitters he faced, with the lone blemish in that period a single to center from Indians C Eric Fryer in the third. Talbot's most perilous frame came in the fifth, when Indianapolis loaded the bases with no outs after 3B Pedro Alvarez walked, DH Jeff Clement doubled and Fryer drew a base-on-balls. The Columbus hurler however, would end the Indians' rally by recording a punchout, followed by an inning-ending double play to escape trouble.

Clippers relievers Zach Putnam and Josh Judy supported Talbot from there with one inning of relief each with Judy notching his 22nd save of the season. Indians LHP Daniel Moskos was also strong in relief for the Tribe, tossing two scoreless frames behind Figueroa.

It took just three batters for the Clippers to get on the board in the opening inning. SS Luis Valbuena first doubled to left and moved to third on CF Tim Fedroff's single, before coming home on 3B Jared Goedert sacrifice fly to give Columbus an early 1-0 advantage.

Columbus would double the margin to 2-0 in the fifth inning with what turned out to be the game's crucial run. Former Indians catcher Luke Carlin singled to left took second on a wild pitch and third on Argenis Reyes' single before coming home when Valbuena lifted a sacrifice fly to center.

The Indians had their chances late, but could not capitalize after narrowing their deficit to one in the eighth. After 2B Jordy Mercer and SS Brian Bocock singled, LF John Bowker drove home Mercer with an RBI single to right, while Bocock, who represented the tying run, was thrown out at third on the play for the second out of the inning. Bowker, who moved to second on the throw and represented the tying run was stranded as Judy retired the next Indians hitter to end the threat.

Indianapolis threatened as well in the ninth, with Clement and Fryer reaching on back-to-back one out walks. Judy however was able to shut the door, inducing a groundout and pop out to end the contest and notch the save.

Indianapolis now finishes their two-game series with West Division rival Columbus tonight at 7:05 p.m. The Indians are expected to send LHP Jeff Locke to the mound, while RHP Joe Martinez is slated to take the bump for the Clippers.

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The IronPigs jumped out to an early lead in the top of the second, scoring on a wild pitch by Indians starter Sean Gallagher. Lehigh Valley RF Delwyn Young put the pressure on to start the frame with a lead-off single to right, before Lehigh Valley 1B Cody Overbeck was hit by a pitch, moving Young into scoring position.

A base hit from Lehigh Valley pitcher Scott Mathieson then loaded the bases for the IronPigs with two out. A wild pitch from Gallagher plated Young, who would score the only run for the IronPigs in the second as Gallagher got Lehigh Valley SS Freddy Galvis to ground out, keeping the deficit at 1-0.

After Lehigh Valley struck first on the top of the second, the Tribe would respond with a rally of their own. Indians All-Star 1B Matt Hague got it started for the Tribe, reaching first on a bloop single to right field.

With two outs and Hague on first, the Tribe would exercise patience at the plate, forcing three straight walks to force in Hague. Presley then stayed hot for the Indians, lacing a two-run single to bring home C Dusty Brown and CF Gorkys Hernandez to give the Tribe a 3-1 lead.

But the IronPig bats would not take long to answer, as they scored runs in the next two innings to tie it up at 3-3. The Indians would battle back again in the bottom of the fourth on a single by Indians SS Chase d'Arnaud, that scored Presley from second after Presley singled and stole second.

However, the second Tribe lead of the night would again be washed away in the top of the sixth. Galvis reached on an error from Indians 2B Brian Bocock and advanced to second on a walk to IronPig 3B Kevin Frandsen.

A single by Lehigh Valley LF Domonic Brown then loaded the bases for the IronPigs with one out. Following a popout from Lehigh Valley CF Brandon Moss, Young walked to force in Galvis, pulling the IronPigs even at 4-4. Back-to-back singles from Barfield and Overbeck then plated three more runs later in the frame to give Lehigh Valley a 7-4 lead that they would not look back on.

However, the Tribe would not go down without a fight, as a two-run base hit up the middle by RF John Bowker brought home Presley and pinch hitter Jeff Clement, narrowing the deficit to 7-6 in the bottom of the eighth.

Reliever Joe Savery got the win for the IronPigs to improve to 4-0, providing a 1.1 innings of scoreless relief work with help from Lehigh Valley hurlers Drew Carpenter and Phillippe Aumont. Justin De Fratus closed the door for the IronPigs, tossing a perfect ninth to notch his fourth save of the season.

Indians reliever Garrett Olson took the loss to fall to 4-2 on the season despite allowing four unearned runs. Fellow Tribe relievers Justin Thomas, Aaron Heilman and Steven Jackson turned in excellent efforts out of the Indianapolis bullpen as the trio combined for 3.1 scoreless innings.

Neither starter figured in the final decision as Gallagher allowed two earned runs and walked three in four innings of work for the Tribe, while RHP Scott Mathieson surrendered four earned runs and walked six over 3.2 innings for the IronPigs.

Indianapolis now kicks off a two-game series with West Division rival Columbus tonight at 7:05 p.m. The Indians are expected to send RHP Nelson Figueroa to the mound, while the Clippers are scheduled to counter with RHP Mitch Talbot.

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The Indians jumped out to the 1-0 lead with a single run on a RBI single by Tribe All-Star 1B Matt Hague to give Indianapolis the first lead of the game at 1-0.

The Tribe doubled their lead in the fourth inning when Indians starting pitcher Pedro lifted a sacrifice fly to center to extend the Tribe advantage to 2-0.

Though the IronPigs entered the top of the ninth with no runs on just three base knocks, the veteran club would not go away quietly as they collected four base hits and scored two runs to send the game to the bottom of the ninth.

Last season's Indians MVP Brandon Moss helped send the game to the bottom of the ninth, as he began the final frame rally for the IronPigs with a one out base hit to center. Then after base hits by 3B Pete Orr and former Indians' All-Star catcher Erik Kratz loaded the bases, SS Freddy Galvis came through with a clutch two-out base hit to even the score at 2-2.

But the Tribe responded as Mercer in his first at-bat of the game lifted a one out single to center, and after a walk to LF Alex Presley moved him to second, the Indians second baseman sped home on d'Arnaud's game-winning base knock.

The Indians held down the IronPigs for much of the contest thanks to Ascanio who was called to make a spot start out of the Indianapolis bullpen, and turned in a spectacular performance as he allowed just two singles and a walk, while striking out seven over six scoreless innings. The six innings for Ascanio doubled his previous high on the season, while the seven strikeouts established a new season best and gives him 43 punchouts in 35 innings of work this year.

Following Ascanio, Tribe relievers Daniel Moskos and Jared Hughes combined for two innings of scoreless relief. LHP Justin Thomas gave up both Iron Pigs runs in the ninth before RHP Steven Jackson finished the inning and picked up the win for the Tribe to improve to 3-2 on the season.

Former Indians reliever Juan Perez suffered the loss for Lehigh Valley to fall to 0-4 on the season after allowing the Tribe's bottom of the ninth score. IronPigs starter Dave Bush did not figure in the final decision despite allowing just two runs on five hits over five innings of work.

Indianapolis now continues their four-game series with Lehigh Valley on Monday night at 7:05 p.m. The Indians are expected to send LHP Brian Burres to the mound, while the IronPigs are scheduled to counter with LHP Ryan Edell.

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