FORT MILL, S.C. - Indianapolis first baseman Jeff Clement ended a 1-for-27 skid with an RBI double and the game-winning home run as the Indians defeated the Charlotte Knights, 2-1, in International League play Sunday at Knights Stadium.
Clement, a Marshalltown native, drove in Starling Marte with a two-out double off the right-field wall in the top of the first inning, and his solo home run in the ninth provided the final margin.
"It's a funny game, you know. You can go from feeling about as good as you've ever felt to about as bad as you've ever felt in about a week's time," Clement told Michael Raines of IndyIndians.com. "But that's the way the game is; you can't get too high or too low. Thankfully I was able to put a few good swings on the ball today and work on a few things that got me right."
Clement leads the Pittsburgh Pirates' Triple-A affiliate in home runs (8) and doubles (19), batting .284 through 55 games this season. His 19 doubles rank him tied for second in the IL.
"I thought I got enough (to hit it out)," Clement said. "It would have been nice to get that three-run cushion in the first, but I'll take the double with the way I've been swinging it. I've been struggling a little bit; glad to help the team win today though."