One Pitch Leads To One Error And A 10-2 Defeat For Indians

One pitch set the tone for the Spokane Indians in Sunday night’s Northwest League game with the Yakima Bears at Seafirst Stadium … and boy, was it off-key.

Peter Bergeron bunted the first pitch of the game right to Indians starter Jason Simontacchi who calmly fielded the ball and fired over the head of first baseman Kit Pellow. The game continued downhill from there as the Bears pounded Spokane 10-2 on getaway day.

“He (Simontacchi) is supposed to go out there and set the tone for the game,” stated Indians manager Bob Herold. “He didn’t get the job done. If he fields that and makes a good throw to first, it might have been a different game. He just wasn’t ready to pitch.”

Bergeron, after being sacrificed to second by Monte Marshall, scored the game’s first run on an RBI single by Matt Meyer.

The Bears used another Spokane miscue to push across a run in the second inning.

Brian Sankey reached first when second baseman Kenderick Moore misplayed a slow roller to open the inning. Tony Mota sacrificed Sankey to second and he came in to score on a two-out single by Jaime Malave.

“That’s kinda the way we have to play to score,” noted Bears manager Joe Vavra. “We strike out a lot and we don’t have a lot of power, so we have to put the ball in play and challenge the defense.

“This late in the season, getting an early lead makes a big difference. We’ve made a run in the second half of the season because we’ve been fundamentally sound. It’s been a thrill for our club to see these kids turn things around.”

Yakima broke the game open in the top of the fourth inning.

Mota drew a one-out walk and took second when Simontacchi (2-4) threw wildly on a pick-off attempt. Eric Brown singled, putting runners at the corners.

Malave produced a run-scoring single, moving Brown to third. Scott Morrison plated Brown with a sacrifice fly. Bergeron followed with a big fly to left field for a two-run homer and a 6-0 Yakima lead. It was Bergeron’s second home run of the season.

Reliever Kevin Carcamo entered the game in the top of the fifth for the Indians and retired the first seven batters he faced. But disaster struck in the seventh.

Bergeron ripped a one-out single to center. Carcamo struck out Marshall for the second out, but the next five Bears reached base.

Meyer doubled to right to put runners at second and third. Damian Rolls blooped a seeing-eye single to center to score two. Sankey followed with a two-run single to put Yakima up 10-0. After giving up a double and a walk, Carcoma struck out Malave to end the inning.

Spokane couldn’t get anything going against Yakima starter Brian Paluk. The righthander pitched six shutout innings in running his record to 4-1. He gave up five hits, struck out three and didn’t walk a batter. In three innings, the first Spokane batter reached base, but the next man hit into a double play.

Pellow provided the Indians with their brightest spot in the bottom of the seventh inning. Jeremy Giambi led off with a double off Bears reliever Craig Taczy. Pellow followed with an opposite-field homer, his 16th, to right.

Spokane outfielder Brandon Berger continued to struggle at the plate. The league’s leading hitter a little over a week ago, is now mired in an 0-29 slump.

The Indians (30-36) take today off to travel to Bellingham for a two-game series against the division leaders. Yakima (32-34), after an off day, will visit Southern Oregon.

, DataTimes