Indians Surprise Hawks Spokane Halts Boise Win Streak At 10 With 11-5 Romp At Home

Boise’s impressive winning streak ended Saturday, as did Spokane’s search for a strong performance from a starting pitcher.

Spokane’s ace thus far, Steve Huesten, allowed just two hits in five innings as the Indians toppled the Hawks 11-5 at warm Seafirst Stadium.

“Huesten battled his fanny off,” said Indians manager Bob Herold. “He goes right out and competes.”

Boise (16-3) had won 10 consecutive games, three shy of the Northwest League record last reached 23 years ago. Spokane (7-12) snapped a five-game losing streak, albeit in strange fashion.

The Hawks outhit the Indians 10-5, but eight of those hits came in the final three innings against Modesto Villarreal, who pitched the final four innings in relief of Huesten (1-0).

Spokane made its hits count, as each drove in a run. The Indians found other ways to reach base, placing 18 altogether on the bags. Seven of the starting nine had runs batted in, and all but one scored.

Spokane also turned double plays in the second and fourth to support Huesten.

“Our pitchers and defense battled tonight,” said Indians manager Bob Herold. “Theirs uncharacteristically struggled.”

Huesten whiffed four to give him 23 strikeouts in 17-2/3 innings this season. His four starts have been, by far, the shining moments by Spokane’s starting rotation.

“I like to win as well as anybody, but we haven’t pitched well enough,” Herold said. “Our starters weren’t giving us enough innings.”

Spokane will need more such efforts from its starters. Herold said Brandon Baird, just inserted into the rotation, broke his hand two days ago in the locker room at Eugene and will miss at least a month. Ethan Stein (0-3), who had just apparently lost his starting role, has his spot back.

“It all starts out there in the middle of the field,” Herold said.

In the middle of the field Saturday Boise had Keith Volkman, who entered with a 2-0 record and 1.46 earned-run average. Although Volkman allowed just two hits in 5-1/3 innings, he walked five and plunked two with pitches. His five earned runs more than tripled his seasonal output.

Spokane put together a three-run second and seventh, both times after two were out and none on. The Indians scored single runs in the fifth and sixth without notching a hit, then completed their night with another three-run eighth in which Boise committed two errors.

Villarreal fanned the side in the eighth, two coming after three consecutive singles. The Hawks, trailing 11-1, reached the right-hander for four runs on four hits in the ninth, leaving Herold shaking his head.

Spokane’s Kit Pellow, the league’s No. 2 hitter at .373, drove in three runs with a seventh-inning double and eighth-inning sacrifice fly. Juan Robles scored three runs and drove in another for Spokane.

The four-game series continues today with a rare 3:05 p.m. start. Scheduled starters are Boise right-hander Jeremy Blevins (0-1, 12.41) and Spokane lefty Scott Mullen (0-1, 6.17).

Notes

The game featured the top three base-stealers in the league: Boise’s Trent Durrington (13) and Rich Stuart (eight), and Spokane’s Kenderick Moore (11). Spokane leads the league with 32 stolen bases and has been caught stealing a league-low four times… . The Indians will conduct a clinic for kids ages 6-12 from noon to 2 p.m. today at Seafirst. The clinic is free to all kids holding a game ticket.

, DataTimes