Indians chew up Emeralds
On Family Feast Night, the Spokane Indians weren’t about to let their fans have all the fun Friday.
While the crowd of 6,830 – the second-largest of the season at Avista Stadium – downed hundreds of discounted hot dogs, sodas and ice cream sandwiches, the Indians gorged themselves on an 8-0 victory over the Eugene Emeralds in Northwest League baseball action.
Spokane (15-13) will try to make it four of five from Eugene (11-17) tonight when the series concludes. Another near sell-out crowd is expected for the annual visit of the San Diego Chicken.
A third straight win by the Indians would be a good springboard to a six-game road trip that begins Sunday with three games at East Division-leading Tri-City followed by three at Boise, which stayed a game ahead of the third-place Indians with its sixth consecutive win.
Spokane came into Friday’s game ranked sixth out of the eight NWL teams in hitting. But if the Indians’ 9-4 win Thursday combined with the decisive shutout Friday is an indication, their team average should begin climbing measurably.
Leading the improved hitting have been catcher Mike Nickeas and third baseman Travis Metcalf, who are a combined 12 for 32 (.375) in the homestand.
Nickeas, who is 7 of 14, went 2 for 4 Friday, including a three-run homer. It was his fifth of the season and second of the homestand.
“I feel real good at the plate right now. It’s all starting to come together for me,” said Nickeas, who raised his team-leading average eight points to .337 (29 of 86). He ranks ninth in the league.
“If I’m not going to be the guy driving in runs, then it’s got to be the guy behind me or the guy behind him,” Nickeas said. “If we get a couple of guys picking each other up when we’re not having a good night, we’re going to be a great team down the road.”
After Metcalf knocked in the Indians’ first run with a sacrifice fly, Nickeas, the next batter, hit his three-run blast over the left-field wall to put Spokane ahead 4-0 through three innings.
“They’re seeing the ball pretty big right now,” Spokane manager Darryl Kennedy said of Nickeas and Metcalf. “They’ve been getting us off to a good start. We’re getting better at-bats; we’re getting more quality at-bats. We’re hitting the ball harder when we do make contact. That’s what’s pleasing to me. It’s not necessarily the hits. It’s the quality at-bats.”
The victory was not only tasty but expeditious as fans began leaving the ballpark well before 9 o’clock.
Spokane added a single run in the fifth on a single by Ben Harrison before putting it out of reach with its final three runs in the sixth.
After back-to-back singles from Lizahio Baez and Billy Susdorf, Eugene walked the next two batters to load the bases as Susdorf scored on a walk to Tug Hulett.
Michael Mask grounded out, knocking in the seventh run before another walk to Harrison scored the final run.
“The first couple of weeks were hard. Guys are coming from college and we have different philosophies,” Metcalf said of making the adjustment to minor-league ball. “Now I think people are starting to get into what the organization is teaching us.”
Indians’ piggyback starters Clint Brannon and Mark Roberts combined to allow just one hit each before Willy Espinal got the Emeralds in order in the ninth inning.
Brannon went the first four innings and Roberts, who entered with a tough-luck 0-4 record, picked up his first win by throwing five strikeouts.
“Our pitching is starting to come around,” Kennedy said. “We’re starting to get some quality outings by them. That’s where it starts.”
Notes
It was an epidemic of runs Thursday in the NWL, especially by the East Division teams which swept the West by handsome margins. Tri-City handled Salem-Keizer 17-4, Boise had no problem with Vancouver 15-6 and Yakima easily dispersed of Everett 14-4. Counting Spokane’s 9-4 win, the East outscored the West 55-18. … Left-hander Justin Lensch (1-3, 3.55 ERA) will go for Spokane and Eugene will throw lefty Danny De La O (2-2, 5.27).