Indians win, don’t gain

BOISE – A pair of two-run home runs and some first-rate pitching helped the Spokane Indians to a 4-1 Northwest League victory over the Boise Hawks on Friday, but it was not enough to gain on the first-place Tri-City Dust Devils.

The Indians remain 2 1/2 games behind the Dust Devils in the East Division. Tri-City defeated Yakima 6-4.

Boise trails Tri-City by two games. All three teams have five games remaining.

Victor Barrios and Ian Gac hit two-run home runs for the Indians. Barrios’ homer, his fifth of the season, gave the Indians a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. Gac hit his 17th home run in the sixth inning for a 4-0 lead.

The four-run cushion was plenty for the Indians’ pitching staff as Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz and Andrew Laughter combined to hold Boise to six hits.

Holland started and pitched five scoreless innings. Feliz pitched two innings, allowing one hit and one run, though he did struggle some, walking four batters. Three of those walks came in the eighth, loading the bases with no one out. Laughter entered and retired the side on a fly ball followed by two strikeouts.

Laughter made it four strikeouts in a row, setting down Boise’s first two batters in the ninth. After an error and a single, Boise had runners on first and third, but the game ended on a forceout at second base.