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Spokane Indians

Spokane Indians beat Everett 5-4 in 10 innings, need one win to clinch playoffs

By Dave Nichols daven@spokesman.com(509) 459-5441

The Spokane Indians entered play on Tuesday needing two wins in their last six games against the Everett AquaSox to clinch a playoff spot. 

It’s now one out of five.  

Niko Decolati scored on a passed ball in the 10th inning and the visiting Spokane Indians came from behind to edge the Everett AquaSox 5-4 in the first of a six-game High-A West series on Tuesday.

[BOX SCORE courtesy MILB.com]

The Indians (64-49) move 4 1/2 games ahead of Everett (61-53) for the second playoff spot in the league. Idle Eugene (65-49) remains one-half game ahead of Spokane for the division lead. The Emeralds’ game against Tri-City was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols with the Dust Devils.

Decolati was the free runner to start the 10th inning. He moved to third on a groundout by Daniel Montano and scampered home when ball four to Javier Guevara got past catcher Matt Scheffler.

Dugan Darnell got a flyout and 4-6-3 double play in the bottom half to end it. 

Indians starter Helcris Olivarez had one of his best games of the season, allowing no hits through 6 2/3 innings. But he walked a pair in the seventh, the second coming on his 101st and last pitch of the night.

Reliever Stephen Jones entered, and on an 0-2 pitch Scheffler lined one to right-center, where Doyle dove and appeared to make the catch, but the ball popped out when he landed and it went for a two-run double. 

Olivarez’ final line: two runs on no hits, four walks and two hit batters. He struck out eight.

Doyle led off the eighth with a single and went to second on an errant pick-off throw, but Grant Lavigne popped up, Hunter Stovall lined out and Niko Decolati grounded out. 

Victor Labrada added a two-run double in the eighth to double the AquaSox’ lead to 4-0.

The Indians put two on with one down in the ninth and Isaac Collins delivered a two-run double to keep the visitors alive. With two down, Doyle beat out an infield single and Lavigne walked to load the bases for Stovall.

Everett called upon reliever Fred Villareal to face Stovall, who poked a grounder through the left side of the infield to plate two and tie the game at 4-4.

Everett starter Taylor Dollard, a 22-year-old fifth-round pick of the Seattle Mariners in the 2020 draft, went 6 1/3 innings and allowed no runs on three hits and a walk with 11 strikeouts.