Jamari Baylor hits go-ahead double, Spokane Indians hold off Hillsboro 6-4

From staff reports

Jamari Baylor hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning and the Spokane Indians held off the Hillsboro Hops 6-4 in a Northwest League game Thursday at Avista Stadium .

The Indians (17-22) have taken two of the first three games of the six-game series against the Hops (16-23).

Mason Albright, acquired by the Colorado Rockies organization in a trade that sent MLB veterans CJ Cron and Randal Grichuk to the Los Angeles Angels, made his first start for the Indians.

Albright cruised through the first four innings before hitting the wall in the fifth. He allowed four runs on five hits and a walk with nine strikeouts. He threw 82 pitches, 55 for strikes.

Albright went 9-4 with a 3.62 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 792/3 innings over 15 games (14 starts) for Low-A Inland Empire of the California League before the deal.

The Indians took a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Bryant Quijada led off the inning with a double off the wall, Braiden Ward was hit by a pitch, then Benny Montgomery launched a long homer to center, his ninth of the season.

In the fifth, Hillsboro’s Andrew Pintar and Junior Franco reached on singles, then Albright bounced back to strike out back-to-back batters. But he walked Juan Corniel and Wilderd Patino drilled one over the left-center field wall for a grand slam.

Spokane regained the lead in the sixth. With one out, Nic Kent singled and Parker Kelly walked. Baylor followed with a liner to center that went over Pintar’s head to the wall to plate both runners.

Baylor stole third and AJ Lewis singled through a drawn-in infield to make it 6-4.

Anderson Pilar loaded the bases with two down in the seventh on two hit batters and a single. He was ejected for arguing a call, then Luis Amoroso entered and coaxed a groundout to end the threat.

Amoroso pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his first save of the season.