Canadians’ Garrett Spain hits walk-off homer, Spokane Indians fall to Vancouver 9-8

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Garrett Spain hit a solo home run with two down in the ninth inning, one of four long balls for the home team, and the Vancouver Canadians edged the Spokane Indians 9-8 in a Northwest League game at Nat Bailey Stadium on Saturday. 

The Indians (24-27) snapped a three-game winning streak and fell six games behind Everett for the second half playoff spot with 13 games to play. Spokane has a six-game homestand against the AquaSox next week.

Spain’s ninth inning homer, his second of the game and 12th of the season, spoiled a four-run ninth inning comeback for the Indians. 

Spokane loaded the bases in the ninth with no outs against C’s reliever Conor Larkin on a hit batter, a single by Robby Martin, Jr. and a walk. 

Larkin walked Jesus Ordonez to force in a run and Braiden Ward drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. That brought up Benny Montgomery, who lined a single to center to make it a one-run game and put the tying run at third. 

Montgomery and Parker Kelly then pulled off a double steal, with Kelly scoring the tying run. 

Indians reliever Tyler Ahearn (1-3) got the first two outs in the bottom half on routine fly balls, but Spain launched a no-doubter to right to walk off the visitors. 

Cade Doughty hit his 16th home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the third inning off Indians starter Victor Juarez to give the first-place Canadians (35-18) a 3-2 lead.

Ryan McCarty added a solo home run in the fifth inning off Juarez and Spain went deep against reliever Anderson Bido in the sixth.

The Indians pulled within two runs in the seventh when Ordonez doubled home Martin to make it 5-4. 

But Vancouver answered with two more in the bottom half against Bido on a Doughty RBI single and a throwing error by shortstop Ryan Ritter.

Peyton Williams tacked on a run in the eighth with an RBI single off Brett Matthews. The 25-year-old reliever was making his High-A debut. 

Juarez went five innings and allowed four runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out six and threw 55 of his 91 pitches for strikes. 

The Indians finish the six-game series in Vancouver Sunday at 1:05 p.m.