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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Indians Fall Again

Break up the AquaSox. Or better yet, as far as the Spokane Indians are concerned, break up Jose Amado.

Amado, Everett’s 20-year-old third baseman, continued to wreck havoc on the Indians as Everett pulled out a 5-4 Northwest League baseball victory before 3,639 Tuesday afternoon.

Amado collect two hits and drove in a run as the AquaSox won a season-high third game in a row to escape the North Division cellar at 7-12.

Spokane, which has lost five in a row for the second time this year, slipped into the basemen at 6-13.

The clubs conclude a three-game series tonight with Steve Prihoda (0-0) pitching for Spokane against Chad Sodem (1-2).

The Indians return home for a three-game series against Bellingham beginning Thursday at 7:05 p.m. at Seafirst Stadium.

Amado, who doubled in a run in Everett’s decisive two-run fifth inning, is 10 for 18 with three doubles, a triple, a home run and five RBIs in five games against Spokane. Everett has won three.

But bases on balls - particularly bases-loaded walks - proved Spokane’s undoing more than Amato’s bat this day.

Indians pitchers - loser Justin Adam (1-2) and Craig Sanders - combined to walk nine, two with the bases loaded. That more than offset their 14 strikeouts.

The first bases-loaded pass came in a three-run, eight-batter third inning ignited by Carl Thompson’s leadoff homer.

The second was issued to Spokane native Matt Sachse, who walked twice, and produced the winning run in the fifth inning.

Scott Kortmeyer’s sacrifice fly produced Spokane’s first run in 12 2/3 innings in the fourth and Leon Weathersby singled in one as the Indians capitalized on Everett errors for two unearned runs. James Vida, who had lost a 12-game hitting streak the night before, singled and scored.

In the sixth, the Indians collected four of their 10 hits, but could manage just two runs. Weathersby and Tyrone Frazier drove them in with singles.

The Indians threatened in the ninth. Mark Melito led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Pat Hallmark, but the next two Indians went out and Spokane left the tying run on second base.