Indians Rally Past Everett Moore’s Two-Out Single In 10th Inning Fuels 3-2 Comeback Win Over Aquasox

All year, the Spokane Indians had never scored against Julio Ayala, rallied in the ninth inning or asked Kit Pellow to sacrifice.

Those shortcomings ended Tuesday, in dramatic fashion.

Kenderick Moore’s two-out flair single to right field in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted Spokane (21-27) to a 3-2 comeback win over Everett (23-25) at Seafirst Stadium.

Moore’s single, on a 2-0 pitch from Jhonny Jimenez (1-2), completed a rally that began in the ninth, with Spokane trailing the Northwest League game 2-1.

Spokane’s lone run to that point had come on Brandon Berger’s homer to left in the fourth, tying him with Pellow for the club lead. Berger connected against AquaSox starter Ayala, who had allowed one hit and no runs to Spokane in six innings this year.

“We’d had no luck against that guy before,” said Indians manager Bob Herold. “Berger finally got one out on him.”

One homer, however, doesn’t count as an outburst. When Everett right fielder Matt Sachse homered to right in the sixth for a 2-1 lead, it appeared the Ferris High graduate would be the star, as he was when he homered during a June 29 win at Spokane.

Yet Jimenez, relieving in the ninth, started poorly by allowing Roman Escamilla’s lead-off infield single. Rick Pitts, pinch-running for Escamilla, moved to second on Eric Sees’ sacrifice and barely made third on Brett Taft’s flyout to right.

“If (Pitts) gets thrown out (at third), I’m a bum,” Herold said. “But (Everett) had the momentum to that point.”

Left-hander Jeremy Giambi scored Pitts by slapping a 0-1 pitch to the opposite field. Giambi’s hit gave Spokane its first ninth-inning rally of the year.

Alonso Aguilar (1-1) pitched a perfect 10th to set up Spokane’s big chance. The Indians had been 1-4 in extra-inning games this year.

No. 3 hitter Berger bounced a single to left to lead off the 10th, raising his average to .344. Cleanup man Pellow, 0 for 4 on the night, didn’t swing for the fences as usual. His perfect sacrifice bunt back to the mound put Berger at second.

“He told me he’d never sacrificed bunted in his life,” Herold said of Pellow. “I told him to get used to it.”

After a grounder moved Berger to third, Moore, who missed nearly a month with a leg injury, stroked the winner.

Until the two-out hits by Giambi and Moore, the Indians had squandered three precious opportunities. NWL hitting leader Berger grounded into a double play with two on and nobody out in the first, and also flew out with the bases loaded to end the seventh.

Spokane appeared headed toward a big fourth until Sees grounded into a double play with the bases loaded.

The three-game series ends at 7:05 tonight with Jeff Farnsworth (1-1, 13.50) of Everett and Scott Mullen (2-3, 4.40) of Spokane scheduled to start.

Notes

Spokane first baseman Jason Layne was promoted to Class A Lansing (Mich.) of the Midwest League. Layne, out of the University of Texas, hit .286, with five homers and 27 RBIs. … Spokane pitcher Jake Chapman, Tuesday’s winner, has allowed three hits and one earned run during 11 innings in his only two starts. He has struck out 14 and walked one. … Another Spokane starter, Ethan Stein, will miss at least two weeks - and likely the rest of the season - because of back pain suffered while warming up in Bellingham last week. … Tonight’s promotions are baseball caps and the traveling mascot Birdzerk. The Indians will give away 2,500 caps to fans entering the game.

, DataTimes