Bears Make Indians Pay For Goofs Spokane’s Eighth-Inning Rally Turns Sour When Lineweaver Walks First Two In Eighth

Damian Rolls and Brian Sankey seized the opportunities provided by Spokane Indians errors and walks Thursday.

Rolls and Sankey both had runs batted in during the first and eighth innings to lead Yakima’s 4-2 decision at Yakima County Stadium that ended Spokane’s three-game winning streak.

Spokane’s rise in the Northwest League North Division stalled against the last-place Bears (20-30). Spokane (22-28), which had won four of five to close within four games of first place, is 3-5 against Yakima this year.

The Indians tied the game at 2 in the eighth when league batting leader Brandon Berger doubled off the third-base bag to score Jeremy Giambi. The hit was Spokane’s first in three innings and four appearances against Jeff Kubenka (4-1).

Spokane reliever Aaron Lineweaver (1-4) walked Peter Bergeron and Rich Saitta to open the eighth. After a fielder’s choice, Rolls stroked an RBI single to right on a hit-and-run and Sankey followed with a sacrifice fly.

Kubenka returned to form in the ninth, striking out the side after a walk to Carlos Beltran.

Spokane starter Enrique Calero allowed six hits and no earned runs in six innings. He struck out five and walked none.

Calero stood to lose, however, because Kit Pellow’s error at first base in the first led to Rolls’ RBI single and Sankey’s RBI double. Sankey leads the Bears with 34 RBIs.

Bears starter Matt Kramer was as sharp, allowing no earned runs in five innings. Yet Kramer’s two-base error on an attempted pickoff in the second put Beltran at third. Kenderick Moore’s RBI single followed.

Spokane’s Jason Simontacchi (1-2), who won his first start of the year Saturday, is scheduled to start tonight - the middle game of the three-game series.

Notes

Since July 12, Spokane is 15-12 (.556). … The rest of the way, the Indians play just one team (Bellingham) with a winning record.