Everett Slips Past Indians 7-6 Mays, Zachmann Silence 7,210

Right-hander Joe Mays started and lost Everett’s first game of the year, a 9-1 decision to the visiting Spokane Indians.

The lone AquaSox run in that game came on a deep home run off the bat of first baseman Rob Zachmann.

Zachmann hasn’t stopped hitting homers, but as the Spokane Indians can attest after Friday, Mays has become a harder target.

If nothing else, Mays (1-1) knows how to hang tough. He was on the ropes early Friday, but cruised through the middle innings during a 7-6 Northwest League win before 7,210 at sold-out Seafirst Stadium.

Zachmann provided the go-ahead run with his fifth homer of the year, a solo blast deep to left field with two outs in the fourth. Mays had just survived the Indians’ three-run third, which included Kit Pellow’s third homer, a two-run liner to left.

Mays held Spokane (5-6) hitless the next 3-2/3 innings, then turned matters over to Joe Victery for the save. Mays said the season-opening series against the Indians came in handy, despite his setback.

“I had a little notebook on (Spokane),” Mays said. “I sat behind the (backstop) after my first outing against them. That helped a little bit.”

Mays said he didn’t worry about getting yanked in the third because manager Roger Hansen and pitching coach Gary Wheelock tend to let AquaSox pitchers work things out.

Victery needed to work through a few matters, too. He entered with one out in the seventh, Everett on top 7-5, and immediately allowed Jeremy Giambi’s RBI double and Kris Didion’s single. A strong throw home from right fielder Matt Sachse, the Ferris High School product, kept Giambi at third and avoided a tie score.

Despite some weariness, Victery held tough and struck out four the final 2 innings.

“I needed to throw my breaking ball and offspeed pitches because I couldn’t throw it by them,” Victery said.

Zachmann, who hit his fourth homer Thursday against Yakima, sent Friday night’s shot off Spokane’s second pitcher, Craig Sanders (0-1). Zachmann is among the NWL’s top four in homers, hits, RBIs and slugging percentage.

“I’m surprised I’m hitting this many homers,” said Zachmann, a free agent from Pace (N.Y.) University. “Usually, I’m a doubles hitter, or someone who hits for a high average.”

Spokane led 2-0 in the first after Giambi doubled in a run and scored on Pellow’s sacrifice fly.

Everett (5-6) struck for four in the second off starter Modesto Villarreal, who had his second consecutive poor outing after beating Mays in the season opener. Six consecutive batters reached base after one out. No. 9 hitter Mike Burrows had a two-run double and Ramon Vazquez followed with a two-run single.

Sanders entered in the third and immediately walked Zachmann, who later scored on Brian Nelson’s single for a 5-2 edge.

The middle game of the three-game series is at 7:05 tonight, with Spokane’s Ethan Stein (0-1, 5.68 ERA) scheduled to start against fellow right-hander Marty Weymouth (1-0, 0.00). Stein lost to Everett on June 19.

Notes

The Spokesman-Review will sponsor fireworks after tonight’s game. … Taylor Myers, the Nevada high school pitcher drafted in the second round earlier this month, has been sent to Kansas City for evaluation of his right pitching elbow. Myers had an MRI in Spokane that came up negative. … Pellow (.387) is the lone Indians regular with a batting average better than .290.

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