Tribe Wins In Ninth Again Pinch-Hitter Ullery Latest Hero In 7-6 Victory Over Volcanoes

Dave Ullery doesn’t expect to be the first catcher Jeff Garber calls upon every game.

Sometimes, being No. 3 has its advantages.

Ullery, as a pinch-hitter for second catcher Jeremy Hill, singled with the bases loaded in the ninth inning Thursday to lift the Spokane Indians to a 7-6 win over the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

As was the case in Wednesday’s Northwest League game at Seafirst Stadium, Spokane (3-0) scored three times in the ninth to sink the Volcanoes (0-3), the league’s newest members.

“We can put it together with the bats and the arms,” Ullery said. “We’ve had it three nights in a row.”

Carlos Pagan started behind the plate for Spokane. He singled home a run in the eighth and was lifted for a pinch-runner. Hill caught the ninth and was on deck when manager Garber signaled for the left-handed Ullery with a right-handed reliever coming in.

“I knew when they brought in the lefty (reliever) in the eighth I wasn’t going to get my chance then,” Ullery said. “When I got my chance in the ninth, I did what I could with my abilities.”

Spokane had five hits in the final inning, including pinch-hitter Mike Brambilla’s RBI double and Juan LeBron’s RBI single, both with one out.

After Salem-Keizer’s Thomas Nielsen (0-1) intentionally walked Rico Montas to load the bases, manager Shane Turner went to righty Kurt Takahashi, the Volcanoes’ sixth pitcher.

Garber summoned Ullery, of Indiana State, to pinch-hit. Ullery nearly ended the game with a liner down the right-field line that he estimated at 1 foot foul. The winning single also went to right, but nowhere near the line.

“I’m coming every day looking to start,” said Ullery after his first hit as a professional. “We have three great catchers (on the roster). I understand how it is. I have no problem with my role on the team.”

Donald Quigley, 0-1 for Spokane last year, won for the second consecutive night, with three scoreless innings. Indians pitchers struck out 12, including seven by first reliever Justin Pedersen in three innings of work.

Volcanoes catcher Tim Flaherty, making his professional debut, slammed a three-run homer to left-center in the first off Eric Yanz. Michael Byas’ two-run single off Yanz in the second gave S-K a 5-1 lead.

Volcanoes starter Michael Riley pitched 4-1/3 innings of no-hit ball until center fielder Goefrey Tomlinson lined a solo homer to right. Riley left in the sixth after allowing a towering solo shot to right by Dermal Brown, his second in two nights and his sixth RBI in three games.

S-K led 6-3 when Pagan had his RBI single in the eighth.

Spokane’s second consecutive night of late-inning heroics began with a single to left field by Rod Metzler, who was 3 for 4. After Brambilla’s RBI double, the Indians received a break when Brown singled off Nielsen’s leg. LeBron followed with a single on a 1-2 pitch.

Announced attendance was 4,092. The fourth game of the five-game set is at 7:05 tonight. Spokane lefty Jason Gooding, a fifth-round selection from Texas Tech, will start against righty Jesse Travis from the University of Portland.

Notes

After two nights of play, each of the eight NWL teams was either 2-0 or 0-2… . Spokane entered the night with the top batting average (.294) and the second-best ERA (1.50).

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Indians 7, Volcanoes 6 Salem-Keizer Spokane ab r h bi ab r h bi Byas cf 5 0 1 2 Tomlinson cf 3 1 1 1 Young 2b 5 1 1 0 BBrown cf 1 0 0 0 Ankrum 1b 4 1 1 0 Metzler 2b 4 2 3 0 Casper rf 3 1 1 0 Willis 1b 5 0 0 0 Flaherty c 4 1 2 3 Blosser dh 3 0 0 0 Kenna dh 4 0 0 0 Brambilla ph 1 0 1 1 Mosier 3b 4 1 2 1 Caruso pr 0 1 0 0 Wells lf 4 1 2 0 DBrown lf 5 3 2 1 Greene pr-lf 0 0 0 0 LeBron rf 4 0 1 1 Mendoza ss 3 0 1 0 Montas 3b 4 0 2 0 Pagan c 4 0 1 1 Baustista pr 0 0 0 0 Hill c 0 0 0 0 Ullery ph 1 0 1 1 Ligons ss 2 0 0 0 Totals 36 6 11 6 Totals 37 7 12 6

Salem-Keizer 320 001 000 6 Spokane 100 011 013 7 One out when winning run scored. E-Mendoza (1), Willis (3), Ligons (1). DP-Spokane 1. LOB- Salem-Keizer 5, Spokane 12. 2B-Brambilla (1). HR-Flaherty (1), Tomlinson (1), D.Brown (2). SB-Byas (4), Casper (2). CS-Young (1), Ligons (1). S-Mendoza.

Salem-Keizer IP H R ER BB SO Riley 5 3 3 3 5 5 Hutchings 2 2 0 0 1 0 Malerich 2/3 2 1 1 0 3 Clark 2/3 1 1 1 0 1 Nielson L,0-1 0 3 2 2 1 0 Takahashi 0 1 0 0 0 0 Spokane IP H R ER BB SO Yanz 3 7 5 5 1 3 Pedersen 3 2 1 1 0 7 Quigley W,2-0 3 2 0 0 0 2 WP-Riley, Malerich 2, Nielson, Yanz. Balk-Riley. T-3:22. A-4,092 (7,101).