Indians fall just short after 4-0 deficit

The Texas Rangers’ No. 1 draft pick, Kasey Kiker, is starting to feel more comfortable on the mound with the Spokane Indians.

Kiker started for the Indians Thursday night and finished with four strikeouts in a 5-4 loss to the Everett AquaSox in the second game of a five-game Northwest League baseball series at Avista Stadium.

Kiker, out of Russell County High School in Alabama, began the game with a 7.56 earned run average. He had three strikeouts and allowed no hits in the first two innings, reaching 96 mph on the radar gun.

But it started to fall apart for Kiker in the third when Chris Minaker hit a two-run homer for a 2-0 AquaSox lead.

“I tried to sneak a fastball, but he connected,” Kiker said of Minaker. “It was tough luck. We played (well).”

Kiker has 11 strikeouts in six games, but he also sports a 0-3 record.

“(Kiker) did a hell of a job tonight,” Spokane manager Mike Micucci said. “He had good life on his fastball. He just made one bad pitch.”

After Kiker totaled four strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings, Brett Zamzow relieved. Everett’s Bryan Sabatella took Zamzow’s first pitch and ripped an RBI single to left field for a 3-0 advantage.

Sabatella stole second base and scored the fourth run on Chao Wu’s single to center.

The Indians broke through in the fifth. Thomas Berkery singled, stole second and scored on Chris Kemp’s blooper to left.

Zamzow issued a leadoff walk in the sixth, leading to Manelik Pimentel’s RBI single to left field for a 5-1 edge.

Spokane scored twice in the sixth. The inning began on an odd note as Hunter Harrigan was awarded first base on a play originally ruled a foul ball. The mark on Harrigan’s arm changed the umpire’s call to a hit batter, but Harrigan was soon out trying to steal second.

Spokane got a second chance when Nick Cadena walked with two outs. Designated hitter Chad Tracy reached on an error, and Steve Marquardt’s double to left scored Cadena and put Tracy at third. Ari Kafka’s wild pitch scored Tracy, narrowing Everett’s lead to 5-3.

Austin Weilep (Lewis-Clark State/Northport High) took the mound in the seventh and silenced Everett, allowing no runs on two hits, with two strikeouts and one walk in three innings.

Pimentel ripped a ball to the left-field wall with two outs in the eighth, but Spokane’s Christopher Davis threw him out while trying to stretch a single to a double.

The Indians had an eighth-inning rally going when Craig Gentry singled and scored on Tracy’s RBIs single. An overthrow to first moved Tracy to second, but he was stranded there.

“We need to create more opportunities earlier in the game as far as offense is concerned,” Micucci said.

The middle game of the series is set for 6:30 tonight at Avista Stadium.