Hawks pull into first-place tie with Indians

BOISE – Bryce Shafer worked out of a one-out jam with runners at second and third in the ninth inning Sunday to pick up his third save as the Boise Hawks pulled into a first-place tie in the Northwest League East Division with a 3-2 victory over the Spokane Indians before 1,803 fans at Memorial Stadium.

 Guillermo Pimentel led off the ninth with a walk for Spokane (6-4), with Ruben Sierra reaching on a sacrifice bunt that third baseman Willson Contreras failed to handle. After the runners were sacrificed to second and third by Carson Vitale, Shafer got Edwin Garcia to pop out, then got Rougned Odor to ground out to end the game.

 Spokane took an early 1-0 lead in the second on a Pimentel RBI single, but Boise manufactured a run in the bottom of the frame, as a Reggie Golden RBI groundout scored Paul Hoilman from third, who led off the inning with a double.

 The Hawks would take the lead for good in the third on a Chad Noble RBI single. That would be enough for starter Luis Liria, who tossed five innings of two-hit ball for his first win.

 Hoilman went 2 for 4 in the win for the Hawks, who extended their winning streak to a season-high three games. Pimentel and Trever Adams each had two hits in the loss for Spokane.

 Boise goes for the series sweep tonight, sending Ben Wells to the mound opposite the Indians’ David Perez at 6:15 p.m.