Yakima shuts out Indians to end series

YAKIMA – Cody Wheeler threw five shutout innings and Jacob House drove in three runs to power the front-running Yakima Bears to a 5-0 victory over the Spokane Indians in Northwest League baseball action Tuesday night at Yakima County Stadium.

Yakima (11-8) leads the East Division by three games over the second-place Tri-City Dust Devils and four games over the Indians (7-12).

Wheeler (2-0) allowed just three hits – all singles – in dropping his earned-run average to 0.89 after his fourth start of the season. He struck out six and walked one.

Josh Parr staked the Bears to a 1-0 lead with a solo home run with one out in the first inning. House made it 2-0 when he doubled home a run two batters later.

Yakima broke the game open with a three-run fourth inning. House delivered the key blow when he tripled home a pair of runs to greet Spokane reliever Joseph Burns. Burns replaced Indians starter Connor Sadzeck (0-3), who hit two batters in the fourth with both coming around to score.

Sadzeck lasted only 3 2/3 innings in his fourth start. He allowed five earned runs on four hits and four walks. The right-hander saw his ERA rise from 3.09 to 5.28.

Burns allowed three hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings. Ryan Harvey pitched the final two innings and surrendered one hit with three strikeouts.

Yakima pitchers struck out 12.

Patrick Cantwell had two of Spokane’s five hits.