Slump continues

The Tri-City Dust Devils were sitting in last place in the Northwest League’s North Division a mere 10 days ago.

Now the Dust Devils are attempting to chase down the first-place Everett AquaSox, receiving another boost Wednesday night with an 8-4 win over the Spokane Indians to open a three-game series at Avista Stadium.

Leadoff hitter Rod Boykin reached base all five times and scored four runs as the Dust Devils (15-12) won their fifth consecutive game to pull within two games of Everett (17-10) with 11 games left in the season’s first half.

“We just come out and work hard every night,” said Boykin, who was drafted out of high school in 2013 … “Our hitting’s been going pretty good and we’ve had walks, which creates more runs for us, so we end up winning ballgames like this.”

Spokane (13-14) lost for the fifth time in six games, a streak in which the Indians have been outscored 35-12. The Indians outhit Tri-City but couldn’t deliver in key moments.

“It’s not all the time you outhit the opponent 12-7 and get beat 8-4,” Indians manager Tim Hulett said. “We had a lot of opportunities early. We had guys on second base and couldn’t move them to third, and if we did get to third, we couldn’t get them in. Those are the kind of at-bats that hurt you in the long run because the score gets away from you.”

Indians starter Joe Palumbo (3-2) allowed hits to the first three batters of the game, including Jose Carlos Urena’s two-run double just fair down the left-field line and into the corner. Palumbo allowed just one more hit, but by the time he exited in the fifth the bases were loaded and he trailed 4-1.

“He didn’t have his good stuff tonight,” Hulett said of Palumbo. “He struggled all night long with his command and really didn’t have a pitch he could go to when he needed to throw a strike. When you make a lot of errors (four) behind a pitcher, then he has a lot more high-intensity pitches that he has to make and it takes it out of him.”

Jeffrey Springs relieved for Palumbo with one out. Springs coaxed a second out and had a 3-2 count on Austin Allen when the T-C catcher cleared the bases with a liner over the head of center fielder LeDarious Clark for a 7-1 lead.

“(Springs) had thrown a couple of changeups earlier and didn’t have good command of it, so it’s pretty tough to throw a changeup at 3-2 with the bases loaded,” Hulett said.

Indians pitchers held T-C hitless in the second through fourth innings, and again in the sixth through the eighth. But whether reaching base by hit, error or walk, Boykin made them pay. The one time he didn’t score, he was stranded at third base.

“When you start walking people, that creates a lot of runs,” Boykin said. “Walks help out a lot. Errors, too.”

The Indians battled back for three runs on four hits in the ninth.

The late Spokane rally was highlighted by Sherman Lacrus’ two-run single to center field. Diego Cedeno struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch with two runners aboard to end the game.