Everett sends Spokane Indians to season-ending loss

EVERETT – Bryson Brigman singled to center with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning on Monday afternoon to give the Everett AquaSox a 6-5 victory over the Spokane Indians at Memorial Stadium in the final dress rehersal for two teams that will meet in the first round of the Northwest League playoffs.

Spokane, which won the first-half in the North but stumbled to finish 13½ games behind Everett in the second half, sticks around for the first game of a best-of-three series Wednesday. The teams move to Spokane for Game 2 on Thursday. If a third game is needed, it will be in Spokane on Friday.

Eugene, which won both halves in the South, and Hillsboro, which earned the wild-card spot, start their best-of-three in Hillsboro. The division champions will play a best-of-three for the league pennant.

Spokane got the scoring started with two runs in the top of the second on a Chad Smith single and a double play, but before they could get another base runner in the top of the seventh, Everett had fashioned a 4-2 lead. The Indians saw 14 batters retired in order, 11 by Everett starting pitcher Reggie McClain.

But the Indians tied it 4-4 in the top of the seventh on Carlos Garay’s two-run single, only to see the AquaSox go up 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth. Charles Leblanc, who had singled, got the Indians even at 5-5 in the top of the ninth, scoring on a wild pitch.

But the Indians couldn’t survive the bottom of the ninth.