Enright and Seise teammates again but Spokane Indians fall to Eugene

The last time Kole Enirght and Chris Seise were in the same starting lineup was May 2016, when they played together in the Florida State Baseball Championship game for West Orange High School of Winter Garden, Florida.

Enright, who was a senior at the time, was selected in the third round by the Rangers the following month. The next year, Seise was drafted by the Rangers in the first round of the 2017 amateur draft. This season, the 18-year-old played 27 games in the Arizona League, the Rangers’ rookie league.

The two were in the same lineup on Saturday as their Spokane Indians built a 6-0 lead, but committed five errors en route to an 11-8 loss to the Eugene Emeralds in the third of a five-game Northwest League series at Avista Stadium.

Seise said the Rangers told him on Monday he would be promoted to the Indians, and the following morning he was on a plane to Spokane, where Enright has been since the start of the season.

“It was actually surprising to me because I didn’t think that I was going to get called up. I thought they (the Rangers) would just let me finish the season over there in the AZL,” Seise said. “I was really excited.”

Seise was in the Indians’ starting lineup on Thursday, the team’s first day back after a three-day All-Star break. On Friday, Seise was back in the lineup and playing middle infield alongside his high school teammate.

“It’s a blast. It’s a loose relationship, we’re able to feed off of each other, help each other relax,” Enright said.

Seise notched his first Class-A league hit in the second inning when the Indians took a quick 6-0 lead, beginning with a pair of singles and a walk.

Enright drove in two runs on a double to right field and Miguel Aparicio followed with an RBI single to shortstop.

Seise helped Spokane to a five-run lead with a two-run triple to center field. Tyler Ratliff added one more run with an RBI single up the middle, improving Spokane’s lead to 6-0.

But the Emeralds didn’t back down. They followed up with their own six-run frame in the next inning– behind only one hit.

The Indians powered back to a two-run lead in the bottom of the frame, beginning with back-to-back singles by Matt Whatley and Chad Smith. Whatley crossed the plate on Curtis Terry’s bouncer to third base. Smith followed Whatley home on another hit to third base by Aparicio, giving the Indians an 8-6 lead.

Whatley finished 3 for 5 and scored two runs.

Eugene pulled within a run in the fifth inning and tied the score at 8 in the seventh on a throwing error by Spokane’s Smith, who fielded a single in right field and attempted to keep Carrier at third base with a throw to home. But Smith overthrew the plate and Carrier scampered in with another run.

Eugene finally took the lead in the eighth inning after Terry picked up his third fielding error at first base.

Eugene scored twice more in the ninth behind a double and a pair of RBI singles.

Spokane committed five errors and the pitchers walked eight, hit two batters and tossed three wild pitches.