Three Indians pitchers hang tough
Spokane Indians pitchers Nick Green, Blake Bass and Adam Choplick held Salem-Keizer's potent offense in check over 11 innings on Saturday. Read game story
Salem-Keizer entered Saturday's game with the second-best team batting average (.269) in the Northwest League, averaging slightly more than five runs per game.
Green, Bass and Choplick limited the damage in the fourth game of the five-game series, allowing Spokane to even the series at two wins apiece with an 11-inning win.
Green, making his sixth start, allowed five hits and two earned runs in five innings. He exited with a 3-2 lead and a chance to win.
"Green struggled tonight, for me," Indians manager Tim Hulett said. "He bounced a lot of fastballs early, was struggling with his fastball. Then he tried to make an adjustment and (Chris Shaw) hit a home run. But he really settled in after that and did a good job."
Bass relieved in the sixth and pitched two perfect innings before he got into trouble by walking Christian Lichtenthalen to start the eighth. Shaw delivered a two-out RBI single to right field to tie the game at 3.
"I thought Bass was really good tonight," Hulett said. "He came in throwing, pounding the strike zone. He threw two easy innings. In his third inning, he got the leadoff guy on. I thought he made a good pitch with two outs. (Shaw) bounced the ball in the hole. Really, we'd like to see us knock that ball down and keep it in the infield."
Choplick relieved in the ninth and pitched three innings to earn the win and improve to 3-0. He allowed two hits in three innings, striking out three and walking one. He lowered his earned-run average to 1.35.
"Choplick, again, second outing in a row, did a really, really good job there," Hulett said.
