Joseph Scott’s first hit as a professional player was a home run last year in Missoula. His second pro homer came Saturday night at Avista Stadium and started the Tri-City Dust Devils toward a 9-5 win over the Spokane Indians.
Joseph Scott’s first hit as a professional player was a home run last year in Missoula. His second pro homer came Saturday night at Avista Stadium and started the Tri-City Dust Devils toward a 9-5 win over the Spokane Indians.
The Spokane Indians can take away some positive nuggets from Opening Night, discounting the numbers on the scoreboard. Of note, the weather cleared enough Friday to entice 6,511 fans to Avista Stadium – within about 300 of capacity – to witness a 6-1 loss to the Tri-City Dust Devils.
Without delivering one pitch or taking one swing, the Spokane Indians have doubled their chances at making the Northwest League playoffs. The same is true for the seven other NWL teams as the league begins its 56th season tonight with a postseason twist – four teams advancing instead of two.
Friday night's 6:30 opener at Avista Stadium between the Spokane Indians and the Tri-City Dust Devils would be a playoff rematch if this year’s postseason format had been in effect last year.
Don’t blame the guys from Texas and North Carolina for wondering Wednesday what passes for summer baseball in Spokane. Cool, wet and windy weather descended on the second day of the Spokane Indians’ three-day minicamp at Avista Stadium, forcing the evolving Northwest League team to get resourceful.
Cool, wet and windy weather descended on the second day of the Spokane Indians’ three-day minicamp at Avista Stadium, forcing the evolving Northwest League team to get resourceful.
The final Northwest League baseball game of the season lasted just long enough for Clint Brannon and a bit longer than the Spokane Indians expected. But all worked out just peachy for the 6,343 fans at Avista Stadium Sunday night. Brannon set an NWL record for the lowest earned-run average in a season and the Indians scored with two outs in the 10th inning to defeat Tri-City 3-2, sweeping the three-game series.
Despite what the calendar insists, the Spokane Indians' bats aren't ready to call it a summer. The Indians batted around in the second, fifth and sixth innings Saturday night during a 15-5 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils at Avista Stadium. The 15 runs were Spokane's second-biggest output of the season.
The race is for second place. The Spokane Indians continued their winning ways Friday night, but time ran out on them in the 74th game of the 76-game Northwest League baseball season.
The 76-game Northwest League baseball season has developed into a 15-game sprint. Kevin Mahar and Jim Fasano drove in four runs apiece Saturday night as the Spokane Indians manhandled the Boise Hawks 10-4 to create a three-way tie for first place in the NWL's East Division.
The Spokane Indians' slumbering offense received a triple-espresso boost Friday night before a sellout crowd. Travis Metcalf, Ben Harrison and Bobby LeNoir all homered as the Indians (31-29) closed within one game of first-place Boise (32-28) in the Northwest League's East Division with an 11-3 win over the Hawks in front of 7,317 at Avista Stadium.
Shawn Phillips lost his no-hit bid with the second pitch of Wednesday night's game. What he didn't lose was his composure, or, for that matter, the baseball game.
There are several reasons why the Tri-City Dust Devils have the best record in the Northwest League. The Dust Devils lead the league in team batting (.275), and are No. 2 in team earned-run average (4.06). Their second baseman, Erik Dean, leads the league in hitting, and their third baseman, Matt Macri, is tied with Spokane's Travis Metcalf for the NWL lead in runs batted in.
"Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet." The opening of Rudyard Kipling's famous poem will be temporarily disproved tonight in Spokane, when East will indeed meet West for the first time.
Needing a change of pace, the Spokane Indians turned to two players who could relate. Hard-luck pitcher Mark Roberts and struggling first baseman Jim Fasano played crucial roles Wednesday afternoon as the Indians pasted Vancouver 14-7 to complete a five-game series at Avista Stadium.
Earlier Tuesday, Vancouver Canadians infielder Ryan Ruiz was named to the Northwest League All-Star team. Tuesday night, Ruiz showed Spokane Indians fans why he was selected.
