Everett Blanks Indians Spokane Takes Sole Possession Of Cellar

Ty Waller sat in his steamy office beneath Seafirst Stadium late Sunday, knowing exactly what his Spokane Indians needed.

“We need about 10 runs,” the manager said, only half-joking.

One run would be nice, at least for starters. Especially after Sunday’s 7-0 loss to Everett, Spokane’s sixth by shutout this Northwest League season.

The loss gave the Indians (18-25) sole ownership of last place in the NWL’s North Division, right behind the Giants (19-24).

Everett starter Kevin Lake (4-4) went seven innings and had the Indians swinging freely, changing speeds often enough to keep Spokane guessing. Lake struck out seven and walked two.

“I’ve worked hard on my off-speed pitches so my fastball doesn’t get hit,” said Lake, whose 89-pitch outing included a five-pitch, three-groundout third inning.

Waller offered a slightly different, all-toofamiliar analysis: “We swung at a lot of balls in the dirt. … There comes a point when you just have to be disciplined.”

For Spokane, the fourth inning presented a good point to start.

Indians starter Jeff Jones (1-3) had two outs in the inning - one thanks to Gary Matthews’ diving grab in right and No. 9 hitter Melvin Roman at the plate.

That’s when catcher Darren Grass tried to pick Jeff Poor off first base. The throw may have won the NFL’s Quarterback Challenge, sailing all the way to the corner in right field, but it cost Jones and the Indians dearly.

Chris Stasio scored from second and Roman eventually walked. Dante Powell stepped to the plate for Everett and quickly sent Spokane’s chances over the right-field fence. The three-run, opposite-field homer gave Everett a 6-0 lead.

“I’m still trying to figure that one out,” Waller said of Grass’ rocket. “(Roman) is hitting ninth for a reason. You’ve just got to (be concerned with) getting that guy out.”

Everett led 1-0 in the first on James Apicella’s fielder’s choice, and Don Denbow made it 2-0 an inning later with his eighth homer of the season.