Tribe Belts Dissatisfied Emeralds

If it isn’t towels to dry off with after showering, then the Eugene Emeralds are trying to deal with Spokane sunsets.

In the last three days the Northwhine … uhh, Northwest League Southern division team couldn’t seem to find satisfaction at Seafirst Stadium, despite the fact they split a four-game series with the Indians.

After Eugene overcame Towelgate Saturday and Sunday, on Monday, in Spokane’s 15-5 win, Emeralds starting pitcher Bruce Chen complained that he couldn’t see home plate because sunshine glinting between the stadium’s lower and upper decks.

That third-inning complaint set the tone for the Emeralds.

In that inning, Chen eventually escaped a bases-loaded jam. However, in the fourth, no amount of shade could have protected him.

Tony Miranda’s two-run double to the right-center field gap, his first-hit of the year, chased Chen and gave Spokane a 4-1 lead.

After Chen was lifted for P.K. Koehler, Kit Pellow slammed a monster, two-run homer to left that made it 6-1. Pellow later hit another home run and finished the night 3 for 3 with six runs batted in.

Pellow’s second four-bagged was a grand slam, also to left field, in the fifth inning. His second four-bagger came at the expense of Aquiles Pinales, Eugene’s third pitcher, and made the score 13-1.

“It just seemed like I was seeing the ball a little bit better,” Pellow said. “Hopefully things will start coming a little bit better.

“On the grand slam, with the new pitcher coming in, I was sitting on the fastball, thinking that he would throw it, because you don’t want to get behind with the bases loaded.”

And there it was, fastball du jour.

Pellow’s homer was one of only two Spokane hits in fifth, in which the Indians produced seven runs. During the inning, Koehler issued three walks and third baseman Pooh Hines committed his third error of the game.

Pellow helped Spokane snap a two-game losing streak. The Indians and the Emeralds have 4-3 records after the first week of the new season.

Spokane took a 1-0 lead after Chen put Pellow on base by hitting him with a pitched ball. Brandon Berger followed with a routine grounder to Hines, who booted the ball then threw wildly to first, allowing Pellow to reach third base. Scott Harp scored Pellow with a ground ball.

Eugene tied the score in the top of the third inning with Angel Espada’s bunt hit scoring Corey Pointer from third. The Emeralds left two runners on base in the inning and they didn’t score again until the game was out of reach.

Spokane starter Ethan Stein, recovering from a disastrous debut against Everett last week, fell two outs short of working the five innings required to earn the victory. Manager Bob Herold lifted Stein when the 6-foot-7 righthander reached his pitch limit.

Ethan Stein, who gave up four hits and three earned runs last week, entered Monday’s game with a 13.50 earned-run average. He rebounded well, allowing Eugene three hits and one earned run in 4-1/3 innings.

The win was credited to Allen Sanders, whose record improved to 2-0. Sanders finished the game, scattering six hits over 3-1/3 innings.

Chen got the loss and fell to 0-1. The Eugene pitcher struck out the side in the last of the first inning, but his magic seemed to disappear as the sun set. He lasted 3-1/3 innings and gave up five runs, four of them earned), while allowing five hits.

Indians 15, Emeralds 5

Eugene Spokane ab r h bi ab r h bi Espada 2b 5 1 1 1 Giambi rf 5 2 2 3 Hines 3b 3 2 2 0 Miranda dh 3 2 1 2 DeRosa ss 4 0 0 2 Didion 3b 3 1 1 1 Hacker 1b 4 0 2 1 Sees ss 1 0 0 0 Johnson cf 4 0 0 0 Pellow 1b-c 4 3 3 6 Brown c 2 0 0 0 Berger lf 4 0 0 0 Arnold c 1 1 0 0 Pitts lf 1 0 0 0 Pickett rf 4 0 0 0 Harp cf 5 0 0 1 Pointer lf 4 1 3 0 Moore 2b 1 3 0 0 Rust dh 2 0 0 0 Arrolld ph-2b 1 0 0 0 Cross ph-dh 2 0 1 0 Robles c 3 2 1 0 Layne ph-1b 1 0 1 0 Taft ss-3b 4 2 1 1 Totals 35 5 9 4 Totals 36 15 10 14 Eugene 001 001 021 - 5 Spokane 010 572 00x - 15 E-Hines 3 (3), DeRosa (9), Layne (3). DP-Spokane 1. LOB Eugene 5, Spokane 6. 2B-Hacker (2), Giambi (2), Miranda (1), Taft (1). 3B-Hines (3). HR-Pellow 2 (2). SB-Espada (3), Pointer (3). S-Taft.

Eugene IP H R ER BB SO Chen L,0-1 3-1/3 5 5 4 2 5 Koehler 1 2 7 2 3 1 Pinales 3-2/3 3 3 2 1 4 Spokane IP H R ER BB SO Stein 4-1/3 3 1 1 1 2 Sanders W,2-0 3-1/3 6 3 2 0 1 Burton 1 0 1 0 1 0 HBPby Chen (Pellow, Moore). WP-Burton. PB-Arnold, Robles.

T-2:55. A-3,388.

, DataTimes