Hawks Rally, Trip Indians

Another day, another one-run thriller.

For the sixth time in seven Northwest League meetings - five of them Boise victories - the Spokane Indians and the Hawks played a one-run game Friday, with Boise prevailing 8-7.

Spokane held leads of 5-2 and 7-3 before Boise tied it with a four-run seventh and took the lead with a single run in the eighth.

In the ninth, the Indians loaded the bases against Bo Donaldson, but he ended the game by striking out Rod Metzler.

Spokane’s 2, 3, and 4 hitters - Dermal Brown, Juan LeBron and Doug Blosser - combined to go 1 for 14, the lone hit being an RBI double by Brown in Spokane’s three-run second inning.

Higher in the order, Spokane got plenty of production out of leadoff hitter Metzler, who was 2 for 6 with two runs and one RBI, and Joe Caruso, who was 3 for 4 with two runs and one RBI.

Metzler and Caruso scored on a first-inning single by Dave Willis. Boise tied it in the home half on Jason Dewey’s two-run home run.

In the second, Metzler tripled to score Rich Petru, then Caruso and Brown followed with consecutive doubles, giving Spokane a 5-2 lead.

The Indians scored single runs in the fifth and seventh innings, building their 7-3 lead.

Then Boise, the North Division leader by six games over Spokane got even. Two singles, a fly out and an RBI groundout produced one run, then the second run scored after a pair of infield errors by Spokane. Two doubles scored two more runs, tying the game at 7.

The winning run came in the eighth when the Hawks’ Nelson Castro led off with a single, stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Jeb Dougherty’s single.

There were nine extra-base hits - five doubles, three triples and a home run. Boise’s Jon Nunley was the only player with two extra-base hits, a triple and double.

The three-game series resumes tonight at 6:05 when Spokane’s Kris Wilson (1-2) faces Boise’s (Ryan Snellings (1-2).