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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane Rally Stops Boise

Perhaps the prescription has expired on the bitter medicine Boise has forced down the Spokane Indians’ throats this year.

Trailing 6-2 after seven innings on Tuesday, Spokane rallied for a 12-6, 10-inning win to open a crucial, three-game series with the Hawks.

Spokane (41-27) won its fifth straight and cut Boise’s (44-24) Northwest League North Division lead to three games with eight left in the season. Spokane, which collected a season-high 17 hits, hasn’t been within three games of Boise since July 25.

Entering the game, Boise was 27-5 at home and 7-2 against Spokane. The Indians had led every game Boise won; six of the Indians-Hawks games had been decided by one run.

Boise looked in charge Tuesday with a four-run seventh off Jordy Alexander, who relieved with the game tied at 2. Alexander allowed four hits without recording an out.

Aaron Carter (2-1) spelled Alexander and loaded the bases with an intentional walk. Carter then struck out the side, and blanked the Hawks in the eighth and ninth while Spokane rallied.

Indians Dermal Brown and Juan LeBron, named Tuesday to the NWL All-Star team, had back-to-back, one-out singles in the eighth. Doug Blosser tripled, his first, and scored on Dave Willis’ groundout for a 6-5 game.

Spokane tied the game off Scot Shields (6-2) in the ninth without a ball out of the infield. Jeremy Hill and pinch-hitter Goefrey Tomlinson walked, Joe Caruso had a one-out single under Shields’ glove, and Brown grounded out to score pinch-runner Francisco Bautista.

Spokane sent 11 batters to the plate in the 10th. Carlos Pagan broke the tie with a bloop single on a 3-2 count, Rich Petru and Brown followed with RBI singles, and Rod Metzler added a two-run single to right. Brown’s league-leading RBI total is 66.

Rich Boring, the fourth Spokane pitcher, loaded the bases in the ninth but coaxed a game-ending, 4-6-3 double play.

Spokane starter Dan Reichert allowed three hits and two earned runs, striking out seven.

Spokane’s Kirk Taylor hit a solo homer in the fifth, his third, to tie the game at 1, then tied the game again in the seventh with a sacrifice fly.

The series continues tonight, with Corey Thurman (1-0) scheduled to start for Spokane.