Reichert Dazzles In Home Finale Spokane Trounces Everett 11-2 As Attendance Mark Falls Again

So that’s the reason Dan Reichert was drafted in the first round.

And those were the Spokane Indians we remembered from early summer.

August made its last stand Sunday, and the Indians used the occasion to stomp Everett 11-2 in this year’s final game at Seafirst Stadium.

Spokane (43-30) started the Northwest League season 18-5, but hit a 10-16 slide after July 13 and fell behind Boise for good in the North Division.

Reichert (3-4), making his ninth and final start as an Indian, scattered four singles and allowed no earned runs over five innings. His slider working its magic, Reichert struck out eight and walked none.

“I came in here (after signing late with the Kansas City Royals) and everyone expected me to be 9-0 or whatever,” said Reichert, the seventh overall selection in the June draft. “But you’re not going to have your best stuff every day.”

The Indians led 7-0, on the strength of a five-run third, when Reichert left after hitting a pitch count of 70. The right-hander from the University of Pacific never allowed a runner past second base.

“Today, I knew we would have a lot of fans, so I wanted to put on a show for them,” Reichert said.

The sold-out crowd of 7,184, treated to post-game fireworks, pushed the Indians to an attendance of 185,304 for 38 home dates, or a record average of 4,876. The previous mark, set last year, was an average of 4,761.

“I wish it was the last game of the playoffs and we had just won the championship,” said Indians manager Jeff Garber. “But we’ve had some down times and we’ve fought through them.”

The first two games of the series were down times, as Spokane committed 11 errors and lost to Everett (29-44) 11-5 and 6- 3. Indians fielders played flawlessly for their home season sendoff.

The hitters lined up to do damage against starter Tony DeJesus (2-6) and Matt Noe. Rod Metzler, aboard five times, scored twice and had the big hit in the third, a two-run double; Jeremy Hill was aboard all five times, three on walks and two on singles, and scored twice; Rico Montas singled in his final three at-bats and scored twice; and Kirk Taylor ripped a two-run triple to right-center in the fifth.

“It was good to leave this town with a sense of how good this team can be,” said Garber, who may be in line to return as manager next year.

Everett’s Juan Silvestre hit a solo homer in the seventh, his third in two games.

Spokane plays its final three games of the year in Yakima, starting at 7:05 tonight. Corey Thurman (1-1, 5.68 ERA) will start for the Indians.

Notes

Thurman and a female partner sang the National Anthem for the sellout crowd. … Spokane finished 23-15 at home after starting 10-0. … NWL doubles leader Juan LeBron (27) and Doug Blosser (11 homers, 47 RBIs) didn’t start Spokane’s final home game. LeBron hurt his right hand during the recent series at Boise. … Spokane’s Goefrey Tomlinson singled in the third to increase his hitting streak to 16 games. … Jason Gooding, just moved up from Spokane to Lansing (Mich.) of the Midwest League, lost his first start after a shaky 4-2/3 innings for the Lugnuts Saturday. Gooding was 4-0 with Spokane and 11-0 with Texas Tech this year. , DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TURNSTILE COUNT Top attendance years for Indians, ranked by average per game: Year Total Dates Ave. 1. 1997 185,304 38 4,876 2. 1996 180,903 38 4,761 3. 1995 162,344 38 4,272 4. 1994 156,092 37 4,219 5. 1958 270,297 66* 4,095* 6. 1990 133,317 35 3,809 7. 1960 261,858 71* 3,688* 8. 1993 126,028 35 3,601 9. 1947 287,185 80 3,589 10. 1959 245,012 70* 3,500* *ESTIMATED