Cunningham Does It All In Indians’ Victory

Marco Cunningham and his manager, Tom Poquette, were unable to select a favorite highlight from Cunningham’s outstanding game Friday night for the Spokane Indians.

Cunningham went 4 for 4 - all singles - scored three runs, stole three bases and made two sharp plays in center field to lead Spokane (3-1) to its third consecutive win over Eugene, 7-5 at sold-out Avista Stadium.

“It was just one of those great days for a baseball player,” Cunningham said. “My first hit (an infield single) just squeaked by, my second I got a hold of, and my third was just out of the infielder’s reach.”

Cunningham left out his fourth, a solid rip to left field that earned him a four-hit prize - a $100 gift certificate to Napa Auto Parts.

“I don’t even have a car here,” said Cunningham, the first Spokane player with four hits in a game since Mark Ellis on Aug. 25, 1999.

Poquette, too, couldn’t narrow down Cunningham’s evening to one key moment.

“He put the bat on the ball, took the extra bases, scored on a wild pitch and on a passed ball,” Poquette said. “That’s two runs there, in a 7-5 game. Then he made a heck of a play in the outfield, on a diving catch.”

On that play, Cunningham slid to snare Nic Jackson’s one-out, bases-loaded liner in the seventh. Reliever Carlos Martinez struck out the next batter, pinch hitter Condor Cash, to preserve a 5-2 lead.

Cunningham also shot down Eugene in the sixth. Jeff Felker doubled off the wall in right-center, but Cunningham threw to third baseman Ray Hattenburg, who dove and tagged out the oncoming Felker.

“I didn’t know if I had a chance,” Cunningham said. “When I looked at (Felker), he was already past second base.”

Cunningham’s steals of second base in the first, third and fifth innings were the first three for Spokane this season.

He didn’t have a chance to steal after his seventh-inning single, advancing instead on left fielder Peter Graham’s error. Cunningham scooted into third on a medium-deep fly to center, then scored on a passed ball on the final pitch of an intentional walk to Chad Santos.

Santos started the scoring in the first on a two-run homer to right with Cunningham aboard. The line shot, on a 3-2 pitch, kissed the top of the wall, hit a light post, and bounced back into the stadium. Santos slowed down, unsure of the call, and Eugene manager Danny Sheaffer briefly asked for an explanation when Santos was waved home by the umpire.

Santos grounded into a double play during his next at-bat, ending his streak of reaching base in 10 consecutive at-bats. The Northwest League record for reaching base consecutively is unknown, but the major league record is 16.

Indians starter Zach McClellan allowed one hit in four innings for his pro debut.

The announced attendance, 7,241, was two more than Tuesday’s standing-room-only crowd.

The five-game series concludes with tonight’s 7:05 game. Scheduled starters are Spokane right-hander Ian Ferguson and Eugene lefty Mark Freed.

Ferguson, of Bellingham, was drafted in the 21st round this year out of Regis University in Denver. Freed was a ninth-round selection from Mississippi State.

Notes

The Kansas City Royals announced the signing of catcher Scott Walter, a third-round pick from Loyola Marymount. He is expected to join the Indians on Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia… . Infielder Justin Gemoll played his first game for Spokane. Gemoll had a flat tire in Oregon while driving to Spokane from his home in San Jose, Calif… . Indians shortstop Ken Sarna is awaiting the results of an MRI he had on his shoulder. Spokane outfielder Rich Devine has been limited to one at-bat because of a groin pull… . The Indians sold more than 10,000 hot dogs on 50-cent feast night.

Indians 7, Emeralds 5

Eugene Spokane ab r h bi ab r h bi Blasi 2b 4 1 3 0 Fenster ss 4 0 0 0 Sprowl dh 4 0 1 1 Cunningham cf 4 3 4 0 Mallory cf 3 1 1 1 Hattenburg 3b 4 0 1 0 Jackson rf 5 1 1 3 Santos 1b 3 1 1 2 Kweon c 3 0 1 0 Gemoll dh 2 1 1 0 Cash ph 1 0 0 0 Cowan lf 3 1 1 0 Pina ph/c 1 0 0 0 Cordova rf 2 1 0 0 Sing 3b 3 0 0 0 Felix c 4 0 0 0 Felker 1b 4 0 1 0 Guzman 2b 4 0 1 2 Graham lf 3 0 1 0 Martinez ss 3 2 1 0 Totals 34 5 10 5 Totals 30 7 9 4

Eugene 001 000 103 - 5

Spokane 200 210 11x - 7

E-Blasi (1), Graham (1), Cordova (1). DP-Eugene 2, Spokane 1. LOB-Eugene 10, Spokane 5. 2B-Kweon (2), Felker (4), Graham (1). HR-Jackson (1), Santos (2). SH- Cordova (1). SF-Mallory (1). SB-Cunningham 3 (3).

Eugene IP H R ER BB SO Wellemeyer L,0-1 3 5 2 2 0 3 Ericks 2 3 3 3 2 2 Beltran 3 1 2 1 2 1 Spokane IP H R ER BB SO McClellan 4 1 1 1 4 4 Newell W,1-0 1 1 0 0 1 1 Bullinger 1 4 1 1 0 1 Martinez 1 2 0 0 0 1 Rinconnes 1 2 3 3 1 2 WP-Ericks (1), Beltran 2 (2). HBP-by McClellan (Graham), by Ericks (Cowan). BK-McClellan (1). PB- Pina (1).

T-3:16. A-7,241 (7,241).