Dale’s homer beats Indians in 11th, 9-6

EUGENE, Ore. – Lachlan Dale hit a two-out, three-run homer in the 11th inning Saturday night to give the Eugene Emeralds a 9-6 win over the Spokane Indians in Northwest League baseball at Civic Stadium.

Dale, No. 2 in league homers behind teammate Colt Morton, hit the first pitch he saw from Clayton Jerome (2-3) deep to left field for his 11th blast of the season. The shot scored Sean Kazmar, who opened the inning with his fifth hit of the game, and Morton, who reached on an infield single.

The Indians (23-20) had a three-game winning streak snapped and missed a chance to tie Tri-City for first place in the East Division. The Dust Devils (24-19) dropped a home game to Salem-Keizer.

Spokane leads the five-game series 2-1 and is 5-3 against the Emeralds this season. Eugene (15-28) had lost eight of its previous nine games.

Spokane, which had won six consecutive games on the road, scored twice in the eighth to tie the game at 5. The Indians added a run in the ninth to force extra innings after Eugene had scored once in its eighth.

Eugene led 3-0 after Kazmar’s solo homer in the first and Brett Burnham’s two-run triple in the third.

Ben Harrison’s run-scoring double in the fourth allowed Spokane to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Kazmar, who entered the game with two homers, hit his second of the game to lead off the fifth.

Harrison hit a long blast to center, estimated at 440 feet, to cut Eugene’s lead to 4-3 in the sixth.

Trailing 5-3, the Indians began an eighth-inning rally when Tug Hulett walked and Travis Metcalf was hit by a pitch. Mike Nickeas singled home Hulett on a one-out, two-strike pitch. Jim Fasano’s fly to left was trapped, allowing Metcalf to score from third base, but Nickeas had to hold up and was forced out at third.