Indians top Dust Devils in 23rd

PASCO – The Spokane Indians were on the verge of setting two Northwest League baseball records, but they settled for a win instead.

Tug Hulett’s run-scoring single to center field in the 23rd inning Tuesday gave the Indians a 2-1 win over Tri-City in a contest that began Monday night at Tri-Cities Stadium.

The game threatened to break a pair of league records set in August 1989, when Eugene and Everett played a 25-inning game that took 7 hours, 13 minutes over a course of two days. The Indians-Dust Devils game lasted 6:37.

But Spokane set a franchise record for most innings played in one game. The previous Indians mark was 20 innings, set July 19, 1914, in Seattle.

The teams rested for 30 minutes after the 23-inning contest before playing Tuesday’s regularly scheduled game. T-C (29-29) snapped a nine-game losing streak by handing the Indians (30-28) their first shutout of the season, a 2-0 decision that took a season-low 2:02 to complete.

In the opener, Hulett nearly played the role of goat when his fielding error in the 22nd allowed the Dust Devils to put runners at second and third base with one out. But winning pitcher Clayton Jerome (3-3) struck out Erik Dean and coaxed a groundout to third by Jud Thigpen to force a 23rd inning.

Travis Metcalf and Kevin Mahar singled off Efren Lira (1-1) to open Spokane’s 23rd. After an out, Hulett lined a first-pitch single to score Metcalf from second base.

Jerome worked a 1-2-3 23rd to send T-C to its ninth consecutive loss.

The marathon event was scoreless through 18 innings on Monday.

Spokane scored in the top of the 19th on Ben Harrison’s disputed RBI infield single. T-C manager Ron Gideon argued that the throw to first base beat Harrison, and Dust Devils pitching coach Butch Hughes was ejected during the dispute.

The Dust Devils tied the game with Jose Valdez’s two-out RBI single in the 19th.

After a scoreless 20th, the game was suspended because league rules state no inning can begin after 12:50 a.m.

Tuesday’s second game began with five more scoreless innings. Indians starter John Bannister pitched five innings, allowing one hit while striking out seven.

The Dust Devils broke through with single runs in the sixth and eighth, both on RBI hits by Florentino Nunez off reliever Justin Lensch (2-5).

Steven Register (4-6) earned the win by pitching 7 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, striking out five and walking none. Chris Buechner picked up his third save by registering a double play and strikeout in the ninth.

The evening ended as it started, with the Indians 1 1/2 games behind Boise (31-26) in the NWL East Division. Boise’s home game with Yakima was rained out.

The three-game series will conclude tonight with Spokane’s J.D. Cockroft (1-4, 3.41 ERA) scheduled to start against Juan Morillo (2-1, 2.56).

The league’s final day off is Thursday, then Spokane begins a big three-game home series against Boise.