Spokane roughs up Hawks

BOISE – The Spokane Indians posted their biggest margin of victory this season against one of the Northwest League’s top pitchers.

Mike Nickeas hit a three-run homer in the second inning and finished with four runs batted in Thursday while lifting the Indians to an 11-1 over Boise at Hawks Memorial Stadium.

The Indians roughed up Luis Brito (4-2) for seven hits and six earned runs in three innings. Brito entered the game with the league’s third-best earned-run average, at 2.51.

Spokane had won two games this season by nine-run margins.

Spokane (18-16) registered its third consecutive win and moved past Boise (17-17) into second place alone in the East Division, one game behind Tri-City.

Spokane was 21-13 at this stage last year, tied for first place with Yakima.

The series ends tonight with Spokane’s Shawn Phillips (1-0, 4.26) and Boise’s Luke Hagerty (0-1, 24.00) scheduled as starting pitchers. Hagerty, making his third start of the season, was a first-round draft selection in 2002.

Thomas Diamond will back up Phillips after four or five innings. Diamond was the Texas Rangers’ top selection in last month’s amateur draft.

Ben Harrison had an RBI double to right-center and scored on Chris Alexander’s single during Spokane’s two-run first.

Billy Susdorf homered deep to left-center while leading off the second for Spokane. Nickeas’ two-out blast to left field, his club-best sixth of the season, scored Michael Mask and Tug Hulett.

David Gresky, after a leadoff double, scored Boise’s run in the third, on a double play.

Jim Fasano’s two-run single to center in the fifth gave the Indians an 8-1 lead. In the eighth, Nickeas collected his fourth RBI on a single to right, and Brandon Boggs hit a two-out, two-run homer to right.

Third pitcher Kevin Altman (1-1) earned the win with three shutout innings. Altman allowed four hits, walked none and struck out three.

Indians starter J.D. Cockroft scattered five hits in four innings, striking out two and walking none.

Spokane is 6-2 against Boise this year. The Indians are 8-10 overall on the road, but 4-1 at Boise.

Spokane will begin a five-game series at home Saturday against the Vancouver Canadians. Vancouver is 4-1 against the Indians this season.