Rookies excel for Canadians

Richard Robnett and Landon Powell wasted little time introducing themselves to the Spokane Indians.

Robnett and Powell, both first-round selections in last month’s draft, played instrumental roles Saturday night in just their third games with the Vancouver Canadians.

Powell collected his first professional hit, a home run to right field, and Robnett singled twice and scored the go-ahead run in the ninth inning as Vancouver dispatched Spokane 4-2 to open a five-game series at Avista Stadium.

Spokane is 18-12 against the other six Northwest League baseball teams but 1-5 against the Canadians. The Indians, who had a four-game winning streak snapped, remained tied for first place in the East Division when Tri-City lost at Everett.

Vancouver (17-19) entered the night six games behind first-place Everett in the West Division, but the addition of the dynamic duo may affect the pennant race.

“We have half the season left, so we can turn it around in a hurry, if we stay consistent,” Robnett said.

The Oakland Athletics selected Powell, a catcher from the University of South Carolina, with the 24th overall pick. Robnett, an outfielder from Fresno State University, was tabbed two spots later.

Powell and Robnett signed together in Oakland. The A’s treated them regally, allowing them to take batting practice with the big-league players and introducing them to the home crowd.

“We got dressed up in our A’s uniforms,” Robnett said. “It was really cool.”

Robnett has jumped right in to his professional career, batting 5 for 11 with four runs batted in during his first three games.

Powell, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound switch-hitter, had been 0 for 10 with the Canadians until he homered off Mark Roberts (2-5) to give Vancouver a short-lived, 2-1 lead in the seventh.

Spokane tied the game in the seventh with a sloppy play on both sides.

Tobin Swope grounded back to pitcher Clay Tichota (2-0) with one out and Billy Susdorf straying too far off third base. Instead of attempting to catch Susdorf in a rundown, Tichota threw to first base for the second out. Susdorf continued home and slid safely around Powell’s tag, bringing Canadians manager Dennis Rogers out to the field for an argument with home-plate umpire Tyler Garrison.

Robnett began the Canadians’ two-run rally in the ninth with a single back up the middle. The Indians’ evening fell apart when the next batter, Myron Leslie, popped a bunt out of the reach of Roberts. The Indians’ pitcher gathered up the ball and threw too high to second base, attempting to force out Robnett.

The play hit a further downward spiral when center fielder Brandon Boggs also threw high while relaying the ball back to second base. With the ball trickling away, Robnett scored for a 3-2 lead, and Leslie later scored on Gregorio Petit’s two-out single to right.

“I couldn’t tell (on the bunt) if the pitcher was actually going to make the catch,” Robnett said. “I was kind of antsy about whether I should go back to first or go to second. … They made a couple of bad throws that turned the game around for us.”

The Indians left runners at first and second in the ninth when Tobin Swope attempted a surprise bunt that didn’t surprise catcher Powell.

Spokane scored in the second when Jim Fasano followed Chris Alexander’s leadoff single with a double to right-center field that bounced on the warning track. Swope’s error at shortstop in the fourth allowed Robnett to score the tying run.

Canadians starter Braulio Santana threw five innings to take over the league lead in innings pitched (44). Roberts struck out four in relief to give him 40 strikeouts for the season, No. 2 in the NWL.

Notes

The Indians lost one first-round draft selection and gained another as the parent-club Texas Rangers promoted a pair of right-handed pitchers. Thomas Diamond, the 10th overall selection in last month’s draft, is leaving Spokane for Clinton (Iowa) of the Midwest League. Taking Diamond’s place will be Eric Hurley, the 30th overall choice, who has been playing in the Arizona Rookie League. Diamond was 0-2 with Spokane, but had an earned-run average of 2.35 and recorded 26 strikeouts in 15 innings. Hurley was 0-1 with 15 strikeouts