Picking up where they left off
BOISE – The Spokane Indians began defense of their 2003 Northwest League baseball championship in fine fashion before a sellout crowd of 3,995 on Friday night at Memorial Stadium.
Clayton Jerome tossed five stellar innings in his Indians debut and Spokane rolled to a 6-4 victory over the Boise Hawks in the league opener for both teams.
Jerome, a 41st-round pick this month from Texas Christian University, allowed just one run and five hits. He struck out two and issued one walk.
The Indians jumped on Boise starter Ed Campusano early.
Brock Jacobson doubled to lead off the top of the second inning. Kevin Mahar followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Angel Sanchez drove in Spokane’s first run of the season with a groundout to third base. Bobby LeNoir ripped a double to plate Mahar. Lenoir scored from second to put the Indians up 3-0 on a double error on a ground ball off the bat of Alex Guerra.
Boise managed to scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning despite the fine play of Spokane center fielder Brandon Cashman.
Cashman ran down a deep fly ball to left-center field for the first out of the inning. Then, after a single by Nick Jones, Cashman made a diving catch in shallow center for the second out. However, Jasha Balcom followed with a double to score Jones and provide the only blemish on Jerome’s outing.
The defending NWL champion Indians responded by putting up a crooked number in the top of the sixth.
Mahar opened the inning with a single and took third when Sanchez’s deep fly to center was dropped for a two-base error. After an out, Cashman was intentionally walked to load the bases. Guerra drove in Mahar with a groundout to second as the other runners moved up a base. Travis Metcalf followed with a two-run single to put the Indians up 6-1.
Boise managed to get back into the game against Spokane reliever Willy Espinal.
The Hawks put two runs on the scoreboard in their half of the sixth. Troy Richie singled and scored on a Kyle Boyer triple. Anthony Granato’s grounder to second drove in Boyer.
Boise’s final run came in the bottom of the eighth on a leadoff home run to left field by Oscar Bernard.
Espinal allowed three earned runs on three hits and a walk in his 2 2/3 innings of work. He struck out one.
Highly-touted Jesse Ingram took care of business in the bottom of the ninth.
The Spokane closer, who set a Pacific-10 Conference record with 10 saves this season for the California Golden Bears, allowed only a walk in nailing down his first NWL save.
Spokane will send former University of Louisiana-Monroe left-hander Justin Lensch to the mound tonight in the middle game of the three-game series. Lensch was a 37th-round pick this season. Boise will counter with lefty Yorkin Ferreras.
The Indians kick off the home season at Avista Stadium with a five-game series against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes beginning Monday at 6:30 p.m.
Spokane hits the road again next Saturday for a five-game series with Everett, before returning home for a pair of three-game series against Boise and Yakima.