S-K’s Griffin dominates Spokane in NWL debut
If Salem-Keizer’s Dan Griffin wanted to make a great first impression on his new teammates, mission accomplished.
Griffin, who joined the Volcanoes in Spokane three days ago, held the Indians to one hit in six shutout innings and struck out 11 as Salem-Keizer snapped a three-game losing skid with a 3-2 Northwest League win on Saturday at Avista Stadium before a crowd of 5,591.
“Their starter threw really well, pretty much dominated,” said Indians starter Doug Mathis, who gave up two runs in five innings pitched to take his fourth loss of the season.
Going back to his four starts in the Arizona Rookie League, Griffin has not allowed a run in the last 16 2/3 inning pitched – striking out 28 and walking five during that same period.
“It’s nice to be here (at this level),” said Griffin. “I pitched in Arizona, but it didn’t feel like pro ball. This did.”
Griffin’s 11 strikeouts were a season high by an opposing pitcher against the Indians. His first six outs were strikeouts. Griffin gave up a single to German Duran in the first, and then retired seven batters before walking K.C. Herren in the third.
The 6-foot-7 right-hander from Schenectady, N.Y., then retired the last 10 batters he faced before giving way to Matt Raguse.
“You can’t give excuses,” said Freddie Thon, who led off the seventh inning with a home run to make it 2-1. “Griffin was just throwing good, as much as it hates to say it.”
With the Indians (18-21) down 2-0, Thon drove the first pitch he saw by Raguse over the left-field wall to cut the lead in half with his sixth home run of the season.
The Volcanoes (21-18), however, answered with a run of their own in the top of the eighth to increase the lead back to two.
A two-out double to left field by Duran in the bottom of the eighth scored Julio Santana to make it 3-2.
In the ninth, David Quinowski, got Phillip Hawke to ground out and then Brian Anderson came in and struck out John Mayberry Jr. and Joe Kemp to get his Northwest League-leading 10th save and end the game.
The Indians fell one game behind Boise in the East Division standings. Boise beat Vancouver 9-2 Saturday, breaking up a three-way tie atop the division, with both Spokane and Tri-City losing (6-5 to Everett).
After holding the Volcanoes to one hit in the first three innings, Mathis gave up a two-out single to Pablo Sandoval and a double to D.J. Dixon in the fourth. Charlie Babineaux then drove in both runners with a single to left field.