Emeralds blank Indians
It’s been more than a decade, but Spokane Indians pitching coach Jim Nettles, got to wear the manager’s hat on Monday night.
Spokane manager Mike Micucci was ejected in the fifth inning after arguing a controversial call at home plate. Micucci handed the reins over to Nettles who has extensive managerial experience under his belt, but the win was out of reach for the Indians.
“There’s not a whole lot to do,” Nettles said about stepping in to manage. “Just tell the guys to stay off the umpires.”
The Eugene Emeralds totaled 12 hits in the 5-0 victory over Spokane in Northwest League baseball play in front of 3,460 spectators at Avista Stadium. Eugene won four times in the five-game series.
With a Eugene base runner on third in the fifth inning, Spokane reliever Craig Crow threw a wild pitch that Brian Lauderdale would swing at for a third strike. Catcher Billy Killian scrambled for the ball and threw to Crow covering home. The umpire called the runner safe, but the close play brought Micucci out of the dugout. After a few minutes, the manager was tossed.
Before the Indians (20-41) retired the Ems (34-27), another run was put on the board giving Eugene a 4-0 lead.
Nettles’ didn’t think the runner reached home plate and Killian also thought Crow had the tag. Nettles couldn’t hear what the argument between Micucci and the umpire was about.
“You know how it goes here in baseball: Everything is not always the way we hope it will go,” Killian said about the runner being called safe.
Killian, who played for Eugene last year, turned around in the bottom of the fifth inning after the close play at home, with a hard hit ball to right-center, but was thrown out on at third going for a triple.
Another close play later on in the eighth inning brought Nettles out of the dugout.
A Eugene base runner tagged up at second base on a fly ball that center fielder Craig Gentry caught and threw to third. The runner was called safe prompting Nettles to come out and argue the call. The base runner never scored because on the next play Thomas Berkery fielded a grounder at second and threw the runner out at home.
Spokane had the bases loaded in the eighth after a walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch, but Eugene’s second reliever of the inning R.J. Rodriguez struck out clean-up hitter Steve Marquardt and followed by enticing KC Herren to pop out to the catcher.
Earlier on in the game with runners on first and second, a grounder to Eugene’s third baseman in the third inning forced Spokane’s Wally Backman Jr. to slide into second, but he beat the throw and was called safe. Backman assumed he was out and started to walk off the bag and was tagged out by the second baseman who still had the ball in his hand.
Killian described the game as frustrating because he said there is a lot of talent on the team, they just need to pull it all together.
Chad Huffman had a solo home run to left field leading off the fourth inning for Eugene.
Lauderdale made his first appearance in the series as Eugene’s leadoff/designated hitter. He opened the first inning with a double to left and a stole base. He scored the first run on a groundout from Craig Cooper.