Six errors spell loss for Indians

It doesn’t matter if you are the first-place team in the Northwest League East Division – if you make six errors, and the last-place team makes none, the latter wins.

The Spokane Indians had a crippling six miscues in an 8-1 loss to the Yakima Bears on Wednesday night in Northwest League baseball play in front of a crowd of 3,069 at Avista Stadium.

“We didn’t handle the ball the way we’re capable of,” Spokane manager Mike Micucci said.

Spokane (7-10) had an opportunity to take the lead early in the second inning when Wally Backman Jr. opened with a single to right field and Jay Heafner walked. Brian Nelson then ripped a single, but right fielder Joey Side threw home to nail Backman, who collided with the catcher.

Yakima (5-12) did most of its damage in the fourth inning against starting pitcher Michael Ballard.

Jose Dilone opened the fourth with a double to right followed by a single to left by Lester Contreras, who advanced to second on an error. Mike DeCarlo walked to load the bases but was forced out at second on Edwin Roman’s grounder that scored Dilone. Contreras scored when Jason Watson reached base on second baseman Heafner’s error. Travis Tully knocked in Roman with a base hit and Blake Sharpe followed with a sacrifice fly to score Watson.

Shannon Wirth, out of Lewis-Clark State, relieved Ballard in the top of the fifth, but errors continued to plague Spokane. Cyle Hankerd singled up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Dilone then walked and DeCarlo loaded the bases with a base hit to right. Two runs then scored on shortstop Thomas Berkery’s throwing error as the Indians tried to turn a double play.

The Indians scored their run in the fifth. Brian Nelson walked, stole second and scored on Grant Gerrard’s single. It was Gerrard’s 11th RBI of the season. He went 3 for 4.Two Spokane infield errors and a passed ball led to another run for Yakima in the sixth when the Bears scored without the benefit of a hit.

Yakima added its final run in the eighth after Roman reached on first baseman Chris Kemp’s error and went to third on Tully’s single. A fly ball was hit to left fielder Nelson, but he never saw the ball and which dropped next to him, scoring the final run of the game.

Four of Yakima’s runs were unearned.

“We just gotta come out and play (today),” Micucci said. “We’ll be fine.”

Game 2 of the three-game series will be played tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Avista Stadium.