Spokane rallies past Everett
The Spokane Indians rallied from a two-run, fourth-inning deficit to earn a 7-3 Northwest League victory over the Everett AquaSox in front of 3,667 at Avista Stadium Sunday night.
Spokane’s Steve Marquardt opened the fourth inning with his first of two doubles on the night. After a Jay Heafner fly-out, Everett starting pitcher Steve Uhlmansiek proceeded to throw eight straight balls, loading the bases with one out for Billy Killian, whose run-scoring single to right brought Spokane to within 2-1. Craig Gentry followed with a two-run double giving the Indians a 3-2 lead, chasing Uhlmansiek from the game. Killian was thrown out at the plate on Joey Hooft’s fielder’s choice. After another walk – the third of the inning – Spokane home run-leader Chad Tracy struck out looking with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Everett opened scoring in the third inning. Jair Fernandez led off with a double and scored on a one-out single by Christopher Minaker.
Everett made it 2-0 in the fourth on Bryan Sabatella’s run-scoring infield single, scoring Joesph White. Brennan Garr had relieved Spokane starter Michael Wagner to start the inning. Wagner struck out four in his three innings of work, allowing two hits and walking none. Wagner’s team-leading 30 strikeouts this season are good for third in the Northwest League
Everett’s pitching struck out eight Spokane batters, but ended up walking eight and hitting three with wild pitches.
“We knew we had some time,” Spokane manager Mike Micucci said. “The pitchers did a good job minimizing the damage and we put some hits together.”
Spokane scored once more in the fifth. With two outs, Killian stroked his second RBI-single of the night, scoring Wally Backman Jr. Killian was 2 for 4 in the game and, after starting the series on Wednesday batting .242, finished with a .318 average, including a 3-for-3 performance with a walk on Saturday night.
“It’s a concentration of wanting to help the team and thinking outside of myself,” Killian said.
After hitting as designated hitter in the ninth slot on Saturday, Killian was behind the plate catching where he caught two base runners stealing at second on Sunday.
“Relaxation helped with part of coming back to the catching side,” he said.
Marquardt, who leads the NWL with 10 doubles, continued the lead with his second double of the night knocking in one run in the sixth inning. Jay Heafner earned Spokane’s final two runs with a fielder’s choice in the sixth and a RBI single in the eighth.
Spokane’s Austin Weilep (Northport HS) gave up Everett’s final run with a RBI double from pinch hitter Curtis Ledbetter. Weilep closed the last two innings and finished with two strikeouts.
The Indians hit the road today for a five-game series at Vancouver, British Columbia. They return to Spokane Saturday for a three-game series against the Tri-City Dust Devils.