Boise completes three-game sweep of Spokane
Despite establishing the lead in the first inning and again in the fifth, the Spokane Indians were unable to avoid being swept at home by the Boise Hawks.
The Hawks, who hold first place in the East Division, beat the Indians 13-8 on Thursday night in the final game of the three-game series in Northwest League baseball play in front of 4,790 at Avista Stadium.
Spokane pitchers combined for just six strikeouts and the Indians’ inability to close out hitters – combined with four fielding errors from Spokane’s defense – contributed largely to the loss and the sweep.
“We didn’t have any shutdown innings,” Spokane manager Mike Micucci said. “We didn’t put up any zeros and that puts too much pressure on the offense.”
The Indians are in last place in the league with a 4.81 team earned run average. Boise is second-to-last in the league with a 4.15 ERA.
“It’s a matter of everything not coming together,” designated hitter Nick Cadena said of the loss. “When that happens, it’s going to be great.”
Down by one run in the first inning, the Indians jumped ahead of Boise by scoring four runs with a stolen base, two RBI singles and a RBI double. The double came from Chris Davis, marking his sixth in the series.
Spokane’s lead lasted just an inning, when Boise scored four runs off Spokane’s Brett Zamzow on three hits, assisted by two Spokane errors in the third inning to make it 5-4.
Zamzow gave up five unearned runs in four innings, with three strikeouts and three walks.
The Hawks added another run in the fifth with two base hits to make it 6-4 before Spokane scored another four runs in the bottom half of the inning, reclaiming the lead at 8-6. Cadena, who usually plays in the infield, tallied his second RBI of the night in the fifth, going 3 for 5.
“We’re at it day in and day out,” Cadena said of his .299 batting average. “I’ll do whatever I can to help out the team, whether it be on the bench cheering them on, or in the lineup.”
But Boise added another four runs in the top of the sixth with three base hits, including a two-run double from Steven Clevenger. The runs were charged to Shannon Wirth (0-3), who took the loss after yielding four runs in one-plus inning.
The Hawks sealed the sweep with three runs scored in the last two innings on six base hits off two Indians relievers.
The Indians will hit the road today for a five-game series against the Everett AquaSox at Everett Memorial Stadium. They will return to Spokane next Thursday for a five-game series against the Vancouver Canadians.