Things came down to the wire in the Spokane Indians’ 6-5 Northwest League win over the Everett AquaSox on Saturday night.

With Spokane ahead by two runs in the top of the ninth inning, the Indians brought out right-hander Andrew Laughter to wrap up the victory at Avista Stadium.

Laughter gave up Kalian Sams’ leadoff double, got Jim Davenport to ground out to shortstop, then allowed Manelik Pimentel’s RBI single.

Suddenly, it was 6-5, with one out and a man on base.

Other pitchers might have choked.

Laughter composed himself. After coaxing a forceout at second base for the second out, he struck out Welington Dotel – accentuating the final pitch with a triumphant roar and a fist pump.

“Yeah, you know, we’re up by two,” Laughter said. “Leadoff double – that run doesn’t hurt us. I wasn’t worried about that. I was worried about the guy at the plate.”

Was he nervous?

“Not at all,” said Laughter, the Texas Rangers’ 10th-round draft pick who was a closer at Louisiana-Lafayette last year.

“I like the ball late in the game with the lead. So they just let me go out and do what I do.”

Laughter has three saves and 15 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched this season.

“I don’t know if we’ll necessarily call Laughter a ‘closer,’ because we don’t label guys at this stage in the game,” Spokane manager Tim Hulett said. “But he’s a late-innings guy. He’s gonna go out there at the end of games and throw 30-40 pitches and be limited to that.

“He’s competitive and aggressive. And he goes right for hitters.”

Catcher Billy Killian thinks Laughter’s personality makes him the perfect clutch-situation pitcher.

“To be a late-innings guy, that’s more of a football, hockey mentality,” Killian said. “You know you go out there for an inning, face three batters and go, ‘I’m just gonna blow you guys away.’ I think that fits his personality to a ‘T’ and I love working with him because he goes with what you want, and every pitch he makes, he uses 100 percent of what he’s got.

“I mean, he gave up that hit there, and it didn’t even slow him down.”

Led by a double from Killian, the Indians’ offense exploded in the third inning. Shortstop Andres James drove Killian home for the Indians’ first run, and designated hitter Jonathan Greene subsequently hit a grounder to center field that drove in another two runs.

Greene finished the night with three RBIs and is tied with Vancouver’s Danny Hamblin for first place in the NWL with 31.

The win extended the Indians’ streak to five. They are 1 1/2 games behind East Division leader Boise, which lost to Vancouver.

Spokane (18-20) wraps up the five-game homestand against Everett at 6:35 p.m. today.