Eugene finishes sweep of Indians
Playoff spot in jeopardy after sixth straight loss
EUGENE, Ore. – Casey McElroy’s RBI single in the seventh inning accounted for the only run Sunday and helped the Eugene Emeralds beat the Spokane Indians 1-0 and complete a five-game Northwest League sweep.
The Indians (32-39 overall, 12-21 second half), who have lost six in a row overall, are tied with Boise for the second-best overall record in the East Division. Should first-half winner Tri-City hold onto its spot atop the second-half standings, the team with the second-best overall record will advance to the playoffs. Yakima is a game behind T-C in the second half.
Spokane was limited to three hits by five Eugene pitchers, but had scoring chances in the first two innings. Hirotoshi Onaka was thrown out at the plate in the first inning, and Yefry Castillo was stranded at second base. In the second inning, the Indians also had runners at second and third but couldn’t score.
Daniel Cropper (1-0), the third pitcher of the game for the Emeralds, earned his first decision of the season, allowing only one hit in the seventh inning. Kyle Hendricks (2-2) took the loss for Spokane, allowing the run on three hits over two innings of work. He struck out four and walked one.
The Indians open a five-game season-ending homestand against Everett on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.