Cole Ragans has strong outing, leading Spokane Indians to 6-3 win

Spokane starter and No. 8 Rangers prospect Cole Ragans set two career highs with six strong innings and nine strikeouts to lift the Spokane Indians over the Hillsboro Hops 6-3 in the final game of a five-game Northwest League baseball series on Monday night.
Ragans encountered some trouble early in his start as Drew Ellis launched a solo home run to put the Hops ahead 1-0 in the second inning.
The Indians (10-16) responded with a two-out rally in their half of the second as Hillsboro left-fielder Yan Sanchez missed a fly ball and allowed Kole Enright to score and tie the game at 1.
Two walks to begin the third inning found Ragans in a tough situation, and he ultimately allowed both runners to score on RBI singles by Sanchez and Pavin Smith to give Hillsboro (14-12) a 3-1 lead.
In total, Ragans would throw six innings while giving up four hits, three runs and three walks. He struck out nine.
Spokane continued to chip away in the third inning as Yonny Hernandez walked in his first at-bat as an Indian and scored on a Tyler Ratliff groundout for a 3-2 score.
Andretty Cordero followed up Ratliff with a two-run home run for the first Indians lead, 4-3.
Chad Smith led off the Indians’ fifth inning with a base hit and scored as Cordero collected his third RBI with a run-scoring double to increase the Spokane lead to 5-3.
Catcher Melvin Novoa singled to score Cordero from second and expand Spokane’s lead to 6-3.
Reliever Josh Advocate entered in the seventh inning for Ragans and finished the game with three scoreless innings. He allowed three hits, walked none and struck out two.
In the top of the eighth, Hillsboro loaded the bases after two singles and an error with two outs, but Advocate set down Tra’Mayne Holmes on strikes to end the threat.
Advocate would close out the game and earn his first career save.
The Indians have their first day off the season Tueday before returning to the road to face the Vancouver Canadians (16-10) at 7:05 p.m on Wednesday night at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia.