Indians hang on late to turn back AquaSox for second straight win

From staff reports

The box score belied Colin Simpson’s contribution to the Spokane Indians’ second consecutive victory Thursday night.

Simpson produced a bases-loaded walk and a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the Indians’ 6-5 win over the Everett AquaSox in a Northwest League game at Avista Stadium.

Simpson, who finished 0 for 2 with a strikeout on the stat sheet, drove in Grant Lavigne with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second inning for a 1-0 lead that lasted until Everett’s Mike Salvatore clubbed a two-run homer in the fourth for a 2-1 edge.

The Indians loaded the bases in the bottom half of the fourth, and Simpson drew a six-pitch walk to score Drew Romo with a tying run. Christopher Navarro followed with a two-run single to boost Spokane’s advantage to 4-2.

Noelvi Marte cut the AquaSox deficit with an RBI single in the fifth.

Nic Kent’s RBI double scored Robby Martin Jr. in the sixth for the Indians, and Julio Carreras’s run-scoring groundout in the seventh drove in Zac Veen for a 6-3 lead.

Salvatore pulled the AquaSox within 6-4 with his a solo shot in the eighth.

Everett nearly completed its comeback in the ninth. Marte reached on an error with two outs and later scored on Alberto Rodriguez’s RBI double to draw Everett within 6-5. Dariel Gomez lined out to left field to end the game.

Lavigne was 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored, and Romo was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Navarro was 2 for 4. Salvatore, Marte and Rodriguez had two hits apiece.

Spokane finished the first half of the season 34-30.