Logan Wyatt homers, leads Eugene Emeralds 12-1 romp over Spokane Indians

Logan Wyatt went 3 for 4 with a three-run homer and four RBIs, and the Eugene Emeralds beat the Spokane Indians 12-1 in a Northwest League game at Avista Stadium on Saturday.

Eugene (4-3) takes a 3-2 lead over the Indians (2-3) in the six-game series.

Wade Meckler went 3 for 4 with a walk, two runs and RBI and Luis Toribio homered for Eugene. The Indians managed just five hits and two walks against four Emeralds pitchers.

Spokane starting pitcher Brayan Castillo, a 22-year-old from Dominican Republic, allowed five hits and four runs, three earned, in 3⅔ innings, with six strikeouts, four walks and three balks. He threw 81 pitches, 49 for strikes.

“(Castillo) didn’t have any pitch location going for him tonight,” Indians pitching coach Ryan Kibler said. “But when he was in the zone, he was tough to hit.”

Castillo got into hot water in the second inning. He walked Toribio and Damon Dues singled with two out. Castillo balked to move the runners up. With two strikes to leadoff hitter Grant McCray, he balked again – clearly not coming set with his hands – and a run scored.

He struck out McCray on the next pitch and let out a scream as he left the mound.

“He just has a hard time coming set,” Kibler said. “Not stopping – just blows right through it. Something we’re gonna have to fix. He’s had that tendency for a couple years now.”

Castillo found more trouble in the third. He walked Meckler – his third in as many innings – and Wyatt followed with an RBI double. Wyatt moved over on Zach Kokoska’s fielding error at first and scored on a sacrifice fly.

Castillo struck out the first two batters of the fourth, but back-to-back doubles by Jimmy Glowenke and Meckler scored a run – ending the Indians starter’s evening.

“The walk scored. The balk pushed in a run,” Kibler said. “We’ve just got to command it better as it as a staff. Throw it where we want to. We’ve got to finish hitters, too. When you get to two strikes, we’ve got to finish them off.”

Anderson Bido came on to record the last out of the inning, but the 23-year-old righty, in his second season in Spokane, gave up Toribio’s solo homer in the fifth.

Wyatt crushed his second homer of the series, a three-run shot off Bido in the sixth, to make it 8-0.

The Indians got something going in the bottom half. Nic Kent led off with a walk, and Sterlin Thompson extended his season-opening hitting streak to five games with a single.

Jordan Beck walked to load the bases with two down, but Braxton Fulford bounced out to the pitcher.

Glowenke added a three-run double in the ninth off reliever Angel Chivilli.

Eric Silva, the San Francisco Giants No. 12 prospect, allowed one hit and no walks with three strikeouts over four innings.