Spokane Indians can’t cash in run in 10th inning, lose to to Hillsboro 4-3

HILLSBORO, Ore. – Jansel Luis hit a sacrifice fly with no outs in the 10th inning to score the winning run, and the Spokane Indians lost to the first-place Hillsboro Hops 4-3 in the third game of a High-A Northwest League series at Hillsboro Ballpark on Thursday.

Spokane (6-6) has won two of three games from the Hops (8-4).

The Indians squandered a two-on, no-out situation in the top of the 10th when Hops reliever Casey Anderson struck out three consecutive batters in his fourth inning of work.

In the bottom half, Druw Jones beat out a two-strike swinging bunt to put runners on the corners. Luis followed with a medium-deep fly to right that was deep enough to allow the extra-innings free runner Cristofer Torin to trot home with the winning run.

The Hops took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on Demetrio Crisantes’ two-run, opposite-field home run to right.

Indians outfielder Jared Thomas led off the sixth with a single, extending his season-long streak of reaching base with a single. He stole second base, went to third on a throwing error by the catcher and scored on a groundout.

Spokane took a lead in the seventh on Tevin Tucker’s RBI single and a run-scoring wild pitch.

Indians reliever Welinton Herrera walked Jones leading off the bottom of the eighth, and Luis’ bunt moved Jones up 90 feet. A flyout allowed Jones to go to third, then Herrera balked, allowing Jones to score, tying the game at 3.

Skyler Messinger led off the ninth with a single and went to second on a wild pitch, but he was picked off at second for the second out of the inning. Herrera bounced back in the ninth to retire the Hops and force extra innings.

With the extra-inning runner at second in the 10th, Jean Perez beat out a sacrifice bunt attempt to put runners at the corners. Tucker was called out on strikes when he tried to step out but was denied time by the home-plate umpire, Thomas struck out looking and Braylen Wimmer struck out swinging to end the inning.

Hillsboro starting pitcher Daniel Eagen struck out 12 over six innings, one shy of the team record. He allowed one unearned run on three hits.