Spokane Indians lose ninth straight 8-3; Everett pounds 4 home runs, clinches first half title

There are always some torn loyalties when the Everett AquaSox trek to Eastern Washington to take on the Spokane Indians at Avista Stadium.

There are many Seattle Mariners fans in Spokane. Those folks are invested in how the M’s prospects fare, and they relish the opportunity to see the organization’s High-A players in person – cheering them on in each at-bat.

Prospect hounds have enjoyed watching Colt Emerson (Mariners’ No. 1 prospect), Lazaro Montes (No. 2) and Michael Arroyo (No. 7) pound Spokane pitching this week. Regardless, most would rather see the home team win.

But the formula remained the same on Thursday, and the Indians lost their third straight to Everett and ninth in a row overall, 8-3, to close out the Northwest League first half. The Indians have scored three or fewer runs in seven of the nine losses.

Montes went 3 for 5 with two homers and three RBIs, Arroyo went 2 for 4 with a homer and two runs, and Emerson extended his hitting streak to seven games.

With the win, the AquaSox (37-29) clinched the first-half title and homefield advantage in the NWL championship series in the late summer. The Indians, who were one game out of first when the losing streak began, fell to 29-37 and last place, eight games behind Everett.

The AquaSox jumped on Indians starting pitcher Albert Pacheco (5-5) as soon as the umpire said, “Play ball.” Charlie Pagliarini hit the first pitch of the game for a long home run to right field. After a groundout, Arroyo clobbered Pacheco’s third pitch of the game for his 15th homer of the season, tying Montes for tops in the NWL.

Montes singled on a line drive and Luis Suisbel walked. Tai Peete singled to load the bases, and Freuddy Batista’s two-run single made it 4-0.

Spokane opened the bottom half with singles by Jared Thomas and Charlie Condon. Both were stranded by three straight outs.

Montes got into the act in the fourth. After Arroyo drew a walk, Montes clobbered a 3-1 fastball – recorded at 114 mph off the bat – off the top of the batter’s eye in center field for a two-run home run, his 16th of the season. Later in the inning, Peete walked, stole second and scored on Josh Caron’s double.

The Indians rallied in the bottom half.

Darius Perry led off with a solo home run, his second hit of the season in 46 at-bats and first home run. Thomas singled, and with one down Aidan Longwell hammered a first-pitch fastball to straightaway right for his team-leading 10th homer of the season.

It stayed that way until the seventh, when Montes hit homer No. 17 into the parking lot behind the scoreboard in right-center field.

The Indians managed just one base runner from Longwell’s homer in the third until his broken-bat single in the eighth.

Pacheco allowed seven runs on nine hits, striking out four and walking three. He gave up three home runs and threw 59 of his 94 pitches for strikes.