Jacob Humphrey homers twice, including slam; Spokane Indians pound Eugene 12-4 | NWL baseball

EUGENE – Jacob Humphrey wasn’t the only Spokane Indians hitter to have a good game, but his production did stand out in the crowd.

Humphrey went 4-for-5 with two home runs – including a grand slam – with five RBIs as the Indians lapped the Eugene Emeralds 12-4 in the opener of a six-game High-A Northwest League series at PK Park on Tuesday.

The first-place Indians (12-4) are winners of 10 straight, the longest win streak in the league this season, and 11 of their last 12 games.

The Indians jumped on top in the second when Humphrey led the inning off with his sixth home run of the season.

Eugene (7-9) countered in the third with a two-run homer by Jhonny Level, his second of the season.

The teams traded runs in the fourth, but it was all Indians after that.

In the fifth, Roynier Hernandez doubled with one down and later scored on a groundout. Humphrey followed with a single, plating Ethan Hedges from second to put the Indians up 4-3.

With runners at second and third, Robert Calaz dumped a single to short right center to plate both for a three-run lead.

They loaded the bases with two down in the sixth, and Humphrey came up with the loudest of his four hits in the game, clearing the bases for a 10-3 lead.

The only mystery at that point was whether Tommy Hopfe would extend his hitting streak to 22 games, which he did with a single in the seventh inning.

The streak is the longest for the Indians in the High-A era, passing Hunter Stovall’s 21 in 2021.

Since June 1, Hopfe is hitting .381 (42-of-110) with six homers and 19 RBIs.

Lost in the offense was starting pitcher Jordy Vargas tossing a career high 96 pitches over six innings. He allowed three runs on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts.

The series continues Wednesday at 6:35 p.m.