Ethan Hedges puts Spokane Indians up for good with eighth inning blast | NWL baseball

If you’re a fan of high-scoring baseball games, you have to be thrilled with the Spokane Indians right now. On an offense tear now for a third consecutive series, it seems like they are never out of a game regardless the deficit.

The Indians indeed found themselves in deficits several times on Wednesday, but each time they dusted themselves off and found a way to stay in the game.

The last big blow was the biggest – and it was still barely enough to eke out a win.

Ethan Hedges hit a long three-run homer in a five-run eighth inning and the Spokane Indians held off the Tri-City Dust Devils 11-9 in the second of a six-game High-A Northwest League series at Avista Stadium.

Hedges finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Kelvin Hidalgo homered with four RBIs and Tommy Hopfe went 2-for-5 with a homer.

The Indians trailed by two entering the bottom of the eighth. Hopfe and Tevin Tucker led off with consecutive singles, then Hedges crushed a homer off the videoboard in left center, his seventh of the season. Jack O’Dowd drew a walk and with one down Robert Calaz blooped a single into short right to put runners at the corners.

Hidalgo bounced one to second, but Adrian Placencia’s throw sailed past shortstop Capri Ortiz covering the bag and it went into the Indians bullpen in left field foul territory. By the time it was retrieved, both runners scored and Hidalgo slid safely into third.

Ortiz hit a run-scoring double in the ninth, but Indians reliever Nathan Blasick came back to get Jorge Ruiz to bounce out for his fourth save of the season.

Tri-City got to Indians starter Yuma Herrera for a run in the first inning. David Mershon hit a one-out single, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Matt Coutney.

Herrera got into more trouble in the second. He allowed a one-out single to Aaron Graeber, then walked Adrain Placencia and hit No. 9 hitter Oritz to load the bases.

That brought up Ruiz, whose hard – but routine – grounder ate up Kevin Fitzer at first and all hands were safe. Herrera came back to strikeout Mershon but then walked Harold Call to force in another run.

The Indians got all of those runs back on one swing in the bottom half when Kelvin Hidalgo lined a three-run homer onto the short porch in right field, his seventh home run of the season.

It didn’t take long for Tri-City to break the tie, as Randy De Jesus led off the third with a long homer to center, the league-leading 13th of the season for the 6-foot-4, 240-pound outfielder.

Tevin Tucker used his legs to tie it back up in the bottom half. He led off with a walk and went to second on a balk by Dust Devils starter Chase Shores. With one down, Shores attempted a pick-off move but threw it into center field. Tucker, who had dived back into the bag, got up and raced around the bases, beating the throw home and avoiding the tag with a headfirst slide.

De Jesus broke the tie again with his second homer of the game, this time off reliever Hunter Omlid, which hit halfway up the videoboard in left center.

The Indians rallied in the bottom half. Hopfe crushed the first pitch of the inning from reliever Francis Texido over the videoboard for his eighth homer of the campaign. Tucker drew a walk, went to third on a single by Hedges and scored on an O’Dowd single.

De Jesus doubled to lead off the seventh and Peter Burns walked. With one down, Placencia lined a double to the left center gap to plate both and Ruiz knocked him in with a two-out single to put Tri-City up 8-6.

Indians outfielder Jacob Humphrey made his first start since injuring his left wrist attempting a sliding catch against the Eugene Emeralds on June 9.

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