O'Banion Blasts Spokane Past Boise, 3-2

Spokane, WASH. - One Austin O'Banion swing made all the difference on Saturday night, as his 6^th inning solo home run pushed the Spokane Indians past the Boise Hawks, 3-2. A crowd of 6,678 witnessed Spokane's first win of the season on Star Wars Night presented by Tira Rama & Cooper Tires, KHQ, 93.7 The Mountain, 1510 KGA NW Sports Talk, and The Current.

The game was a back and forth battle with timely hits by some Spokane newcomers. The scoring got started in the second inning when Kole Enright came away with a standup triple. The next batter, Yohel Pozo, drove in Enright to give the Indians a 1-0 lead on Pozo's first RBI of the season.

Boise scored its first run of the game in the top of the 4^th inning, but Spokane responded in the bottom half. Making his first career start in professional baseball, Kobie Taylor smacked a single to left, scoring Enright for the second time on the evening, and giving the Indians a 2-1 lead.

The Hawks would tie the game up in the top of the sixth, but once again the Indians had an answer in the bottom half. This time it was O'Banion with a no doubter off of Boise pitcher Kyle Cedotal. The Indians retook the lead 3-2 off the solo home run.

With a 3-2 lead, the Spokane bullpen sealed the deal. Joe Barlow earned the win with 1.2 scoreless innings pitched with a pair of strikeouts. Ronny Carvajal picked up the first save of the season, throwing two shutout innings along with two strikeouts.

Starting pitcher Tyler Phillips also had a strong performance in his return to Spokane. The team's 2016 strikeout leader pitched 5.1 innings, allowing two runs while striking out three.

Sunday will be a Father's Day doubleheader at Avista Stadium. Game one will be Luke, I Am Your Father's Day Game presented by Inland Imaging, KXLY 4 News, Rock 94 ½, 700 ESPN, and Family Guide, and is scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM. Game two will be presented by ABC Office Equipment, KREM 2-TV, 93.7 The Mountain, 1510 KGA NW Sports Talk, and The Journal of Business, and will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Both games of the doubleheader will be 7 innings each. Stick around after the second game to play catch on the field with Dad courtesy of Hi 5 Orthodontics.

Tickets for all Spokane Indians home games are available t o purchase at the Avista Stadium Ticket Office or at spokaneindians.com. Reserve your seats today by calling (509) 343-OTTO (6886) or TicketsWest at 1-800-325-SEAT.

The Spokane Indians are the Short Season Class 'A' Affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Ticket Packages and Hospitality Areas for the 2017 Spokane Indians season are available now. Click Here to view the 2017 schedule. For more information, please visit SpokaneIndians.com or call (509) 343-OTTO (6886). Parking at all Spokane Indians games is FREE.