Power Surge Pushes Tri-City to Victory over Spokane
A seventh inning of slugging and scoring propelled the Tri-City Dust Devils (2-7) to their first home win of 2024, a 4-2 decision over the Spokane Indians (8-1) Sunday afternoon at Gesa Stadium. For a while the game had a similar feel to the first five games of the series,
A seventh inning of slugging and scoring propelled the Tri-City Dust Devils (2-7) to their first home win of 2024, a 4-2 decision over the Spokane Indians (8-1) Sunday afternoon at Gesa Stadium.
For a while the game had a similar feel to the first five games of the series, with Tri-City held to one hit and two total baserunners by Spokane starter Victor Juarez in his six-inning start. A call to the bullpen for the bottom of the 7th inning, though, provided an offensive opening for the Dust Devils, who trailed 2-0.
3B Ben Gobbel led off the inning by smacking a pitch from Indians reliever Brayan Castillo (0-1) over the left field wall for his first home run of the season. The solo blast cut the Spokane lead in half at 2-1. 2B Will McGillis then drew a walk, getting aboard as the potential tying run.
That set the stage for the switch hitting RF Jadiel Sanchez, who took on the righty Castillo from the left hand side. Sanchez took a 1-0 pitch deep to right field, where it bounced off the top of the wall and over for a two-run home run that gave Tri-City a 3-2 lead and proved the game-winning hit. 1B Matt Coutney followed with a double down the right field line, scoring on an RBI single by LF Joe Stewart to push the lead to 4-2.
The bullpen then needed six outs to salt the win away, and they would get them scorelessly. Lefty Dylan Phillips got the first two outs of the 8th inning and righty Cam Minacci got the final four outs, finishing the game for his second save. Carlos Espinosa (1-0), who pitched the top of the 7th, got the win.
Tri-City stayed in the game thanks to the efforts of starting pitcher Chris Clark, who nearly matched Juarez with a quality start. The righty and former team captain of the Harvard Crimson also went six innings, giving up just a run on four hits and striking out seven in his best start as a pro.
The win allowed the Dust Devils to salvage a game of the six-game series, taken by the Indians five games to one. The Inland Northwest rivals will not play again until July 1, facing off 18 times in the second half of the Northwest League schedule.
Tri-City hits the road to just west of Portland, beginning a six-game set with the Hillsboro Hops at Hillsboro Ballpark Tuesday night. Games Tuesday-Friday will begin at 6:35 p.m. and Saturday has an earlier 4:05 p.m. start, with a 1:05 p.m. Sunday matinee finishing the series.
Broadcast coverage of the series opener will begin with the pregame show at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday night, both here and on the MiLB app.
After the series the Dust Devils will return home for a two-week homestand starting Tuesday, April 23, against the Everett AquaSox. Tickets for the homestand are on sale now, with special ticket rates available for groups of 20 or more. For more information on Dust Devils single game, season, mini-plan (11, 22, 33) and group tickets, visit the team’s official ticketing site, dustdevilsbaseball.com.