8th Inning Redband Rally Leads to 8-5 Win
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Northwest heat wave subsided a bit, a season-high 3,072 fans filed into Avista Stadium, and they were treated to an instant classic. Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the eighth, Spokane used a six-run Redband Rally to electrify both the crowd and their own dugout on
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Northwest heat wave subsided a bit, a season-high 3,072 fans filed into Avista Stadium, and they were treated to an instant classic. Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the eighth, Spokane used a six-run Redband Rally to electrify both the crowd and their own dugout on the way to an 8-5 victory over the Tri-City Dust Devils, on 4th of July Celebration Weekend presented by R’nR RV Center.
TOP PERFORMERS
Mitch Kilkenny followed up his three strong road starts with a great home debut. The 6’4” righty tossed six scoreless innings before giving up a solo shot and a walk to start the seventh.
Carlos Herrera and Brendon Davis wreaked havoc on Spokane pitching once again Saturday. Herrera went 3-for-4 with a double and Davis launched his league-leading 11th homer of the season to give the Dust Devils a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning.
In his third start of the season for Spokane, catcher Javier Guevara was one of the heroes of the night. His RBI knock in the eighth gave Spokane a 6-5 lead that proved to be the winning run.
BY THE NUMBERS
Davis and Herrera are now a combined 20-for-45 (.444) with four doubles, two triples, and five homers in this series.
For the second night in a row, Jack Blomgren was very active atop the Spokane lineup. He walked, stole his 13th base of the season, scored a run, and hit a two-run double in the decisive eighth inning.
Francisco Del Valle hit a solo homer to lead off the seventh inning. Four of his six home runs this season have come against Spokane.
KEY MOMENT
Tri-City tied the game with two runs in the seventh and took a 5-2 lead with three runs in the eighth. That’s when the Redband Rally struck for Spokane. After a pair of walks, Brenton Doyle lofted a base hit to left-center field that scored Aaron Schunk. The throw into third base was airmailed into the dugout, allowing Michael Toglia to score and cut the lead to a run. Doyle advanced to third on the play, and Hunter Stovall’s grounder to shortstop was slightly bobbled, which gave enough time for Doyle to make an evasive slide at home plate to tie the game at five. Stovall would then steal second base and come around to score what proved to be the winning run on Guevara’s two-out single. After an AJ Lewis walk, Blomgren stuck the dagger in the heart of the Dust Devils with a two-run double to send Avista Stadium and the Indians’ dugout into a frenzy, capping off a remarkable six-run inning and comeback victory.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
The Hillsboro Hops scored eight runs in the first three innings and went on to top the Eugene Emeralds, 8-5.
Eugene’s loss opened the door for the Everett AquaSox to move atop the High-A West standings. The AquaSox handled the Vancouver Canadians, 11-5. Everett now holds a half game lead over Eugene for first in the league.
NEXT GAME AT AVISTA STADIUM
Spokane and Tri-City conclude their six-game series on Sunday for 4th of July Celebration Night presented by STCU. Join us to celebrate our nation’s independence as the team wears special Operation Fly Together uniforms and a KC-135 does a pregame flyover of Avista Stadium. Stick around after the game to Circle The Bases presented by Dairy Queen. First pitch for Sunday’s game is at 7:05 p.m. The Avista Stadium gates will open at 6:00 p.m. Get your tickets by CLICKING HERE.