Gardner's Hot Streak Continues in Indians' 8-5 Win

SPOKANE, Wash. - Tanner Gardner entered this series against Salem-Keizer with 14 RBI on the season.   The last three nights, he's driven in 13 runs, including a 2-run homer Saturday night that gave Spokane the insurance they needed in an 8-5 victory over the Volcanoes on Yoke's $1 Family Feast presented by Yoke's Fresh Market and 92.9 ZZU.

For the third straight night, Spokane jumped out to a huge lead behind numerous offensive contributions. Julio Pablo Martinez led off the bottom of the first with a base hit, proceeded to steal second, and eventually scored on a ground ball.
The big inning came in the fourth. Like they have the last two nights, Salem-Keizer had trouble finding the strike zone. They walked three straight hitters and then hit Curtis Terry with a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in a run. With the bases still loaded, Diosbel Arias lined one out to center field for a two-run single. Tanner Gardner followed it up with an RBI knock to give Spokane a 6-0 lead. Arias tallied three hits on the night and is now hitting .372 this season and .406 at Avista Stadium.
The Volcanoes fought back. They put up crooked numbers in the fifth and sixth to cut the Indians lead down to a run. Jake Latz finished the night throwing 5.1 innings, giving up five runs, three of them earned, and striking out four. Latz (W, 5-2) now leads Spokane in victories this season.
Tanner Gardner made sure the Volcanoes stayed at arm's length. With one on and one out in the sixth, Gardner launched a two-run shot to the Coors Light Caboose in right field for his fourth homer of the season and extended the lead to 8-5. In three games this series, Gardner is 8-for-12 with two homers and 13 RBI.
The bullpen shut down the Volcanoes in the final three frames. Wes Robertson, Austin Pettibone, and Emmanuel Clase each threw a scoreless inning. Clase (SV, 10) closed the door and kept Spokane within one game of Vancouver in the North Division standings with eight games to play. The Indians and Canadians will face each other at Avista Stadium the final three games of the season.
Spokane goes for a fourth-straight win against Salem-Keizer on Sunday for Augtoberfest Day Game presented by Samuel Adams and 95.3 KPND. Get a taste of the Bavarian tradition a few months early at the Spokane Indians Augtoberfest. There will be highlighted food and drink items, and Samuel Adams Oktoberfest giveaways. Plus, Stick around after the game to play Catch on the Field courtesy of Pizza Factory! Gates open at 2:30 PM with first pitch at 3:30 PM. Tickets for all Spokane Indians home games are available to 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.