Indians Move Into Tie For First With 7-5 Win
SPOKANE, Wash. – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Hunter Stovall extended his hitting streak to 21 games, Spokane won their 22nd game since the start of August, and the Indians have stormed back from 14.5 games out of first and are now officially tied atop the High-A West
SPOKANE, Wash. – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Hunter Stovall extended his hitting streak to 21 games, Spokane won their 22nd game since the start of August, and the Indians have stormed back from 14.5 games out of first and are now officially tied atop the High-A West after beating the Tri-City Dust Devils, 7-5, on Back to School Night presented by Great Clips and Kids Magazine.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Niko Decolati finished 3-for-5 and picked up his team-leading 53rd RBI of the season. He also stole three bases and has now swiped 23 bags this year.
- Will Ethridge earned his third-straight victory. He has pitched into the sixth inning each of those three games, including 5.1 innings on Thursday. He gave up three runs on six hits and struck out three.
- Daniel Montano collected two more hits and two RBI and is now hitting .380 over his last 22 games.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Hunter Stovall took care of extending his hitting streak once again in the first inning. The single pushed his hitting streak to 21 games. He’s five games away from tying the longest hitting streak in team history, a 26-game streak by Smead Jolly in 1940.
- Dugan Darnell pitched a perfect ninth inning, his 12th straight successful save opportunity. Those 12 saves rank second in the High-A West.
- After losing on August 1st, Spokane dropped to 37-41, while Everett sported a 51-26 record. Since then, Spokane is 22-5 and Everett is 8-20. The two teams are now tied at 59-46 atop the High-A West standings just one month later.
KEY MOMENT
Tri-City mounted an eighth inning rally after trailing 7-3. They led off the inning with three-straight singles that cut the lead to 7-4 and had runners at the corners with nobody out and the tying run at the plate. Boby Johnson allowed a sacrifice fly to make it 7-5 and then induced an inning-ending double play to end the threat and keep Tri-City at arms distance.
AROUND THE HIGH-A WEST
Adam Kloffenstein picked up his sixth win as Vancouver downed Everett, 5-2.
Hillsboro scored two in the sixth and two in the seventh to squeak by Eugene, 6-5.
With Spokane’s win, coupled with losses by Everett and Eugene, the Indians are now tied with the AquaSox for first place in the High-A West. Both teams are 0.5 games ahead of the Emeralds. The top two teams will face-off for the High-A West Playoffs in a five-game series starting September 21st.
NEXT GAME AT AVISTA STADIUM
Spokane and Tri-City continue their six-game series on Friday for Family Feast & Storybook Princess Night presented by Yoke’s Fresh Market and KAYU. Hot dogs, Pepsi products, and ice cream sandwiches are only $2.00 for Family Feast Night! Plus, Avista Stadium transforms into a magical land full of princesses. Wear your prince or princess costume and take pictures with all your favorite storybook characters! Stick around after the game to participate in the Taco Bell Ball Toss benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Spokane and Kootenai County. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. The Avista Stadium gates will open at 5:30 p.m. CLICK HERE to get your tickets.