Redband Rally falls short in 2-1 loss

SPOKANE, Wash. - The Eugene Emeralds struck for a run in the top of the ninth to outlast the Spokane Indians, 2-1, in a back-and-forth affair on Back to School Day & Lawton Team Photo Giveaway presented by Ambetter by Coordinated Care and KISS 98.1.

TOP PERFORMERS

• Justin Slaten pitched two steady innings for his first scoreless appearance in his last four starts. He struck out two and walked none.
• Luis Rosario piggybacked Slaten with another strong relief appearance. He gave up a run and struck out six in his five innings of work. Rosario has a 1.72 ERA in his last six appearances, a stretch spanning 26.2 innings.
• Francisco Ventura had the only extra base hit for the Indians and it led to their lone run that tied the game in the bottom of the eighth.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Spokane went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
• Emerald shortstop Luis Vazquez extended his NWL hitting streak to nine games with a 3-for-4 performance.
• Spokane looks for another series win tomorrow. A victory would give the Indians a fourth-consecutive series win and make them 10-2-1 in their last 13 series.

KEY MOMENT
After Spokane tied the game at one in the bottom of the eighth, Eugene answered with a run of their own on an RBI single by Vazquez. In the bottom of the ninth, Kenan Irizarry and Scott Kapers collected base hits to set up a first and third situation with two outs for Cristian Inoa. Emerald reliever Matteo Bocchi struck out Inoa to end the game.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
For the second straight night, the top two teams in the standings remain stagnant. Hillsboro beat Tri-City, which means the Hops and Emeralds stay deadlocked atop the South Division and the Dust Devils stay a game behind the Indians. The Aqua Sox are three games behind Spokane and Vancouver moves to four games back.
NEXT GAME AT AVISTA STADIUM
The Indians and Emeralds conclude their three-game series on Monday for County Fair Night presented by Coors Light, Rock 94 1/2, and The BIG 99.9 Coyote Country. All your favorite things about the fair will be at Avista Stadium including face painters, a petting zoo, pony rides and more! Stick around after the game for Dairy Queen Circle the Bases. Gates open at 5:30 PM with first pitch at 6:30 PM. Tickets for all Spokane Indians home game 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.