Sellout Crowd Packs Avista Stadium for Opening Night

SPOKANE, Wash. - Baseball is officially back in Spokane as a sellout crowd of 7,057 filled Avista Stadium for Opening Night Fireworks & AAA Magnet Schedule Giveaway presented by ABC Office Equipment, KREM 2, 93.7 The Mountain, 1510 KGA NW Sports Talk, and Journal of Business. Coming off a season with eight walk-offs, the Spokane Indians have proven they are never out of a game. On Friday night, the Indians fought back from a 6-0 deficit but fell just short in their opener to the Boise Hawks, 7-4.

Right-handed pitcher Hans Crouse, the Texas Rangers #4 rated prospect, was expected to start in the game but was scratched during warmups for precautionary reasons. The pitching change thrusted former Gonzaga Bulldog Royce Bolinger into the starting role. In his first career start, Bolinger went two innings, striking out a pair and allowing two earned runs.

Spokane pitchers surrendered six earned runs in the first five innings. The bullpen would bounce back though, and didn't allow a Boise earned run in the remaining four innings. Reliever Emmanuel Clase made quite the debut with four strikeouts over two shutout innings.
Ribby theRedband Trout made its 2018 debut in the seventh inning and nearly sparked a Redband Rally for Spokane. The Indians plated four runs in the seventh on only two hits. With runners on second and third, Isaias Quiroz and Cristian Inoa both had a chance to tie the game but the Hawks managed to get out of the jam.

Right fielder Starling Joseph provided a bright spot on offense in his Spokane Indians debut. Joseph was the only player in the game with three hits, going 3-5 and driving in a run.

The Indians and Hawks get back together for game two of their five game series on Saturday, June 16 for Yoke's $1 Family Feast Night presented by Yoke's Fresh Market and 92.9 ZZU. All hot dogs, ice cream sandwiches, and Pepsi products are only $1.00 all night long! The game starts at 6:30 PM with gates opening at 5:30 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.

About the Spokane Indians
The Spokane Indians are the Short Season Class "A" affiliate for the Texas Rangers. Avista Stadium is home to the $5 Bench Seat courtesy of Multicare. Ticket packages for the 2018 season are now available for purchase. CLICK HERE to reserve your seats today. Parking at all Spokane Indians games is FREE. The Spokane Indians Team Store is open M-F 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, and 10:00 AM on all game days.