Spokane Loses Series Opener in Front of a Sold Out Crowd at Avista Stadium

SPOKANE, Wash. - Obie Ricumstrict and Christian Inoa hit their first homers of the season, but it wasn't enough as Spokane fell to the Vancouver Canadians 7-4 on Storybook Princess and Fireworks Night presented by Valley Glass, 105.7 NOW FM, and the Coeur d'Alene Press.
The Indians were able to manufacture a run in the first inning to take an early lead. J.P. Martinez worked a lead-off walk and proceeded to steal second and advance to third on a throwing error. Diosbel Arias drove him in with an RBI groundout to give Spokane a 1-0 lead. After Vancouver tied the game in the top of the second, the Indians responded in the bottom of the frame with an RBI double from Isaias Quiroz to regain the lead.
Spokane pitching struggled with command throughout the night and really ran into trouble in the fifth inning. Tai Tiedemann left the game after loading the bases. He hit three batters, walked three more, and struck out four on the night. Chandler Sanburn came in and sandwiched a strikeout in between two bases loaded walks. Vancouver catcher Christopher Bec then delivered the biggest hit of the game, clearing the bases with a 3-run double to give the Canadians a 7-2 lead.
Spokane would not go down without a fight. In the bottom of the fifth, Obie Ricumstrict brought the sellout crowd of 6,872 to their feet by launching a solo shot to left field, his first professional home run. In the bottom of the ninth, Christian Inoa blasted a solo shot of his own to cut Vancouver's lead to 7-4. Isaias Quiroz followed the homer with a single to left, putting the tying run on deck. Canadians' reliever Cobi Johnson cut the Redband Rally just short, retiring the final two hitters to seal the victory.
Game two of the three-game series will be Sunday afternoon on OTTO's Birthday Bash and Kid's Day presented by Longhorn BBQ, K-102 Country, and Kids Newspaper. The game starts at 3:30 PM with gates opening at 2:30 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.