Tri-City Shuts Out Spokane, Secures Series Win

Starter Chase Chaney gave the Tri-City Dust Devils (8-10 2H, 42-42) the longest start of his professional career Sunday night, taking a complete game bid into the 9^th inning in a 4-0 shutout win over the Spokane Indians (9-9 2H, 42-41) at Gesa Stadium.

Chaney (6-3) fell two outs shy of Tri-City’s first 9-inning complete game of the season, going 8.1 innings before coming out of the game. The right-hander from Lawrenceville, Georgia followed his usual recipe of pitching to contact, striking out only one and getting great errorless defense from his teammates behind him. He hit a batter but walked none, making his first way through the Spokane order in just 21 pitches. Chaney ended up giving up six hits in earning his fifth win over the Indians in 2023.

Reliever Roman Phansalkar got the final two outs for the Dust Devils, securing his third save in as many tries.

The home nine got their offense going in the bottom of the 2^nd inning. LF Alexander Ramirez stung a line-drive single to center field, getting aboard with one out. Spokane starter Jarrod Cande (4-3) then attempted to pick Ramirez off, but his throw got away and rolled into the Tri-City bullpen down the right field line. Ramirez got to third on the two-base error, which was rendered moot when DH Gustavo Campero crushed a triple to right-center that scored Ramirez for a 1-0 Tri-City lead after two innings.

Ramirez had a big night at the plate, going 3 for 4 and scoring a run. The Dust Devils left fielder also made an outstanding diving catch in the 8^th inning, taking a hit away from Indians C Ronaiker Palma that helped to preserve the shutout.

Outside of Campero’s run-scoring triple, both starters posted zeroes to the 6^th inning. There Tri-City RF Joe Stewart hit a Cande off-speed pitch just over the left field wall for a solo home run, his third round-tripper of the year doubling the Dust Devils lead to 2-0. Cande otherwise pitched well, striking out nine in a six-inning quality start, but the Indians starter nevertheless received a third loss from the only team to whom he has lost this season.

Stewart continued his great night at the plate with a two-run single in the bottom of the 7^th, scoring C Myles Emmerson and CF D’Shawn Knowles for the final 4-0 margin. The Portage, Michigan-native went 2 for 4 on the night, driving in three of Tri-City’s four runs.

The victory gave the Dust Devils their first series win over their Inland Northwest rivals in 2023. The teams had split their first two series of the year, both at Gesa Stadium, with Spokane taking four of six at Avista Stadium three weeks ago. The two teams will face off in one more six-game series this year, scheduled for August 15-20 in the Lilac City.

Tri-City’s focus turns now to a six-game series with the Everett AquaSox, beginning at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday night at Everett’s Funko Field. Right-hander Jorge Marcheco (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will look for an encore to his Northwest League debut July 7 in Eugene, in which he threw six scoreless innings and struck out eight in a start that earned him Pitcher of the Week honors. Broadcast coverage begins with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m., both here and at the MiLB First Pitch app.

Following the series in Everett the Dust Devils return to Gesa Stadium for a six-game set with the Hillsboro Hops July 25-30, a series which includes the July 28-30 return of the Columbia River Rooster Tails on Columbia Cup weekend in the Tri-Cities. Tickets for the series with Hillsboro are on sale now, with special ticket rates available for groups of 20 or more. For more information on Dust Devils single game, season, mini-plan (11, 22, 33) and group tickets, visit dustdevilsbaseball.com, call the team office at (509) 544-8789, or visit the team office (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on game nights, or Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. otherwise).