Play at the Plate Seals Indians Victory
August 8, 2017 - Northwest League (NWL1)
Spokane Indians News Release
Spokane, WASH. - Another solid outing by Cole Ragans and some timely hitting from Chad Smith was the right combination for the Spokane Indians on Sunday afternoon. 4,884 fans saw the Indians hold on to defeat the Eugene Emeralds 3-2 for Kids Day & OTTO's Birthday Bash presented by Longhorn BBQ, 95.3 KPND, and Kids Newspaper.
After a scoreless first two innings, the Indians struck first in the bottom half of the third. With two outs and Miguel Aparicio on first, Smith drove a ball off the wall in right field. Smith's first double of the game scored Aparicio to give Spokane a 1-0 lead.
It stayed 1-0 until the top of the fifth inning. Chris Carrier cashed-in on one of the few mistakes of the game for Cole Ragans. Carrier's first home run of the season was a two-run bomb to left and it gave the Emeralds a 2-1 lead.
The lead was short-lived for Eugene. In the bottom of the fifth, Aparicio delivered a single to right that brought home Kole Enright for the tying run. The Indians would take the lead one batter later. Smith drove another double out to right to plate Aparicio for what later proved to be the game-winning run. The right fielder finished the game with two doubles, two RBI, and two stolen bases.
A Spokane win was far from a sure thing though. Eugene had the tying run on second with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Miguel Amaya hit a ball into play that was mishandled by Cristian Inoa. Jared Young headed for home to tie the game, but Inoa had enough time to throw home, and Matt Whatley tagged Young out at the plate to preserve the Spokane victory.
Starting pitcher Cole Ragans set the tone early on Sunday. The 2017 first round pick kept the Emeralds off the scoreboard for the first four innings, and the only runs he allowed came from the two-run home run in the fifth. Ragans struckout seven batters in five innings of work, and earned his third win of the season. Reliver Alex Eubanks finished the game for his third save of the season.
The rubber match of the five-game series between the Indians and Emeralds will be tomorrow night for Augtoberfest presented by Samuel Adams and 103.1 KCDA. Monday's 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.
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Northwest League Stories from August 8, 2017
- Ratliff Hits Spokane's 4th Walk-Off to Take Series - Spokane Indians
- Canadians Leave Hillsboro with Series - Vancouver Canadians
- Play at the Plate Seals Indians Victory - Spokane Indians
- Canadians Bounce Back vs. Hops - Vancouver Canadians
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