Spokane bounces back to take rubber match
Published on July 1, 2005 under Northwest League (NWL1)
Spokane Indians News Release
SPOKANE, WA - After two straight losses, the Spokane Indians (5-5) finally found a way to get the heart of the Everett AquaSox (5-5) batting order out. Spokane pitchers set down 14 Everett batters via strikeout en route to a 5-3 win in front of a sold out, standing room only, crowd of 7,321 loud and boisterous fans at Avista Stadium.
Spokane starter Doug Mathis set the tone for the evening, striking out eight Everett batters in four innings of work, giving up three runs in the process. Only two of Mathis' runs were earned, as the Sox scored all their runs in the 3rd inning and benefited from a Spokane error to keep the inning alive. Jon Wilson (1-1) followed Mathis and picked up right were he left off, striking out three of the first five batters he faced. Wilson tossed two innings of one-hit shutout ball to earn the win.
Wally Backman got the Indians offense going with a leadoff triple in the 3rd inning. Backman came around to score on a fielder's choice by shortstop Julio Santana. Another leadoff triple to start the 4th inning, this time by K.C. Herren, set the table for a pair of runs in the inning to tie the game at three runs apiece. A Steve Murphy single plated Herren, while Murphy came around to score on a single by Freddie Thon. Herren, Murphy and Backman each had a pair of base hits as the Indians scattered 10 hits off of Everett pitching, five of which went for extra bases.
John Mayberry, Jr. put the exclamation point on the night for the Indians offense in the 8th inning with a towering solo homerun to deep left field. Mayberry finished the night 1-for-3 and also drew a walk. Spokane's Broc Coffman came on in the 7th inning with the bases loaded and quickly struck out Jeff Flaig to end the scoring threat. Coffman added three strikeouts to the Indians total, earning his first save with 2.1 innings of shutout relief.
Everett's Casey Craig, who entered the contest as the Northwest League's top hitter at a .440 clip, was limited to a 1-for-4 performance as the AquaSox could only muster five hits off of Indians pitchers all night.
The Spokane win, coupled with a loses by the Boise Hawks and Tri-City Dust Devils gives the Indians a one-game lead in the Northwest League Eastern Division standings. The Indians will now travel to Yakima for a three-game series with the Bears before returning home on Monday, July 4th for Fireworks Night presented by Comcast. Great seats are still available for the Indians annual Independence Day fireworks spectacular and can be obtained by calling the Indians Ticket Office at 509-535-2922.
Northwest League Stories from July 1, 2005
- Spokane bounces back to take rubber match - Spokane Indians
- Indians chop AquaSox 5-3 - Everett AquaSox
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
