Indians Stage Huge Comeback, Beat S-K 11-10 In Game 3

KEIZER, Ore. – The Spokane Indians made their most amazing comeback of the season Saturday night, coming back from eight runs down to beat the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 11-10 in Game 3 of the Northwest League Championship Series at Volcanoes Stadium.

The win gives Spokane a 2-1 series lead, and they can win their first NWL title in three years with a win Sunday evening.

It was as strange of a game as one could see.  S-K led the game 10-2 after five innings, but lost.  Spokane scored its 11 runs on just five hits, and at one point had seven runs on one hit.  The Volcanoes gave up 14 walks, committed four errors and had four wild pitches. 

The Indians jumped on top in the top of the first inning, when Eric Fry hit a two-run homer.  It would be the last hit Spokane would get until the seventh inning.

Salem-Keizer roared back and displayed a thumping offense.  They scored once in the first, three times in the second, twice in the third and four times in the fifth to take the 10-2 lead.  The crowd of 1,004 thought they were going to be one win away from the Volcanoes’ third straight NWL title.

Then came the bizarre top half of the sixth inning.  The Indians scored five runs on six walks, a balk, an error and a wild pitch, but no hits.  Suddenly, the score was 10-7, and the Volcanoes had allowed Spokane back into the game.

Spokane cut the lead to 10-8 in the seventh, when Eric Fry reached on an error, went to second on a walk and scored on a double by Doug Hogan, Spokane’s second hit of the game.

The Indians tied the game in the eighth inning.  They scored two runs on three walks, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly by Fry and an RBI single by Dennis Guinn.

Spokane won the game in the top of the ninth, again with help from the Volcanoes.  With two outs, Jared Bolden hit an infield single to third base, but a throwing error advanced him to second.  Jacob Kaase then hit a ball deep behind second base that S-K’s Ryan Lormand fielded, but he threw the ball away trying to get Kaase at first base.  Bolden scored the winning run on the play.  The Volcanoes went in order in the bottom of the ninth, and Spokane was a win away from a title.

Trevor Hurley got the win for Spokane, pitching shutout ball in the eighth and ninth innings.  Edwin Quirarte pitched the last 1 2/3 innings for the Volcanoes, giving up the tying and winning runs and getting the loss.

Game 4 will be at Volcanoes Stadium at 5:05 p.m., as Spokane looks to close out the series.