C's Win Wild One In Spokane

SPOKANE, WA – The Canadians won a back-and-forth battle with the Spokane Indians [COL] Thursday night, surviving six lead changes to come out on top 8-6 at Avista Stadium.

A two-run top of the eighth proved to be the difference in the game. With the game tied 6-6, Carter Cunningham led off with a walk, stole second then raced to third on a fly out. He would show off his wheels again in the next plate appearance when Eddie Micheletti Jr. hit a shallow pop up to centre that turned into a go-ahead sacrifice fly. Arjun Nimmala doubled in the next at-bat and later scored on the second two-out RBI single of the game from Nick Goodwin.

Leading 8-6, the C’s got a 1-2-3 inning from Irv Carter (W, 5-4) in the bottom of the eighth before the right-hander pitched himself into trouble in the ninth. He walked one and hit two to put the tying and winning runs on base, but he ended up striking out the side in the process to secure the victory.

After the first three and a half innings didn’t feature a score, a flurry of runs came home over the next five frames. Spokane started the scoring with a solo shot in the fourth, but the C’s answered with three in the top of the fifth. Peyton Powell walked, doubles from JR Freethy and MIcheletti Jr. followed then Goodwin’s first two-out RBI hit of the night made it 3-1.

The lead didn’t last long. Spokane countered with three runs of their own in the home half to retake a one-run advantage. Not to be outdone, Vancouver punched right back with three more in the top of the sixth. Jay Harry and Jacob Lojewski singled, Cunningham – as a pinch hitter – clubbed a run-scoring double, a balk forced in a run and Nimmala added a sacrifice fly to put the Canadians in front 6-4.

Spokane would tie it again in the bottom of the seventh by scoring two runs on one hit, two walks, a hit batter and two wild pitches before the eighth inning rally put Vancouver in front for good.

Starter Austin Cates made his C’s debut and looked solid in his first High-A outing. The righty went 4.2 frames, allowed four runs on six hits with two walks and a strikeout. He was one pitch away from going five complete but surrendered a game-tying single to end his night.

The series continues tomorrow night at 6:35 p.m. Chris McElvain toes the slab for the C’s opposite Spokane’s Stu Flesland III. Catch all the action on Sportsnet 650.