EVERETT — The good news for the Everett AquaSox: Following a disastrous series in Boise, the Sox put together their second solid effort in a row.
The bad news for Everett: That solid play wasn’t accompanied by a result.
Everett’s efforts weren’t enough to overcome strong Spokane Indians pitching, and the Sox fell 3-2 Saturday night at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Coming off an ugly five-game sweep at the hands of Boise, Everett got itself untracked with a good 4-3 victory over the league-leading Indians on Friday night. But while the Sox remained on the right track, they couldn’t put another notch in the win column.
“It was a real good game,” Everett manager Jose Moreno said. “We didn’t hit real good today, but we competed and played hard. That’s what it’s all about.
“That’s a real good adjustment after a real bad series in Boise.”
Mike Bianucci manufactured a run in the top of the sixth inning to break a 2-2 deadlock, and four Indians pitchers combined to limit Everett to four hits as Spokane (29-10) avoided its first three-game losing skid of the season.
“It finished up good,” Spokane manager Tim Hulett said of the game. “There wasn’t a lot of offense. We had some hits and gave up some early outs on the bases, but it’s good to get a win.”
Spokane’s bullpen was very effective. Relievers Justin Gutsie, Justin Miller and Dustin Brader combined on five scoreless innings and seven strikeouts. Gutsie earned the win to improve to 2-0. Brader picked up his third save.
Brader found himself in a tight spot when, with one out in the ninth, Nate Tenbrink laced a double into the right-field corner. But Brader got pinch hitter Ben Billingsley to pop out to short, then induced pinch hitter Manelik Pimentel into a groundout to short, ending the game.
“They threw some great innings tonight,” Hulett said of his pitchers. “(Carlos) Pimentel, our starter, did a good job, then the relief corps really did an excellent job tonight. They came in throwing strikes, pounding the zone and getting ahead of the hitters. We have some guys who can really bring it. Gutsie and Miller in the middle throw hard and have good sliders, and then Brader at the end mixes his pitches really well.”
The game was tied 2-2 in the sixth when Bianucci scratched out what proved to be the winning run. Leading off the inning, he lined a double high off the center-field wall. After one out he got a great jump off second and had third stolen easily. When catcher Travis Howell, who gunned down two base stealers eariler in the game, saw his hurried throw skip down the line, Bianucci trotted home. That proved enough for the Indians.
“One mistake cost the game today,” Moreno said. “That guy at second base has a real good jump and we’re not supposed to throw if we don’t have a chance, so that was a mental mistake. But that’s part of the game, we have to learn from it.”
Jason Ogata and Edward Koncel each added two hits for Spokane.
Kevin Reynolds went 2-for-4 and drove in both runs for Everett (16-23). Eddy Fernandez was excellent in relief, throwing three hitless innings and striking out four.
Neither starting pitcher figured in the outcome. Everett’s Aaron Brown gave up two runs in 41/3 innings, giving up seven hits and two walks while striking out four. Spokane’s Pimentel also surrendered two runs in his four innings, allowing two hits and two walks and striking out four.
Everett waited until the fourth inning to open the scoring. With runners on second and third and one out, Reynolds lined a double to the right-center gap, scoring both runners and giving the Sox a 2-0 lead.
Spokane tied it up in the fifth. David Paisano drove in the first run by smashing a grounder past third baseman Tenbrink. Then reliever Marquis Pettis walked Joey Butler on a borderline full-count pitch to force in the second, making it 2-2.
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