C’s Even Series

Photo Credit (Mark Steffens – Fotoguy Photography)

Normally when a team plays a “midweek” game it’s hard to get a full house considering it’s a school night for families with young children, but regardless the C’s did manage to attract just over 3,000 cheering on the home  team.

Knowing that this would be the last home game not just of the 2024 season when everyone returns next spring it’ll be a different looking stadium with changes being made in the off-season.

As far as what they will be; everyone is being vert “tight lipped” as to what it will look like but considering that the picnic area has been fenced off we are hearing that that area will be the new clubhouse area for the team, but we’ll know when we see it.

Considering the pressure was on not just the C’s but mainly Brent Lavallee there was no doubt that he had the players focused as to how to approach the game knowing that the remainder of the series would be played in Spokane.

The final game at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium this year ended as it should: with the Vancouver Canadians celebrating a 4-3 win over the Spokane Indians to even the Northwest League Championship Series at one game each.

The Indians used a two-out homer from Kyle Karros to grab a 1-0 in the first that saw the C’s tie the score in the second that saw Jay Harry get a lead off with a walk, then stole second scoring on a two-out single from Jacob Sharp.

Starter Juaron Watts-Brown turned in one of his finest outings this year that saw him strike out 10 Indians over his first five frames, holding Spokane off the scoreboard until the sixth, when they got to him for the go-ahead run from a double, a ground out and a wild pitch. 

He was pulled after recording two outs that brought JJ Sanchez (W, 1-0) to get the final out of the inning.

Down by 2-1, Vancouver started to rally that would give them the lead that saw Harry and Cutter Coffey single to start the frame, putting men at the corners for Brennan Orf who hammered the first-pitch ground ball over the first base bag into right field corner scoring both runners. 

The play saw him round first and collided with Spokane first baseman Jose Cordova that saw him fall to the ground and while the runs counted, 

Orf was ruled at fault and forced to stay at first instead of reaching second eventually stranding him at third base bringing the inning to an enc.to end 

Sanchez retired all three batters he faced before Geison Urbaez (H, 1) got the final man of the seventh. 

The C’s got a much needed insurance run in the home half when Je’Von Ward walked, Harry singled and Coffey cashed in with an RBI hit making it 4-2 for the home squad.

The Indians got to Urbaez for a run in the eighth that saw him strand the would-be tying run on base to preserve the 4-3 lead before Bo Bonds (S, 1) worked around a two-out single in the ninth to secure the win and even the series 1-1.

After a travel day on Thursday, the series shifts to Spokane Friday night for Game 3 at the Patterson Baseball Complex on the campus of Gonzaga University; Avista Stadium is currently under construction. Kendry Rojas takes the ball opposite Victor Juarez.

 First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. and can be heard on Sportsnet 650.