It was a pitching duel at PK Park Thursday night between the Eugene Emeralds and the Spokane Indians. The two teams combined to collect 13 hits, which led to two runs, both for the visiting Indians.
The game was locked in a scoreless tie until the eighth inning when Spokane right fielder Ryan Cordell singled to left, driving in Marcus Greene who led off the inning with a double into the left field corner. Two batters later, Jamie Jarmon bounced a single to left over the head of Eugene third baseman Fernando Perez, who was playing in to defend a possible bunt. Cordell came around to score, giving the Indians the only insurance run they would need.
Emeralds starting pitcher Bryan Verbitsky dominated the three innings he threw, allowing a lone hit while walking one and striking out four. Verbitsky lowered his ERA to 2.77 on the season, the best among Ems starters. Michael Kelly took over and threw three perfect innings in relief, successfully keeping Spokane off the bases and the scoreboard. Erik Cabrera (0-7) ran into trouble in the eighth and allowed what were ultimately the winning runs.
Despite the loss, the Ems as a staff pitched very well. Timely hitting was the deciding factor, and the Indians capitalized with runners in scoring position.
“It was a close game all the way until the end there and you give them credit, they got some hits when they needed them,” said Ems manager Jim Gabella. He had no choice but to protect against the bunt when Jarmon singled home Cordell — two runners on and no outs in a one-run game.
“You have to play for a bunt there,” Gabella said of the scoring play in the eighth inning. “You’ve gotta give [Spokane manager] Tim [Hulett, Sr.] credit for taking the play off and coming through.”
Jarmon showed bunt and pulled his bat back, watching the first pitch of the at-bat whiz by for a ball. The next pitch was chopped over Perez’s head, allowing Cordell to score.
The Ems totaled seven hits in the loss, but never had more than one runner on base in any inning. Spokane’s pitchers didn’t allow a single free pass, helping keep the Emeralds at bay.
Starting pitcher John Niggli tossed five shutout innings, scattering four hits while striking out three along the way. Abel De Los Santos (2-1) and Ricardo Rodriguez shut the door over the final four innings to seal the win for the Indians.
First round pick Hunter Renfroe’s playing days in Eugene are numbered — one to be exact. The Mississippi State product is quickly moving through the ranks of the minor leagues and was promoted to the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League, where he’ll arrive Saturday. Former third overall pick Donavan Tate joined the Ems Thursday night, hoping to resurrect a promising career that’s been derailed by a drug-related suspension and personal issues.
“Now is Donavan’s chance to come out and play,” Gabella said of his new player. Tate played for Eugene in 2011 and has since bounced around to multiple minor league teams. He made his 2013 debut as a pinch hitter Thursday night, grounding out to shortstop but successfully advancing the runner.