EVERETT — The Everett AquaSox had it in their grasp.
After falling behind by three runs, the Sox scratched and clawed themselves back over four innings, finally taking 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth for an apparent come-from behind victory against Spokane.
But as has been the case on far too many occasions for Everett this season, the Sox were unable to seal the deal.
The Indians rallied in the top of the ninth, and the Sox fell 5-4 Sunday afternoon in a game played before a sparse crowd at Everett Memorial Stadium, owing to a start delayed one hour and 42-minutes by rain.
Spokane’s Dennis Guinn hit a score-tying triple and scored on Matt West’s single in the top of the ninth as Everett’s bullpen once again failed to hold a lead.
And it’s become an all-too-familiar refrain for Everett manager Jose Moreno.
“We’ve had the same problem all year,” a frustrated Moreno said. “The relievers, we have to do something, they have to make the adjustments.
“Every time we have the game on the line by one or two runs, something happens with the bullpen,” Moreno continued. “I don’t know if they feel the pressure and try to be too fine or give too much credit to the hitters, because their process is completely different when we have the game on the line.”
Sunday’s culprit, Brad Reid, was a perfect example of that concept. Reid entered the game in the eighth with the Sox trailing 3-2 and tossed a 1-2-3 inning. Then after Everett took the lead things broke down in the ninth.
It began when Reid walked leadoff batter Joey Butler. After Reid retired Eric Fry on a comebacker, Guinn sliced a fly ball down the right-field line. Dennis Raben gave chase but came up short, the ball getting past him and bouncing all the way to the wall for a triple, tying the game.
Then West stepped up to the plate and with the infield drawn in, he scorched a liner right back up the middle. Reid deflected it with his glove, redirecting the ball past second baseman Ben Billingsley for the game-winning hit.
It didn’t help Everett’s cause that as snake bitten as the Sox have been this season, Spokane’s been equally charmed.
“We’ve been pretty good at that all year,” Spokane manager Tim Hulett said. “When the other team scores we’ve been able to put up some runs as well. We got the first guy on and the guys did a good job of hitting after that.”
Spokane’s ninth-inning rally nullified Everett’s eighth-inning burst. Trailing 3-2 the Sox began the eighth with the unlikely rally-starting strikeout as Anthony Phillips reached when strike three went to the backstop. Raben singled and Manelik Pimentel walked, loading the bases. Kevin Reynolds grounded into a double play to plate the tying run, then Nate Tenbrink singled to give Everett what proved to be a short-lived lead.
Doug Hogan finished 4-for-4 for Spokane (30-10) and 18-year-old wunderkind Wilfredo Boscan threw five strong innings for the Indians, walking none and striking out seven. Juan Peralta earned the save, pitching a perfect ninth.
Brandon Fromm homered and Raben finished 2-for-3 for Everett (16-24).
Following the lengthy delay, Spokane wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. One out into the game Kyle Higgins and Mike Bianucci smacked back-to-back doubles, giving the Indians a 1-0 lead.
The Indians then went ahead 3-0 in the second amid some confusion. Koncel lined a drive off the wall above the scoreboard in right center, the ball hitting above a yellow line that the umpires used to rule it a home run.
The ground rules historically have not stipulated the yellow line as a home-run line — it’s not even a painted line but the edge of an old advertisement underneath the current one, and that particular part of Everett Memorial Stadium is not in need of power assistance as the short fence in right-center is the best homer spot in the Northwest League. But Moreno confirmed that’s the way the rules have been interpreted this season, though the Everett players stood around bewildered as Koncel circled the bases.
The two-run shot, Koncel’s first of the season, made it 3-0.
Everett got on the board in the fifth when Fromm just cleared the fence in right-center for a solo homer, his second of the season cutting the deficit to two. The Sox then pulled within one in the sixth on Reynolds’ RBI single.
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