EVERETT — The Everett AquaSox mustered just two hits as they fell 5-0 to the visiting Spokane Indians Friday night before 3,530 fans at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Everett (2-3 second half, 17-22 overall) have now lost three straight games. All three losses have come against Spokane (4-1, 17-22).
The current three-game losing streak comes following a six-game Everett winning streak that was the longest to date for the AquaSox. The Indians ended Everett’s winning streak Wednesday at Avista Stadium in Spokane.
Everett starter Andres Torres (5-1) suffered his first loss of the season as he allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks in four-plus innings of work. Torres fanned six.
Spokane’s tandem of starter Hever Bueno and reliever Joe Barlow was virtually unhittable. Bueno allowed just one hit in 41⁄3 innings and struck out five. Barlow (4-0) worked the final 42⁄3 and struck out six while allowing just an infield single.
Matt Whatley’s two-out, two-run single scored Melvin Novoa and Miguel Aparicio to give Spokane a 2-0 lead in the top of the third.
That turned out to be all the Indians needed.
Everett’s Johnny Adams and Onil Pena worked back-to-back two-out walks in the fourth, but a pop-out by David Banuelos kept the Frogs off the board.
Torres appeared to tire in the fifth. He was lifted after walking Whatley to load the bases with no outs and finished with 86 pitches.
Paul Covelle came in and struck out two before inducing an inning-ending groundout to keep the game 2-0.
Tyler Ratliff hit a two-out solo home run to straight-away center field to push Spokane’s lead to 3-0 against Covelle in the top of the sixth. The Indians plated two more in the seventh. Austin O’Banion doubled, and later scored on an RBI single by Whatley, who came in on an RBI single by Yonny Hernandez.
Everett reliever Michael Rivera tossed the final 21⁄3 innings and did not allow a baserunner while striking out one.
Aparicio finished with three hits to lead the Indians. Novoa had two hits including a double, and Whatley added two hits and drove in three runs.
Pena had a single to right in the second and Eugene Helder had an infield single in the sixth. Those were the only hits for Everett.
The middle game of the three-game set begins at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Everett Memorial Stadium.
