Red-hot AquaSox top Indians 5-2 for 6th straight win

SPOKANE — The Everett AquaSox scored five runs in the first two innings and made it hold up as they topped the Spokane Indians 5-2 Saturday before 7,064 fans at Avista Stadium.

The AquaSox (5-0 second half, 23-20 overall) won their sixth straight game overall. The total is two short of the team record.

The first-half champion Indians fell to 2-3 in the second half and 21-22 overall.

Bryson Brigman and Joe Venturino opened the top of the first with back-to-back walks. Brigman scored on an error and Venturino scored on a bases-loaded walk to Nick Thurman. That was all Everett got as it left the bases loaded.

Austin Grebeck singled to lead off the second and later scored on an RBI single by Eric Filia. Brigman later scored on an infield hit by Jason Goldstein, and Filia came home when the shortstop threw the ball away trying to get Goldstein for a 5-0 lead.

The Frogs mustered only two base-runners the rest of the way, but the early lead proved to be more than enough.

Ljay Newsome (4-1) earned the win in relief of starter Brandon Miller. Newsome allowed six hits and two runs while fanning three after relieving Miller to begin the fourth. Miller fanned three in three perfect innings.

Paul Covelle, Elliot Surrey and Thomas Burrows each went a scoreless inning of relief with Burrows picking up his third save.

Trailing 5-0 after an inning and a half, the Indians scored their first run in the fourth when Xavier Turner’s two-out RBI double scored Charles LeBlanc. Darius Day singled in Seth Spivey to make it 5-2 in the fifth.

That was the game’s final run as Spokane relievers Kevin Lenik and Alex Daniele combined to allow two hits and struck out 10 in 71⁄3 innings of relief.

Lenik retired the first dozen AquaSox hitters he faced before Brigman broke the string with a two-out single in the sixth.

The Frogs will go for the sweep at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Jeffeson Medina (0-0, 8.31 ERA) will start for Everett against Tyler Phillips (2-3, 5.28).