C's Sweep Doubleheader, Win Series At Spokane

SPOKANE, WA – The Canadians used an historic half inning in game one and just enough offense plus tour pitching in game two to sweep a doubleheader from the Spokane Indians [Rockies] Sunday afternoon at Avista Stadium.

Game 1 – Canadians 19, Spokane 2

A 13-run top of the third inning – the most the C’s have scored in an inning in three seasons as the High-A affiliate of the Blue Jays – put the game away early. The stanza saw 16 Vancouver hitters come to the dish and featured a bases loaded hit batter, three consecutive bases loaded walks, RBI knocks from Alan Roden (double), Andres Sosa (single), Alex De Jesus (single) and Josh Kasevich (single) and a grand slam from Cade Doughty to score 13 runs on seven hits. We’ll have to do some digging, but it may very well be the biggest half-inning output for the Canadians this millennium.

Spokane got on the board with a two-run homer from Benny Montgomery in the bottom of the inning, but those were the only runs starter Devereaux Harrison allowed in three innings of work.

The C’s got another run in the fifth after back-to-back singles from De Jesus and Kasevich set up a run-scoring double play that made it 14-2 Vancouver.

Cooper Benson (W, 4-0) dispatched the Indians over three scoreless innings in his best outing of the year before the Canadians plated five more runs in the seventh. A double from Dasan Brown got the frame started then Garrett Spain uncorked a two-run homer the opposite way. Doughty came up later in the inning with two runners on and laced a two-run single to left field that put the C’s in front 18-2 and De Jesus lofted a sacrifice fly two batters later to plate the 19^th run of the game.

Conor Larkin made short work of the Indians in the bottom of the seventh to secure the 19-2 triumph.

19 runs and 16 hits are both season highs for the Vancouver offense. More research will be done before Tuesday to determine the last time the C’s scored 19 or more in a game.

All nine starters had a hit and reached base more than once. Doughty’s three hits and career-best six RBI paced the offense while Roden, Sosa, De Jesus, Kasevich and Spain joined him in multi-hit efforts.

Game 2 – Canadians 4, Spokane 2

Playing as the home team in the second game, the C’s jumped in front with two runs in the bottom of the second. De Jesus sparked the two-out rally with a double before walks to Jommer Hernandez and Estiven Machado loaded the bases for Brown, who blooped a two-RBI single into shallow center to give Vancouver a 2-0 advantage.

Starter Eric Pardinho gave up a run in the top of the third to cut the lead to one, but the right-hander was otherwise very solid. He faced the minimum over the first two innings and limited the damage in his third and final frame to keep the Canadians in front.

After loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the third and failing to score, the C’s got two crucial insurance runs in the fifth that proved to be the difference. Doughty – who singled in his first two at-bats of the game – stroked a double to start the inning then scored when an errant throw to first on a ground ball to third rolled up the first base line to put a man at second and Vancouver ahead 3-1. After a wild pitch moved that runner to third, De Jesus’ second sacrifice fly of the day made it 4-1.

Justin Kelly (W, 3-0) and Abdiel Mendoza (H, 1) both logged scoreless innings, with the former leaving the bases loaded by striking out the last batter of the fourth.

Spokane used a lead-off walk and a two-out double in the sixth to cut the lead to two then brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the seventh, but TJ Brock (S, 4) induced a game-ending double play to secure the six-out save, a 4-2 win and the doubleheader sweep.

On the day, Doughty finished 6-for-9 with a double, a homer, three runs scored and six RBI to raise his batting average over 50 points. Spain went 4-for-8 with a double, a homer, two runs scored and two RBI while De Jesus was 3-for-6 with a double, three runs scored and three RBI.

With both wins, the Canadians take the series from Spokane five games to three and will wake up on Tuesday alone in first place in the Northwest League with a 24-20 record. After an off-day Monday, the C’s return to Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium on Tuesday, May 30 to begin a six-game series with the Eugene Emeralds (Giants).