Emeralds find early inning stability but fall to Spokane 

​​Long lines snaked out from the PK Park entrances a good two hours before Saturday’s game, and most of the 2,857 fans were in their seats long before first pitch between the Spokane Indians and Eugene Emeralds.

The draw? It was the team’s Harry Potter night, with themed scarf jerseys and the first 1,000 fans receiving themed caps from the various houses the wizarding world has to offer.

And with such an early-arriving crowd filling the seating bowl, it’s only appropriate the Emeralds broke out of their early scoring woes, but it wasn’t enough as the team fell to Spokane 6-4

Indeed, the early innings have been the Emeralds' biggest bugaboo of late.

In their two losses this series they have been outscored by a combined seven runs over the first five innings of the contest, the early deficit proving too much, too often.

And even in their two wins, the team entered the top of the sixth inning trailing once by one, and the other time with the score knotted — before late heroics later launched the team past Spokane (59-34).

And for a moment, it appeared like those same woes would continue.

The Indians struck early, with Kyle Karros — who has owned the Emeralds all season as well as touting a .320 batting average across high-A this year — blasting a no-doubt home run against Cesar Perdomo.

But, in a rebuke to their earlier success, the Emeralds punched back harder and harder when the stakes got hotter. Onil Perez — who notably was yet to hit a home run this year despite toting a .253 batting average — blasted a homer out to left on the 12th pitch of his at-bat.

The hits didn’t stop there, with Thomas Gavello, who made the most of his first start since July, 21st, blasting a long home run to highlight his two-hit day.

But it’s no secret that stress-free wins have eluded the Emeralds, especially of late, as was the case Saturday night with Spokane knotting the score at four in the sixth and later taking the lead via a solo home run in the eighth.

Eugene’s offense struggled down the stretch, ultimately dampening any comeback hopes. But it was blasts like Perez’s that served as the perfect metaphor for the Emeralds of late, the team struggling at times early, but with one swing of the bat — or one series — having a chance to turn the tides in hope of a late-season surge. Game six of the series is set for five tomorrow, the Ems will look for a series-split.

Short hops

Charlie Szykowny began hitting himself in the head while stepping to the on-deck circle as a ritual at the end of his sophomore year of high school. It serves as “just a little wakeup.”