The Eugene Emeralds suffered their worst loss of the Northwest League season Saturday night, falling 9-1 to the East Division champion Spokane Indians at PK Park. The Emeralds fell to 17-25 overall and 2-2 in the second-half standings before rebounding with a 3-2 win in the series finale Sunday afternoon.
Emeralds manager Greg Riddoch was disappointed in his team’s performance Saturday.
“We beat ourselves. We didn’t play good defense, not pitching well, and no timely hitting — some of the remnants from the first week of the season,” Riddoch said.
However, Riddoch said Eugene is not dwelling on the loss.
“We just play one game at a time, no matter how good or bad it is, it’s over, we try and restart the next day and do as well as we can,” Riddoch said. “It’s over and done, and you start playing again tomorrow.”
Starting pitcher Adys Portillo put Eugene in a hole in the top of the first inning. Portillo surrendered a single to Indians leadoff hitter Jacob Skole and a walk to shortstop Jurickson
Profar to lead off the game, before a throwing error from catcher Emmanuel Quiles moved the runners to second and third. A passed ball in the next at-bat allowed Skole to score an unearned run.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Emeralds loaded the bases with three consecutive two-out singles before Quiles hit a sharp liner that was snared by Spokane first baseman Andrew Clark to end the inning.
Portillo’s struggles continued in the third, as he walked the bases loaded with one out before Clark hit a two-run single. After a strikeout, a weakly hit single by Indians second baseman Santiago Chirino barely stayed fair, scoring left fielder Jared Hoying to extend Spokane’s lead to 4-0.
Portillo, who took the loss, gave up three hits, four runs (three earned) and five walks with five strikeouts and a wild pitch in three innings of work.
Emeralds second baseman Tyler Stubblefield, who had two of Eugene’s eight hits, said the Ems need to bounce back.
“We play so many games, as soon as you walk off the field you’ve got to forget about it, put it in the past and come out here tomorrow and play hard again,” Stubblefield said.
Backup infielder Paul Bingham also said tomorrow was a new day for the team.
“You just come back, you just forget about it, honestly, and tomorrow we’ll just come out and do our best to beat them,” Bingham said.
Emeralds reliever Xavier Esquivel fared just as poorly as Portillo, giving up two runs on four hits over two innings.
When asked about his team’s pitching performance, Riddoch was at a loss for words.
“How would I describe five walks in three innings? Five walks in three innings.” Riddoch said. “What do you do when you walk five guys in three innings? That’s not very good.”
After the Indians led off the fifth inning with a single from first baseman Mike Olt and a double by Hoying, the reigning Northwest League Player of the Week, Clark hit another two-run single in the fifth inning. Clark finished the game 3 for 4 with four RBI and a walk.
After his first-inning jam, Spokane starter Randol Rojas settled down, allowing five hits over five shutout innings with three strikeouts and no walks.
“Tonight they pitched a great game, played great defense, and that is the first time we’ve had a game like that,” Stubblefield said.
The Emeralds threatened in the bottom of the sixth inning, after a one-out single from Stubblefield was followed by three consecutive walks by Spokane reliever Benjamin Rowen, forcing in a run. However, the Ems failed to capitalize, as the next two hitters struck out.
The Indians tacked on three insurance runs in the ninth inning against Emeralds reliever Chris Franklin. After a Skole strikeout, Profar singled and Olt doubled before Hoying hit a two-run double. Hoying scored on a fielder’s choice two batters later.
During the last three innings, the Emeralds struggled to make contact. Their last nine outs recorded were via strikeout.
Riddoch was quick to praise the performance of the Indians in Saturday’s game, but he noted how the Emeralds had, at that point, still taken two of four games from them in the five-game series, which the Emeralds eventually won 3 games to 2.
“They did well. They just beat us. But they’re the champions and they won their division and they’ve got a good team,” Riddoch said. “And we beat a good team … we’re two for four beating a good team, one that’s got a lot more experience than us.”

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