PASCO -- Two weeks have passed since the Tri-City Dust Devils last faced the Spokane Indians.
The Dust Devils took five of the first six games of the season-long Northwest League series against their Highway 395 rivals.
The Indians, however, hoped to turn things around in Pasco after winning eight of its last 10 against the West Division.
But Tri-City (29-19) continued its hold over Spokane (21-27) and its dominance over the East Division with a 9-2 win Saturday at Gesa Stadium.
The Dust Devils pushed their lead in the East to eight games.
"We can't really pay attention to the other teams," said Dust Devils second baseman Jeremiah Sammy, who led a season-high 18-hit attack for Tri-City, going 4-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
"We're just trying to win games, we're not trying to change anything," he added. "Today was a big game. Everybody was trying to have a good approach at the plate."
For just the second time this year, Tri-City had six players -- Kevin Clark, Kent Matthes, Sammy, Dallas Tarleton, Tim Wheeler and Joey Wong -- with multi-hit games.
Three of those players -- Sammy, Tarleton and Wheeler -- had at least three hits.
"It's about time," said a smiling Tarleton, whose parents were in town from Indian Trail, N.C., to watch him score two runs and make two impressive catches in foul
territory from his catcher position. "It was their last day
here, so it was nice to have a good performance before they leave."
Tri-City scored two runs in the first and added single runs in the second and third before exploding for a five-run fourth inning -- highlighted by Ben Paulsen's two-run single to left -- for a 9-0 lead.
"It's very important any time you can set the tone early," said Clark, who finished 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. "We have a really good team with a lot of established hitters."
Dust Devils starter Josh Hungerman tossed four innings of shutout ball but allowed a run in the fifth inning.
Hungerman, a 17th-round pick out of Cleveland State, left with one out in the fifth inning after throwing No. 73 of a 75-pitch count. As a result, the left-hander is still looking for his first professional victory.
The win went to Brad McAtee (1-3), who allowed a run on two hits in 2 2/3 innings. Rhett Ballard tossed two scoreless innings in mop-up relief.
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It's been a trying summer for Tri-City outfielder Jaron Shepherd.
The 2011 draft pick came into Saturday's game against Yakima hitting just .250 with two extra base hits and two RBIs.
That all changed in a hurry, as the speedy right fielder had his first career three-hit game, leading the Dust Devils to a 7-2 victory in Northwest League action.
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Game 3
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Here's a quick Dust Devils alumni update: Russell Wilson, who played second base here in 2010 before heading back to the North Carolina State football team, where he started at quarterback.
Well, this year, he's quarterbacking Wisconsin after he was essentially shown the door at NC State when he chose to keep playing baseball in the Colorado Rockies' system. But it's been a great pickup for the Badgers, who beat UNLV tonight 51-17 in the season opener for both teams.
Wilson played most of the game and showed he is a great fit for the offense. As expected, he handed the ball off a lot, but he was also efficient when it came to making passes. Wilson completed 10-of-13 passes for 255 yards and two TDs. He also broke off an impressive 46-yard touchdown run near the end of the first half, getting a couple of great blocks along the way.
Dust Devils threaten late, can't convert
Dust Devils threaten late, can't convert
Plays at home might be what fans come out to see, but plays at third can be just as important in determining the outcome of a game.
The Tri-City Dust Devils came out on the wrong end of one of those plays in a 1-0 loss to the Spokane Indians on Sunday at Gesa Stadium.
With runners on first and second, nobody out and the top of the order at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, Taylor Featherston laid a bunt down the first base side.
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Spokane Indians, Game 2
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Another beautiful day at Gesa Stadium, and here I am getting paid to watch baseball. Rough life, I know.
Actually, it wasn't so beautiful earlier this afternoon, though. I was out in Richland doing some feature interviews for our upcoming football preview (which comes out Friday, Sept. 2), and there was a wicked windstorm that kicked up from the south.
The wind was still gusting as I headed out to Chiawana's practice in Pasco. No dirt to kick up, really, since they've got field turf on their practice field. But the wind was blowing my notebook pages all over the place.
Defense huge in Dust Devils' 2-1 win over Indians
Defense huge in Dust Devils' 2-1 win over Indians
The Northwest League All-Star team is due out this week, and the playoff-bound Tri-City Dust Devils should earn a few spots on the team. One thing the NWL doesn’t have is a defensive award. If it did, the Dust Devils certainly would grab another healthy handful of honors.
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