SPOKANE VALLEY – SS Capri Ortiz’s three-run home run in the top of the 3rd gave the Tri-City Dust Devils (10-15 2H, 45-46) an early lead Tuesday night at Avista Stadium, but the Spokane Indians (16-9 2H, 45-46) responded quickly in a 5-4 win for the home side to open the Inland Northwest rivals’ final series of 2026.
Tri-City trailed 2-0 going into the 3rd inning, after Spokane had grabbed the first two runs of the game off Dust Devils starter Zach Redner (3-2) via a two-run single by Indians RF Tommy Hopfe in the bottom of the 2nd. With two outs and the bases empty, the Spokane infield committed back-to-back fielding errors on balls hit by CF David Mershon and LF Jorge Ruiz. That brought Ortiz to the plate, who mashed a line drive high enough to clear the wall in left for his sixth homer of the season and a 3-2 Tri-City lead.
The Indians responded quickly, with LF Jacob Humphrey and 1B Tanner Thach hitting back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the 3rd for a 4-3 Spokane retaking of the lead. An error later in the inning by the Dust Devils, in which a throw from the outfield got through the relay man and rolled slowly into the infield, allowed another run across and moved the Indians lead to 5-3.
Relievers Keythel Key (2 IP, 3 Ks), Luke Cooper (2 IP, 4 Ks) and Benny Thompson (1 IP) held down the fort for five innings, keeping the visitors within two and setting them up for one final chance in the 9th. They would take advantage, beginning with RF Randy De Jesus getting some help from the smoky haze and dusky skies at Avista Stadium for a pop-up double that fell safely in right field. C Peter Burns later slashed an RBI single down the left field line to score De Jesus and make it a 5-4 game, but the rally ended there.
Lefty Spokane starter Bryson Hammer (5-6) got through five innings, allowing only the three unearned runs on three hits and striking out six for the win. Reliever Hunter Mann pitched the final two innings for his fifth save.
DUST DEVILS NOTES
-3B Harold Coll’s 3rd inning double, which followed the Ortiz homer, extended his on-base streak to 20 games. 1B Ryan Nicholson singled in his first at-bat, extending his hit streak to five games in a row.
-The Inland Northwest rivals played their ninth one-run game of 2026 Tuesday night, nearly half of the teams’ 19 contests so far. Tri-City stands 4-5 in the nine one-run games with Spokane, with the last four games in the season series all one-run victories for the Indians at Avista Stadium.
-Last night in the NWL saw the Vancouver Canadians withstand a valiant Hillsboro Hops charge in the bottom of the 9th for a 9-8 win at Hops Ballpark. Vancouver scored three runs in the 9th and needed every run, as Hillsboro scored four times and had the winning run at second before the visitors grabbed the 27th out. At Everett Memorial Stadium the Eugene Emeralds slugged their way to a 13-8 win over the Everett AquaSox, helping Spokane back into first place in the Second Half playoff race.
VARGAS V. VARGAS…NO, THIS ISN’T A COURT CASE
Tri-City and Spokane play game two of their six-game series at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday night at Avista Stadium. Both teams send right-handed starters to the mound named Vargas: Yeferson Vargas (3-7, 6.35 ERA) for Tri-City and Jordy Vargas (2-8, 5.68 ERA) for Spokane. In another coincidence, both hurlers wear the number 30.
Free broadcast coverage on the MiLB app and dustdevilsbaseball.com will begin with the Dust Devils Pregame Show at 6:15 p.m. Fans can also watch the games for free on Bally Sports Live (Spokane broadcast), and via subscription on MLB.tv and the MiLB app.
After a 12-game road trip that continues to Eugene the Dust Devils return Tuesday, August 4, for a six-game set with the Hillsboro Hops. For tickets to the set with the Hops, as well as all 2026 Dust Devils home games, visit the official ticket site, dustdevilsbaseball.com.