Next game

Opponent: Everett AquaSox.

When, where: 7:05 p.m. today, Everett Memorial Stadium, Everett.

Radio: KUTI (1460).

Probable pitchers: Yakima RHP Houston Summers (2-0, 1.83) vs. TBA.

Notes

THE DAY AFTER: Numbers, as they say, don't come much more crooked than an 8, which was the primary reason the Bears lost their third straight game Tuesday night, 9-7 to Spokane.

An eight-run second inning, which included 12 batters, six hits, two errors and one hit batsman, sealed Yakima's fate. It was still on manager Bob Didier's mind almost 24 hours later.

"It's like when you're in the second or third inning and the other team gets a runner to third with one or no outs," Didier said. "A lot of time the pitcher will concentrate so hard on trying to strike the next guy out that he gets himself in more trouble. Look, you can give up a run in the second or third inning and still be alright. But a five-spot, or six or seven or eight ... that makes it rough."

And once the inning and/or game ends, Didier said, the most important thing is to move on.

"The greatest players I've ever been around," he said, "had bad memories. When it's over, it's over, and you go out the next day and play and the score's 0-0."

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS HAVE NOT BEEN KIND: While not a problem in their first two meetings with the impressive Indians, one-run games have not yet been kind to the Bears.

Sunday night's 5-4 loss at Boise, a game in which Yakima had taken a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning, dropped the Bears' record in one-run games to 2-6.

PRESIDENTIAL VISIT: Bob Richmond, in his 26th year as Northwest League president, visited Yakima County Stadium on Wednesday night.

Richmond was the NWL's chief executive from 1974-81, then resumed those duties in 1991.

He threw out the first pitch, then autographed the ball for the Bear who caught it, Collin Cowgill -- or so it seemed.

"Why would he want my autograph?" Richmond later joked. "He signed the ball and gave it to me."

-- Roger Underwood

Box score

Bears 9, Indians 8 (11)

SPOKANE YAKIMA

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Bolden cf 5 2 1 1 Cooper ss 2 1 0 0

Ogata 2b 1 2 0 0 Cowgill cf 6 4 4 5

Butler dh 4 2 1 1 Marte lf 5 1 0 0

Pickett 3b 5 1 2 1 Fie 3b 6 1 2 1

Guinn 1b 5 0 0 0 Babineau c 5 0 2 2

Fry rf 4 1 2 1 Castillo 1b 4 0 0 0

TRdriguez lf 4 0 2 0 Davis dh 4 1 0 0

Zaneski c 2 0 0 0 RRdriguez rf 3 0 1 0

Hogan c 3 0 1 0 Bordes 2b 5 1 2 1

Paisano lf 1 0 0 0

Koncel ss 3 0 0 0

Totals 37 8 9 4 Totals 40 9 11 9

Spokane 000 001 302 02 -- 8

Yakima 002 021 001 03 -- 9

E--Koncel 2, RRodriguez. DP--Spokane 1, Yakima 2. LOB--Spokane 11, Yakima 9. 2B--Fry, Butler, Pickett, Babineau. HR--Bolden (1), Cowgill 3 (10). SB--TRodriguez, Marte. CS--Paisano, Koncel, Bordes. S--Cooper, RRodriguez. SF--Fry.

IP H R ER BB SO

Spokane

Ramirez 4 2-3 5 4 4 3 5

Murphy 2 1-3 2 1 1 3 2

Springston L,0-1 3 2-3 4 4 1 0 3

Yakima

Taveras 5 2-3 4 1 1 4 3

Cespedes 1-3 1 3 3 2 0

Meaker 2 1 0 0 0 2

Woodall 2 2 2 1 3 1

Brea W,1-2 1 1 2 1 3 0

WP--Ramirez, Taveras 2, Meaker. PB--Babineau. HBP--Castillo (by Ramirez), RRodriguez (by Springston), Ogata (by Taveras), Pickett (by Taveras), Ogata (by Taveras), Ogata (by Woodall). Umpires--Charles Billington, Stu Scheurwater. T--3:41. A--2,546.

NWL standings

EAST DIVISION

W L Pct GB

Spokane 11 5 .668 --

Tri-City 10 6 .625 1

Boise 8 8 .500 3

YAKIMA 7 9 .438 4

WEST DIVISION

W L Pct GB

Salem-Keizer 9 7 .500 --

Eugene 7 9 .563 2

Vancouver 7 9 .438 2

Everett 6 10 .375 3

Wednesday's results

Yakima 9, Spokane 8 (11)

Tri-City 13, Boise 0

Vancouver 7, Everett 4

Salem-Keizer 5, Eugene 2

Today's games

Yakima at Everett

Eugene at Spokane

Tri-City at Salem-Keizer

Vancouver at Boise