Hot and cold

Bears’ bats in deep freeze as Spokane warms up ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — It’s nothing Tim Hulett can put his finger on, and maybe he doesn’t want to.

Because the way things are going when his Spokane Indians oppose the Bears, why complicate matters?

“We’ve had a little success against them so far,” the Spokane manager said after his team’s 6-3 win Thursday night at Yakima County Stadium improved the Indians to 4-1 against Yakima and 1-7 against other Northwest League competition.

Roberto Rodriguez congratulates Gerson Montilla after he hit a homerun in the fourth inning against Spokane at Yakima County Stadium Thursday, July 2, 2009. (Kris Holland/Yakima Herald-Republic)

“They’re a good team and they have some guys who swing the bats well. But tonight, as a team, was the best offensive game we’ve had.”

The Bears? Not so much, before an announced crowd of 1,274.

A night after losing a two-run lead with Spokane down to its final four outs, Yakima managed only five hits — or one more than the Indians’ Aja Barto, who had three singles and a triple in five at bats.

Ex-Washington Stater Jared Prince and No. 9-hitter Denny Duron added two safeties each to the Indians’ 11-hit attack and newcomer Joe Bonadonna, just up from the Arizona League, had two RBI.

Gerson Montilla was the lone Bears’ standout, going 3-for-4 with a two-run homer.

And Yakima, which a week ago was compiling a five-game winning streak and seeking a sweep of its five-game set with Eugene, must try to avoid the broom tonight against Spokane (5-8).

Bears catcher Tyson Van Winkle dives back to first base as Spokane's Jared Prince goes for the out in the fourth inning at Yakima County Stadium Thursday, July 2, 2009. (Kris Holland/Yakima Herald-Republic)

At 6-7, and having lost five of six, the Bears are under .500 for the first time since losing two of three last month at Spokane.

“It’s an up and down game,” Yakima manager Bob Didier said, “and we’re a little bit down right now. This was one of those games where not much happened.”

After Yakima got an unearned run in the first inning when Ryan Wheeler was hit by a pitch, took second on Matt Davidson’s single and scored on an error, the Indians scored four times over the next three innings.

Andrew Wolcott pitches for the Bears against Spokane in the first inning at Yakima County Stadium Thursday, July 2, 2009. (Kris Holland/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Two Bears errors contributed to Spokane’s two-run second. Vinny DiFazio’s double and Barto’s single plated another in the third, and a single, stolen base and Bonadonna’s two-out base hit made it 4-1, Indians, in the fourth.

The Bears answered in the bottom of the inning on Tyson Van Winkle’s infield single and Montilla’s two-out, no-doubt homer to left.

It was not only the first long ball this season for Montilla, but his first extra-base hit.

The Indians, however, posted two more in the sixth. After Ariel Brea walked two of his first three hitters that inning, Didier called on Alex Thieroff who yielded an RBI double to Duron and a run-scoring groundout to Bonadonna.

The Bears’ best shot thereafter came in the eighth, when Wheeler led off with a walk and Davidson’s potential double-play grounder was booted.

But Clayton Conner, who’d homered in his two previous games and launched multiple big flies Thursday in batting practice, was doubled up on a similar bouncer.

“That’s what happens when you’re going like we are right now,” Didier said. “When you’re going good and the other team kicks a ball like that, you score two or three runs.

“Tomorrow we’ll try a little bit different lineup. We have a nucleus of guys we’ll try to stay with, but we’ll also give some different guys some playing time.”