The Vancouver Canadians were denied of a victory on Canada Day as they lost 9-4 to the Spokane Indians at Nat Bailey Stadium Friday afternoon.
Spokane set the tone on the first pitch of the game when Braiden Ward rolled a seeing-eye single into center field on the first pitch of the game from Ricky Tiedemann. Ward stole second base and Zac Veen drew a walk and they would score on a Grant Lavigne double to right-center field. Anthony Morales tried to pick off Lavigne at second from behind the plate but his throw went to center field, resulting in Lavigne getting to third. Lavigne would score on a Trevor Boone two-bagger off the center field wall to make it 3-0 Spokane.
Vancouver also scored in their first at-bat against Will Ethridge. A leadoff walk by Steward Berroa, a stolen base and an Addison Barger free pass set the table for Leo Jiménez who lined a single to right to cash in Berroa.
The C’s drew to within a run in the second inning. A base hit to left by Mack Mueller, a stolen base and a wild pitch came in to score on a one-out grounder by Morales.
It was a one-run game until the sixth when Spokane added some breathing room against Naswell Paulino. Julio Carerras singled to left with one out and appeared to get picked off by Paulino but base umpire Paul Roemer called a balk instead. Bladimir Restituyo brought Carreras home with a two-out base hit to left to put Spokane up 4-2.
The Canadians closed the deficit to a single run again in the bottom of the sixth when Zach Britton homered off Ethridge to right field on a 0-2 pitch with one out.
Spokane matched that homer with one of their own when Veen took Paulino deep to center for a solo shot with two outs in the seventh.
Paulino was one strike away from retiring the side in order in the eighth but he surrendered a Boone home run to left-center to give Spokane a three-run bulge.
Britton went deep again for another solo blast to right-center field off Anderson Bido in the eighth to draw Vancouver to within two.
The visitors would put the game away against Will McAffer in the ninth. Singles to left by Nic Kent and Cristopher Navarro and a bunt single by Ward that McAffer could not make a play on loaded the bases with nobody out. Veen lined a single up the middle to score Kent and Navarro to give Spokane a lead of 8-4. Ward was thrown out trying to steal third by Morales and Veen was thrown out at home by Garrett Spain in center field trying to score from second. Lavigne would double to center as Spain nearly made a leaping catch against the wall but he could not hang on. Backing up the play, Mueller earned an assist as he started an 7-6-5 relay to cut down Lavigne at third.
Ricky Tiedemann leaves the mound after striking out Drew Romo looking to end the fifth inning Friday. 
Surrey, BC native Domino Palmegiani starts to run to second after his eighth-inning walk Friday. 
Canadians first baseman Damiano Palmigiani applies the tag on Julio Carreras but Naswell Paulino was charged with a balk Friday.
C-Notes
Tiedemann had trouble settling in for the first inning. The game started at 1:12 p.m., seven minutes late due to Canada Day festivities. The lefty wanted a new baseball to deal with Carreras and he tossed the old one into the dugout. Home plate umpire Matt Blackborow ruled that time was not called and Lavigne was allowed to cross the plate with Spokane’s third run. The call was overturned but it was a moot point. After Carreras struck out swinging, Boone doubled to left to drive home Lavigne.
Kent drew a leadoff walk in the second inning and stole second. He got to third on Ward’s grounder to first after Tiedemann struck out Navarro. The inning ended on.an incredible play by Cardona who ranged well to his right before making an off-balance throw to retire Veen.
Berroa stole a hit from Romo by making a sliding catch in right field to start the third. There was a delay in the action as there was a hole in the fence of one of the doors behind home plate but Tiedemann would get back to work by completing a strikeout of Carreras on the next pitch to wrap up a three-up, three-down inning.
Tiedemann set down the side in order in the fourth with Spain running one down at the warning track in front of the manual scoreboard in center field off the bat of Boone.
Mueller also had to get on his horse as he cut off a Navarro bid for a hit in the left-center field gap to give Tiedemann the first out in the fifth. Tiedemann sat down 11 in a row before nicking Veen on the elbow with a pitch. Veen swiped second and third but Tiedemann struck out Romo looking to finish the frame and his outing.
Tiedemann allowed three runs on three hits, two walks and a hit by pitch over five innings but punched out six batters.
Paulino gave up three two-out runs on four hits over three innings but posted a 5-0 K/BB total. McAffer was charged for three runs on six this in the ninth.
Mueller also made a leaping snag of a fly ball to left off the bat of Navarro to start the seventh.
The C’s stranded Barger and Jiménez in the first after there was nobody out.
Damiano Palmegiani gave one a ride to the warning track in center but Restituyo made the catch to begin the fourth.
Cardona tried to bunt his way on but was thrown out by Etheridge and Morales flied out to the warning track in center to begin the fifth. Berroa would double down the right field corner but Barger struck out swinging.
Jiménez was robbed of extra bases when Restituyo made a leaping catch at the wall in left-center field to start the sixth inning. That play was huge for Spokane as Britton followed with the first of his two home runs. Spain was hit by a pitch by Spokane reliever Blake Goldsberry with two outs but Mueller flied out to end the frame.
Cardona singled to right on a 0-2 pitch from Goldsberry to open up the seventh but he was thrown out stealing second as he came off the bag. Morales was denied of a hit when Veen raced over to the warning track to haul it in. The inning ended when Berroa struck out.
Palmegiani kept the eighth inning going with a two-out walk after Britton’s second homer and Spain followed with a base hit to right but Mueller was robbed of a hit as Veen made a sliding catch in right.
Cardona worked a leadoff walk against Shelby Lackey in the ninth, stole second and got to third on a Morales grounder to third. Berroa struck out looking and Barger’s bid for a base hit up the middle was picked by Lackey and he started a 1-3 putout to wrap things up.
Britton homered twice to give him three in his last two games and seven on the season. It’s the second time this year Britton has homered three times in a two-game span as he turned the trick back in May against the Tri-City Dust Devils. Berroa collected his 10th double and 18th stolen base of the year as well as a walk. Cardona singled, walked and stole his eighth bag. Mueller singled and pilfered base number four. Jiménez and Spain had the other base knock while Barger and Palmegiani both had bases on balls. Vancouver failed 10 times in 11 opportunities with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners.
Jiménez started the game at short but was replaced in the eighth inning by Cardona who moved from second base. Harry Ray took over for Cardona at second.
The Canadians were hoping history would repeat itself on Canada Day as their last win on July 1 came in 2016 against the Spokane Indians on a Friday at The Nat. Burlington, Ontario’s Mattingly Romanin hit a grand slam that day to cap off a C’s win that day. Jiménez and Spain had the other base hits.
Lefthander Jimmy Robbins is up next in the Canadians rotation and he will match up against southpaw Joe Rock in a 7:05 p.m. start at Nat Bailey Stadium. The game will be on CanadiansBaseball.com and MiLB.TV.
Spokane manager Scott Little was tossed from the game by Blackborow just before the bottom of the fourth inning.
The C’s have announced that Nick Frasso will make his Northwest League debut in Sunday’s series finale at 1:05 p.m.
Radar Gun Rundown
Tiedemann was between 80 and 97 miles per hour and recorded strikeouts at 95, 83, 95, 81, 93 and 96. Paulino had whiffs of 82, 90 and 79. His other two K’s did not register a correct reading on the gun as they were faster than the 57 displayed both times. McAffer was around 84-93.
C-Tweets
C's Plus Baseball | A Vancouver Canadians Blog 