Northwest League -- Yakima pitchers freeze Tri-City

YAKIMA -- It was nothing close to a quality summer night at Yakima County Stadium, but it did become a quality Summers night.

As in Houston Summers, who weathered unseasonable conditions Saturday and benefited from clutch relief pitching from Daniel Vasquez as the Bears outlasted Tri-City 5-3 before an announced group of 2,180 parka-wearing, blanket-clutching fans.

It was the second straight strong outing for the Yakima knuckleballer, and also the Bears' second successive conquest of their Northwest League neighbors, against whom they will play the remaining four games of the season.

"A couple of weeks ago I asked D.C. (pitching coach Dan Carlson) what I needed to do," Summers said, "and he told me, 'Just finish strong.'"

Which the right-hander did in his final start of the year, scattering seven hits and allowing only one run over seven innings. His record improve to 5-7 while his earned run averaged was reduced to 5.29.

If neither of those numbers seem impressive, it bears noting that after a rough middle of the season Summers allowed only three earned runs over his final 13 innings. He also walked only three hitters, including one Saturday.

"As much as the wind was blowing, and as cold as it was (64 degrees at game time), the wind was blowing in and sort of pushing the knuckleball toward the plate," Summers said. "And between innings I'd run in here and bundle up."

Vasquez, meanwhile, continued his strong relief work, pitching the final 1 1/3 innings for his fourth save.

He's allowed just four earned runs over his last 11 appearances and 14 1/3 innings for a 2.52 ERA.

Yakima scored one run in each of the first two innings with the top two hitters in its batting order, David Cooper and Brendan Duffy, scoring twice each.

Ramon Castillo and Justin Parker had RBI singles, the first of which scored Cooper who had reached base with his 65th walk, with the second plating Brendan Duffy who had bunted himself aboard.

The same two Bears also scored in the second, with Cooper coming home on Alfredo Marte's double into the left-field corner and Duffy scoring on another Castillo base hit.

Summers allowed his only run in the fifth when Ryan Peisel reached on a leadoff bunt single and came around on two-out singles by Erik Wetzel and Jordan Pacheco.

Clayton Suss relieved Summers to start the seventh, and with one out hit the No. 9 hitter, then allowed successive singles to Charlie Blackmon and Wetzel to load the bases.

Jason Durst came on to walk home a run, and a second scored on Chris Vasami's sacrifice fly.

The Dust Devils threatened to tie it in the eighth, advancing Scott Robinson to third with two out before Vasquez was summoned to face the dangerous Blackmon.

Vasquez worked the count to 2-2, then got Blackmon swinging on a changeup.

The Bears responded by scoring with two out in their half of the inning, using consecutive singles by Jhoan Pimentel, Joe Ayers and Cooper -- who was 3-for-4.

Tri-City put the tying runs on base via two walks in the ninth, but Vasquez fanned Robinson to end it.

"That last hit by Cooper was huge," said Yakima manager Bob Didier. "That gave us a little bit of breathing room. Cooper got another walk tonight and Duffy got hit by a pitch for, what, the 15th time? That's sort of their MO, and the way they're playing they're two guys you like having at the top of your lineup."

With Duffy going 2-for-3 (he's 10 for 23 in six games since returning from a wrist injury), they accounted for five of the Bears' 12 hits. Castillo and Parker added two each.

Yakima (26-46) must still win three more to avoid a won-lost percentage that would equate to a 100-loss season over a 162-game major league schedule, while the Dust Devils (34-38) have dropped six straight.

And if nothing else, the Bears improved to 6-0 on nights in which fireworks followed their home games.

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