In Hunter Renfroe’s farewell game, the Eugene Emeralds finally saw their bats come alive against the Spokane Indians as the runs came early and often Friday night at PK Park. The Em’s recorded 11 hits, winning the game 5-0.

First round pick Renfroe, who added yet another strong performance to his already spectacular season, played his final game in an Ems uniform as he left to join the Fort Wayne TinCaps after the game. Renfroe made sure to leave with a bang, batting 1-4 while finishing with two RBIs.

The outcome was never in doubt as the Emeralds scored a pair of runs in both the third and fourth innings. Felipe Blanco got things going for the Em’s with a one-out double. This was followed by a single from Ronnie Richardson who brought Blanco home. Then in the fourth Ryan Miller scored on a double from Edwin Moreno and Renfroe was walked with the bases loaded to push the lead to 4-0.

Eugene added one last run in the seventh inning. Miller stole second base, setting himself up nicely for a single from Moreno that scored his teammate, bringing the final to 5-0.

Though the Emeralds were able to score, it first looked like the crowd was in for another quiet offensive night as both teams got off to slow starts. The starting pitchers were able to stifle the opposing batters as each team was only able to generate one hit through the first two innings. Though Eugene was finally able to break through and score runs, a great game by the Emerald pitching staff prevented the Indians from doing the same.

Starting pitcher Coby Cowgill (2-0) got the win for the Emeralds. He recorded six strikeouts and finished his five innings with an impressive 1.62 ERA. There was no drop off in performance when Tony Rizzotti and Tyler Hale came into the game to relieve Cowgill, both doing enough to hold on to the shut-out. Adam Cimber finished things off to claim his seventh save of the season.

Spokane struggled to capitalize on their opportunities. They had eight hits on the game, but unlike the Emeralds, they couldn’t ever bring their runners around the bases.

The Emeralds were able to help themselves by playing a clean game, keeping Spokane from registering any easy runs. The pitching staff only walked two batters while the defense was able to avoid any errors.

With the win Eugene, who came into the game second in the Northwest League South, is now 8-7 in the second half of the season. They sit only one game behind first place Salem-Keizer. Tonight’s game was the second of a five-game series between the Eugene and Spokane. The next meeting will take place tomorrow night back at PK Park.