The Eugene Emeralds (17-18) trailed 1-0 to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (18-17) and mustered just two hits heading into the bottom of the eighth. After Matt Rose’s pinch-hit single, lead-off hitter Donnie Dewees crushed a 1-0 fastball over the fence in left-center to take the lead.
“I knew it was a big at bat so I was a lot more locked in,” Dewees said.
Dewees’s first professional home run was a breakthrough for himself and his team. The Emeralds hung on to win 2-1 and snapped their four-game losing streak at PK Park Thursday night.
Dewees’s batting average had fallen from .281 to .230 over his last ten games.
“It’s been a rough start,” Dewees said. “It’s been hard but I know if I keep pushing, keep working, it’s all going to turn around and everything’s going to be all right.
“He’s a gamer,” manager Gary Van Tol said of the organization’s 2015 second-round draft pick. “He wants it bad and he puts more pressure on himself than anybody else. Those guys are kind of streaky. When he’s pressing a little bit too much, it’s an uphill battle.”
Dewees’s individual play seems to dictate the Emeralds performance. At home, Dewees is hitting .315 and the Emeralds are 12-5. Away, he’s hitting just .130 and Eugene is 5-13.
“It’s the Jekyll and Hyde show,” Van Tol said. “We’re either really high at home or really low on the road and we need to try and even things out.”
The Emeralds went 1-4 on their recent road trip to Vancouver and were outscored 34-12.
“Runs are tough to come by for whatever reason,” Van too said. “Hopefully that will kick start things for us and getting some runs won’t be as tough.”
The Hillsboro Hops (20-15) defeated the Boise Hawks (12-23) 4-1 tonight and thus eliminated Eugene from first-half playoff contention. The Emeralds can still clinch a spot in second half of the season, which begins July 26 and ends September 6.
The Emeralds will have to do so without first-round draft pick Ian Happ, who was promoted to the South Bend Cubs last week. Happ missed the Emeralds’ last three games in Vancouver as he battled the stomach flu. He was riding the bus back to Eugene with the team when he got the call up to the Cubs’ long-season Class A affiliate.
“There will be big shoes to fill,” Van Tol said. “We tried to hang onto him as long as possible. You knew each day he was getting closer and closer to getting the call up.”
Happ flew to Chicago today and will spend tomorrow at Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs take on the Philadelphia Phillies. He’ll will take batting practice on the field with the team if he feels up for it.
Salem Keizer’s Michael Connolly allowed just one hit and no runs in 6.2 innings but was credited with a no-decision. Eugene’s Tyler Peitzmeier pitched the game’s final two innings and picked up his second win.
The Emeralds will take on another dominant starting pitcher, San Francisco Giants’ 2015 second-round draft pick Andrew Suarez, 7:05 pm Friday at PK Park.
Follow Kenny Jacoby on Twitter @KennyJacoby