After two consecutive blowout losses, the Eugene Emeralds turned the tide Saturday night and defeated the Everett AquaSox 13-7.
It was an offensive shootout once again that featured six hit batters, multiple position-players pitching and an Emeralds’ eighth inning in which they sent 11 men to the plate and scored six runs.
One of the position players Cash Gladfelter, whom was one of six relief pitchers for the AquaSox, was ejected from the game in the eighth inning after hitting Eugene shortstop Luis Vazquez. Vazquez had been pitched to up and in most of the night and Gladfelter’s ejection came after a warning which had been issued in the first inning to both benches by home plate umpire Andrew Clark.
The sight of a position player being tossed from the game in the late stages of a blowout was certainly a unique one.
As for the scoring, the AquaSox jumped out to an early lead in the first inning for the third time in three nights, this time on an RBI double from first baseman Robert Perez.
The Emeralds answered back in the second courtesy of a Fernando Kelli RBI single. Kelli did, however, leave the game with an injury after sliding into third on a stolen base. Jacob Olson took over for the rest of the night in right field, and starting right fielder Edmond Americaan moved over to center.
Everett answered Eugene’s one-run frame in the second with a solo home run from nine-hole hitter Miguel Perez. The AquaSox scored again in the third on an Austin Marlowe double to the wall. Eugene starting pitcher Chris Allen should’ve been out of the inning the batter prior, but Vasquez committed a fielding error on a grounder at short, which brought Marlowe to the plate.
After falling behind yet again it looked as if the Emeralds were in for another tough night, but the offense came alive in a way it hadn’t all series up to that point. Six runs in the fourth inning, three on an Americaan home run to right-center field, put the Emeralds on top and they never relinquished the lead.
The scoring continued for Eugene in the seventh and eighth, albeit facing low-eighties fastballs from outfielders and catchers. Americaan doubled and scored in the eighth and singled home a run in the ninth to fatten up his statline a bit, and designated hitter Zac Taylor reached and scored all five times he came to the dish.
As was the case Friday night, Everett went with an opener in Damon Casetta-Stubbs, who tossed one scoreless frame before being lifted for 18-year-old Deivy Florido, who struggled mightily.
The Emeralds will next face the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. They’ll come to town Sunday for a two-game series, with Josh Burgmann scheduled to take the hill for the Emeralds. First pitch at 5:05 p.m.
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