The Eugene Emeralds began a huge homestand on the right foot on Tuesday, coming back from 5-0 to win 9-6 over the Everett AquaSox.
It was the start of Eugene’s final home series of the season –– and a crucial one at that. Coming into the night, just one game separated the top three teams in the High-A West, with the Emeralds falling in the middle of the trio.
Armani Smith led the offensive attack, smashing two home runs while driving in five runs.
Tuesday was also Stomp Out Suicide Night, as the Emeralds partnered with University of Oregon baseball commit Carson Lydon and his foundation A World Free of Sucide. Lydon threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Giants No. 28 prospect Blake Rivera made his Emeralds home debut on the mound. He allowed three singles in the first inning en route to giving up a run.
Ismael Munguia led off the bottom of the first with a single, but was picked off first base. Jairo Pomares doubled, so the pickoff likely cost the Emeralds a run.
Rivera gave up a walk and another single in the second inning. With runners on second and third and two outs, he gave up a two-out bloop single to make it 3-0 — the second straight inning in which he gave up a two-out run-scoring hit.
He settled down to pitch a scoreless third inning and got the first two outs in the fourth before surrendering a walk and a two-run homer.
Sean Roby got Eugene on the board in the bottom of the fourth, smacking a home run to right field and making it 5-1.
Rivera’s night ended after four innings. He gave up five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four.
The Emeralds finally strung some hits together in the fifth. Logan Wyatt and Munguia led off with back-to-back singles, and Pomares hit his second double of the game to drive in a run.
Roby struck out, wasting an opportunity to get at least another run in. But Smith more than made up for Roby’s shortcoming, blasting a three-run homer to tie it up at 5-5. The Emeralds roared back from 5-0 in one of the most important games of the year thus far.
After Wyatt drew a two-out walk in the sixth, the AquaSox pulled fifth-rounder Taylor Dollard from the game. On the first pitch the new reliever threw, Munguia crushed a monster two-run homer onto the shed in right field. He made sure to admire the homer, dropping his bat and pounding his chest while yelling towards the Emeralds’ dugout.
Nick Morreale came in for the seventh and walked the first hitter. The runner advanced to third on two long fly outs, then came home on a two-out single just off the glove of Wyatt. The Emeralds’ two-run lead was sliced in half.
Smith struck again in the bottom of the seventh to provide some insurance. He hit a two-run bomb — his second homer in his last two at-bats — to make it 9-6.
Austin Reich was beyond dominant in the eighth, pitching a rare immaculate inning; he struck out all three batters he faced on nine total pitches.
Chris Wright shut the door with three strikeouts in the ninth to cap the 9-6 win in the series opener. With four games left to play at PK Park this year, the Emeralds will pick things up on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.
