On the Fourth of July, the Emeralds’ offense provided plenty of fireworks, including a three-run home run from right fielder Lee Orr and two extra-base hits in both the fifth and sixth innings en route to a 7-3 win against the Vancouver Canadians in front of a PK Park-record crowd of 4,553.
“I was just trying to hit a ball hard,” Orr said. “I just stayed through it and put good wood on it.”
The Emeralds were led offensively by Orr, who went 1 for 2 with the home run, three runs batted in, two stolen bases and two runs scored. Emeralds first baseman Zach Kometani also contributed an RBI double in the fifth inning.
The win was the Emeralds’ 13th in a row, tying a Northwest League record for the longest winning streak. The victory gives Eugene (16-2) a five-game lead over Vancouver (11-7) for first place in the NWL’s Western Division standings nearly halfway through the first half of the season. The winners of each division in the first half and second half of the season meet in the playoffs, with the winners of those series meeting to contest the league championship.
The Emeralds and Canadians play the second game of their three-game series — and their fifth consecutive head-to-head game — Tuesday at 7 p.m. at PK Park.