After trailing the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes since the top of the second inning Thursday night, the Eugene Emeralds looked to be in jeopardy of losing for the fifth time in their last seven games.
Instead, left fielder Justin Miller continued his hot play, hitting an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to score pinch runner Jace Peterson and give the Emeralds an eventual 5-4 win over the visiting Volcanoes at PK Park.
“It felt good,” Miller said. “We lost two of three to Everett, so to bounce back, not get swept, and come out with another one tonight in late-inning fashion, it’s good.”
Miller, who went 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run, hit in his 12th-consecutive game, and has 21 hits and 14 runs during that stretch.
“Man, I didn’t even know I had it until game 10, so it’s going good,” Miller said. “Just trying to keep it consistent, keep it going good and put swings on good pitches and let it play itself out.”
After the game, first-year Emeralds manager Pat Murphy mentioned the value of playing close games as the Northwest League playoffs approach.
“It’s great to play close games this time of year and practice how we’re going to have to play at the end,” Murphy said. “You can’t just take the second half off. You’ve got to compete.”
The Volcanoes opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning when designated hitter Mike Murray hit a home run into the Emeralds’ bullpen in right field, on the first pitch of the at-bat against Emeralds starter John Barbato.
Salem-Keizer added another run in the top of the third inning when center fielder Jesus Galindo, who led off with a single past diving Emeralds shortstop Casey McElroy, stole second and third bases before crossing home on a sacrifice fly from Volcanoes right fielder Brett Krill.
Eugene got on the board in the bottom of the inning when Miller scored on an error by Salem-Keizer catcher Dan Burkhart. With Emeralds center fielder Donavan Tate on first base and trying to steal second base, Burkhart sailed his throw into center field, letting Miller run home from third base.
Salem-Keizer doubled its tally in the top of the fourth inning, stretching its lead to 4-1. Burkhart led off the inning with a single that fell just out of Tate’s reach. The next batter, Volcanoes third baseman Garrett Buechele, followed with a double over the head of Tate, who had initially come in on the ball that ended up falling on the warning track, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Volcanoes first baseman Ben Thomas hit a deep sacrifice fly to Tate to drive in Burkhart and move Buechele to third base. Two batters later, Galindo slapped a two-out infield single to McElroy, scoring Buechele from third base.
Barbato had a rocky start, going four innings, giving up six hits and two walks and striking out three on 72 pitches.
The Emeralds got those runs right back in the bottom of the inning when they strung together four singles in five batters to lead off the inning. Emeralds second baseman Travis Whitmore began the rally with a perfectly executed push bunt down the third base line that ended up hitting the bag. First baseman Lee Orr — in his first start at the position in professional baseball — followed with a single to right field. After right fielder Kyle Gaedele hit a fly ball to right field that advanced Whitmore to third base, and after Orr stole second base without a throw, catcher Jeremy Rodriguez hit a broken-bat single to right field to score Whitmore. Emeralds designated hitter Jose Dore followed with a ground ball that leaked through up the middle, bringing home Orr and making the game 4-3.
Eugene had a chance to break the game open in the bottom of the fifth inning when they loaded the bases with two outs. McElroy led off the inning with a double to right-center field, and was followed by a one-out infield single from Whitmore and a two-out walk by Gaedele. However, Rodriguez struck out looking on a questionably low pitch from Volcanoes starter Reinier Roibal to end the inning, stranding all three runners.
Roibal did a decent job in holding the Emeralds’ offense in check during his five-inning start, giving up three runs on nine hits and three walks with six strikeouts.
After their two-run fourth inning, the Volcanoes never advanced a runner past second base, and only recorded one hit, a one-out single in the ninth inning from shortstop Joe Panik. Eugene’s bullpen — Jeremy Gigliotti, Luis De La Cruz, Matt Stites and Chris Wilkes — combined to hold Salem-Keizer scoreless, striking out six batters in five innings.
Eugene’s two-run bottom of the eighth inning turned its one-run deficit into a one-run lead. After Gaedele reached on a one-out hit-by-pitch, stole second base uncontested and advanced to third on a wild pitch from Volcanoes reliever Matt Graham, he eventually tied the game when he scored on another wild pitch, this from Volcanoes reliever Phil McCormick. Graham, who faced three batters and allowed two to reach base, walked Rodriguez on four pitches to put the winning run on base. Murphy pinch-ran for his catcher with Peterson, who was driven in on Miller’s one-out single past a diving Thomas, giving the Emeralds a lead they would not relinquish.
“He came fastball away. I knew what kind of pitcher he was; he was going to leave it out there,” Miller said. “I fouled off the first one and he came right back with another one, and I dropped that one through the hole.”
Wilkes recorded the save after coming in for the ninth inning, getting Krill to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.
“We’re starting to play a little bit better,” Murphy said. “Our pitching’s a little thin, but our bullpen did a great job to get it done.”
The Emeralds and Volcanoes meet for game two of their three-game series Friday night at 7 p.m. at PK Park. Eugene has taken nine of the teams’ first 10 games so far this season.