The Eugene Emeralds beat the Tri-City Dust Devils 3-2 on Sunday at Gesa Stadium. They missed some early opportunities, but a clutch two-run single from Jacob Gonzalez and a strong collective effort from the pitching staff led them to victory. The win was their third in a row as they took the series over the Dust Devils, 4-2.
Kai-Wei Teng, the Giants’ No. 18 prospect, got the start for Eugene. He started the series opener, throwing five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
His control was a bit spotty early on, which has been a recurring problem for Teng. But after working around a walk in the second, he struck out the side in order in the third.
The Emeralds loaded the bases with one out in the second, but struck out twice to leave the bags juiced. They put two more runners on in the third, but struck out back-to-back times once again. They totaled eight strikeouts in the first three innings as they blew multiple chances to score and the game remained 0-0.
The second pitch Teng threw in the bottom of the third was hit onto the shed behind the outfield fence, giving Tri-City their first hit and a 1-0 lead. Teng bounced back, striking out the next three batters to bring his total to seven.
Teng allowed a double in the fourth, and a two-out single drove home another run for the Dust Devils.
The Emeralds loaded the bases again in the fifth, this time with no outs. Logan Wyatt grounded into a double play, bringing home a run, but that was all the Emeralds were able to muster as they trailed 2-1.
Teng struck out two more in the bottom of the fifth, extending his total to 11. Dust Devils manager Andy Schatzley was ejected after Teng’s 11th punchout for arguing balls and strikes.
Ismael Munguia and Carter Aldrete singled for Eugene in the sixth, but the Emeralds stranded two more runners as they continued to blow opportunities.
After putting two runners in scoring position in the seventh, Gonzalez finally gave the Emeralds the big hit they needed. He lined a two-run single to center, putting Eugene in the driver’s seat, 3-2.
Travis Perry pitched a perfect sixth for Eugene, but issued back-to-back walks in the seventh. He worked out of the jam with a groundout and a fly out, clinging on to the one-run lead.
Taylor Rashi walked the first batter in the ninth, but struck out the final two Dust Devils to secure the 3-2 victory. The pitching staff combined for 17 strikeouts on the day.
The Emeralds (12-6) have Monday off and will return to Eugene on Tuesday for a six-game series against the Spokane Indians, who they won five out of six against in their first series of the season.
