The Eugene Emeralds have struggled to keep up with the mighty Everett AquaSox this season. But entering Saturday night, they had won two straight against the Frogs to take a 3-2 lead in their seven-game series at Funko Field.
However, they fell back to even on Saturday, losing 5-4 to the AquaSox. They were down 3-0 after the fourth inning and came back to tie it at three apiece, but gave up two more runs and couldn’t quite catch up again. Eugene trails Everett by 6.5 games in the standings heading into Sunday’s rubber game.
Conner Nurse took the mound on his birthday for the Emeralds. He got off to a great start, striking out a pair of batters in a perfect first inning. He walked two in the second, but got out of it without any further trouble.
But Everett finally struck in the third inning, as Nurse issued his third walk of the night and then surrendered a two-run bomb that put the AquaSox up 2-0.
Tyler Fitzgerald tripled with one out in the top of the fourth for the Emeralds, but was stranded as Sean Roby struck out and Ricardo Genoves lined out. The AquaSox then added one more with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning.
The Emeralds got on the board in the fifth inning, as Franklin Labour led off the frame with his 11th homer of the season. With Carter Aldrete on second and two outs, Ismael Munguia homered to right field, tying the game just like that.
The tie didn’t last long though, as the AquaSox responded with a two-run homer of their own in the bottom of the fifth against Nurse. The Emeralds trailed 5-3.
Nurse retired the first two hitters he faced in the sixth, but having thrown 94 pitches, Emeralds manager Dennis Pelfrey pulled the plug on Nurse’s birthday outing right there. He struck out six but gave up five runs in an unremarkable performance.
Nolan Dempsey was hit by a pitch to lead off the Emeralds’ half of the eighth inning, and Munguia singled to put runners on the corners with no outs. Brett Auerbach lined out and Fitzgerald struck out, while Munguia stole second to put the tying runs in scoring position.
Roby stepped up to the plate and drew a 3-0 count, but grounded out to second on the next pitch as the Emeralds wasted a huge opportunity.
Bryce Tucker pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief for Eugene, which was much-needed after he got slaughtered for five runs in just 1/3 of an inning his last time out. Even with Saturday’s performance, his ERA still sits at an ugly 9.38.
Jasier Herrera turned in a perfect eighth inning, keeping the Emeralds within striking distance.
Genoves led off the ninth with a single, immediately bringing the potential tying run to the plate. Labour walked, and the runners advanced to second and third on a groundout by Aldrete. For the second straight inning, all the Emeralds needed was a single to tie it up.
A run came home on a first-pitch groundout from Tyler Flores, but Dempsey was caught looking to end the game as the Emeralds couldn’t quite claw their way back.
They fell 5-4 to even the series at three games apiece. They’ve been in every game, playing much more competitively against the leaders of the High-A West than they were earlier in the season.
The epic seven-game saga will conclude on Sunday at 4:05 p.m., with the winner taking the series.
