It’s been the same story every outing for Seth Corry.
He’s struck out more than 15 batters per nine innings, and held batters to a sub-.200 average…but he’s also experienced severe issues with throwing strikes. The double-edged sword of his 2021 campaign was on full display Friday night at PK Park, as he was knocked out of the game after three messy innings with the Eugene Emeralds trailing the Hillsboro Hops, 5-1.
But it was Diego Rincones who played savior, crushing a grand slam in the fourth inning to flip the script and lead the Emeralds to a 10-7 victory. The win gives the Emeralds a 4-0 series lead over the Hops and maintains their position atop the High-A West.
Corry got into immediate trouble with two walks and a hit by pitch in the first. He navigated through it, collecting back-to-back strikeouts to escape the bases-loaded jam. He came out for the second and walked the first hitter, but then struck out the next three as his perplexing season continued.
The Emeralds scratched out a run against 2020 first-round pick Slade Cecconi in the second. Logan Wyatt led off with a single, and Tyler Fitzgerald followed with a double. Fitzgerald eventually came around to score on a double play that gave the Emeralds a 1-0 lead.
In the third inning, Corry once again walked the first hitter. After another hit by pitch, the Hops tied the game on a bloop single that fell into no man’s land in shallow right field. A ground-rule double then gave the Hops a 2-1 lead, and a three-run double extended that lead to 5-1.
Corry lasted just three innings, giving up five runs on three hits, four walks and three hit batters while striking out seven. He threw 79 pitches, 42 of which were strikes.
Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Eugene in the third. After a mound visit, the next pitch hit Fitzgerald to force in a run and make it 5-2, but Armani Smith grounded out as the Emeralds went to the fourth with a three-run deficit.
A single, a walk and the fifth hit by pitch of the game loaded the bases for the Emeralds in the fourth, knocking Cecconi out of the game. Rincones greeted Hillsboro reliever Kyler Stout rudely, annihilating a grand slam to left-center that put the Emeralds on top 6-5 with the flip of a switch.
Stout continued to struggle with his control in the fifth, as he walked home a run that extended the Emeralds’ lead to 7-5. Rincones then smacked a ball down the left field line, bringing in three more runs as he collected seven RBIs in a two-inning span. The song “Bad Day” played at PK Park as Stout walked into the dugout with his head down.
Taylor Rashi pitched three hitless innings in relief, but allowed a leadoff homer in the seventh to make it 10-6. He wound up going four solid innings to hold the fort for the Emeralds.
John Timmins came in for the eighth, and allowed a double, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly that cut the Emeralds’ lead to 10-7. He got into some more hot water with a walk and a single, but recorded back-to-back strikeouts to avoid further damage.
Tyler Schimpf shut the door in the ninth to secure the Emeralds’ fourth consecutive victory and the series win. It wasn’t a pretty win, as Corry’s alarming control issues persisted, but Rincones ultimately fueled the victory with his seven RBIs. And lost in all the madness was that Wyatt reached base four times after coming into the day with a .575 OBP in his last nine games.
The pitching staff also collected 12 strikeouts, matching their season average.
The first-place Emeralds (24-15) will go for their fifth straight win on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
