Dust Devils Drop Frogs in Extras
Published on July 5, 2014 under Northwest League (NWL1)
Everett AquaSox News Release
EVERETT, Wash . - There was a sellout crowd on hand at Everett Memorial Stadium to celebrate Independence Day, but neither team provided much in the way of fireworks. In the end, the Tri-City Dust Devils were able to pull out a 2-1 win in eleven innings when the Everett AquaSox ran out of pitching.
Luke Guarnaccia, who started at designated hitter Friday and is listed as a catcher on the roster, came on to pitch the eleventh inning and spell the AquaSox bullpen. He took the loss in his first career pitching appearance, allowing one run on two hits in his one inning of work. Guarnaccia (0-1) almost got out of the inning, but Dillon Thomas ripped a two-out RBI single up the middle to score Miguel Dilone with the go-ahead run. Dilone had reached on a walk and moved to second on a base hit by Francisco Sosa before coming home on Thomas' single. Scott Firth set the 'Sox down in order in the bottom of the inning to earn his sixth save and nail down the win for the Dust Devils.
The Dust Devils run in the eleventh ended a deadlock that had lasted since the sixth. Both starters cruised through the first three innings, with the AquaSox' Jeffeson Medina and the Dust Devils' Grahamm Wiest each facing one batter over the minimum.
Tri-City finally broke through in the fourth to grab a 1-0 lead. Renaldo Jenkins led off with a drag bunt, beating the throw from third baseman Taylor Smart, and then advanced to second on Dilone's single and to third on Sosa's double play ball. Richard Prigatano then picked up the two-out RBI by grounding a single back up the middle to plate the game's first run.
A Tri-City error allowed Everett to even the score in the sixth. With two outs, Austin Cousino lined a single to right. Wiest then made an errant pickoff throw to first, allowing Cousino to cruise into second base. Adam Martin, who is one of the few hot bats in the Everett lineup and just missed a home run in the first inning when he doubled off the top of the left field wall, capitalized on the scoring chance, lining a broken bat, RBI single to left to tie the game at 1-1. With three hits Friday, Martin is on a six-game hitting streak, over the span of which he is batting .500 (12-24). Aside from Martin, the rest of the 'Sox lineup was 4-33 for the night.
The AquaSox defense made a couple of nice plays to keep Everett in the game. In the fifth, Kyle Petty made a nice play to save a run and hold the Frogs within one in the fifth. With a runner on second, the Dust Devils' Cesar Galvez hit a shot down the first baseline. Petty laid out, knocked the ball down with a dive, and recovered in time to get the force out, robbing Galvez of an RBI extra-base hit. In the tenth, second baseman Jordan Cowan made a diving grab in the hole with runners at the corners and two outs to end the inning and keep the score deadlocked.
Medina made another quality start for the 'Sox, but remained winless on the season with a hard luck no decision. The righty from Venezuela tossed seven innings of one-run ball, yielding only five hits and striking out five batters. Medina has allowed only four runs in his last 13 innings, but does not have a win to show for it.
Wiest also took a no decision for Tri-City after scattering six hits over six innings, allowing just the one unearned run while racking up five strikeouts. Jenkins and Sosa were 2-5 for the Dust Devils.
Everett had a chance to walkoff in the ninth. Martin singled and Phillips Castillo walked to put the winning run at second with two outs, but Guarnaccia struck out against Jerad McCrummen to send the game to extra frames. Carlos Yan (2-0) picked up the win for Tri-City after working a scoreless tenth.
The loss drops the AquaSox to 5-17. Everett has lost eight straight games at home since winning on June 13, opening day of the 2014 season. The Frogs have dropped four straight games overall and nine of their past ten. Everett and Tri-City (9-13) play the middle game of their three-game set Saturday, first pitch at 7:05. Ryan Yarbrough will make his first professional start for the Frogs against Tri-City right-hander Blake Shouse (1-2, 9.00). AquaSox 2014 season and individual game tickets are available now online at www.aquasox.com and by phone at 425-258-3673.
Northwest League Stories from July 5, 2014
- Canadians win over Spokane - Vancouver Canadians
- Red, White and Blew: Hops Drop Opener at Salem-Keizer - Hillsboro Hops
- Eugene wins 7-1 - Boise Hawks
- Vancouver Drops Opener In Key Series - Vancouver Canadians
- Dust Devils Drop Frogs in Extras - Everett AquaSox
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