Emeralds Dominant in Bounce Back Win
August 8, 2024 - Northwest League (NWL)
Eugene Emeralds News Release
Vancouver, BC - A night after suffering their worst loss of the season, Eugene was able to take the 2nd game of the series against the Vancouver Canadians by a final score of 9-3. It was an all-around great performance as both the bats and the pitching staff were dominant. Eugene now is 4-4 on their current road trip and the series is tied up at 1 game each against Vancouer.
Rodolfo Nolasco was able to get the scoring started in tonight's game. He had been sitting on 9 home runs for the past few weeks but was able to club his 10th of the year in the top of the 2nd inning for the first run of the night. Nolasco now joins Quinn McDaniel as the only Emerald with double-digit home runs this season. In the top of the 3rd Eugene was able to extend their lead. After Alex Suarez and Jonah Cox singled to start the inning, Suarez was thrown out attempting to steal home on a double-steal. It didn't matter all too much as Bryce Eldridge ripped an RBI-Single to bring home Cox on the play. Eldridge put together another great night at the plate and has hit RBI's in both games to start the series.
In the top of the 4th the Emeralds reclaimed the 2-run lead after the Canadians scored their first run of the night in the bottom of the 2nd. Cole Foster ripped a single that scored Charlie Szykowny on the play. Foster has been making great contact on the baseball during this road-trip, and he was awarded with the early base hit.
It was the top of the 5th inning where Eugene was able to really pull away. Eldridge drew a walk and Nolasco had his 2nd hit of the night to put a pair of runners on. Szykowny ripped a double and Eldridge scored on the play. A couple of batters later Luke Shliger skied one out to right center field but it landed between 2 defenders to bring home a run. The next batter, Cole Foster, hit a single and drove home his 2nd run of the game in as many innings to cap off a 3-run 5th inning.
Vancouver made things interesting in the bottom half of the inning as Je'Von Ward hit a no-doubt 2-run home run to cut the lead to 6-3. It proved to be the last run of the night however for Vancouver. Eugene kept their foot on the pedal as they instantly responded with a run in the 6th inning. The bases were loaded for Onil Perez who got hit by a pitch to bring home Eldridge on the free pass. In the 7th inning Alex Suarez led off the inning with a single and stole 2nd base. He was able to advance into 3rd on a groundout and he eventually scored on a wild pitch with Eldridge up to bat.
In the top of the 9th Eugene was able to bring home one last run of insurance as Eldridge hit into a groundout that brought Suarez home for the 2nd time. It was a great night for Eugene's offense as they ended up scoring runs in 7 of the 9 innings in tonight's game.
The pitching crew bounced back in a big way after a toss loss last night. Manuel Mercedes was solid as the Ems starter as he threw 4.2 innings and allowed 8 hits and 3 runs. Mercedes does a great job at always keeping Eugene in games, and he exited tonight's game with a 3-run lead behind him.
Tommy Kane came into the game after Mercedes and threw one of his best outings as an Emerald. He pitched 2.1 innings and gave up just 1 hit while not allowing a single run. He ended up earning his 1st victory of the season. Daniel Blair pitched a quick hitless 8th inning and Hunter Dula came into the game to close things out in the 9th and threw a scoreless frame with 2 punchouts.
It was a great night for Eugene as they needed to get back in the win column. They now sit 5 games out of a playoff spot with 28 games left to go in the 2nd half. It'll be a big matchup between these two teams tomorrow as Eugene will look to now take the series lead. Cesar Perdomo is on the mound for the Ems with first pitch set for 7:05 P.M.
#RootedHere
• Discuss this story on the Northwest League message board...
Northwest League Stories from August 8, 2024
- AquaSox Drop Second Straight in Hillsboro - Everett AquaSox
- Well, Well, Well...How the Turntables: Indians Blank Dust Devils - Tri-City Dust Devils
- Unending Onslaught Too Much for C's Wednesday - Vancouver Canadians
- Emeralds Dominant in Bounce Back Win - Eugene Emeralds
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
