Emeralds Draw 12 Walks in Comeback Victory against Spokane
NWL Eugene Emeralds

Emeralds Draw 12 Walks in Comeback Victory against Spokane

Published on May 1, 2026 under Northwest League (NWL)
Eugene Emeralds News Release


EUGENE, OR - The Eugene Emeralds were able to defeat the Spokane Indians by a final score of 7-5. The Ems have now won consecutive games this week and currently hold an 18-5 record through the first month of the 2026 season.

Spokane jumped on the Emeralds to start the game in the 1st inning. Tevin Tucker led off the game with a lead-off single before Kevin Fitzer crushed a 2-run home run to left field to put Spokane on the board in the 1st. They added another run in the 2nd inning off of the bat of Max Belyeu who led off the inning with his 3rd home run of the season to make it 3-0 Spokane after 2 innings.

Eugene got their first lead of the game in the 4th inning. Ty Hanchey started off the frame with a lead-off walk and Trevor Cohen followed it up with a walk of his own. Dakota Jordan drew a 1-out walk to load up the bases for Carlos Gutierrez. Gutierrez hit a gap shot to right-field that cleared the bases. He slid into 3rd for the triple but the throw was off the mark so Gutierrez jumped up and hustled home to give the Ems the 4-3 lead on one swing of the bat. It wasn't an inside-the-park home run, but it was his 2nd triple of the season.

Spokane kept on fighting and actually reclaimed the lead in the 5th. Tevin Tucker hit a 1-out bunt single and stole 2nd base for his 11th of the year. Fitzer struck once again as he smoked a double to bring home Tucker and tie the game up at 5. The next batter, Jacob Humphrey, gave Spokane the lead on an RBI-single to make it 5-4 Spokane after 5 innings.

Neither team could get anything going in the next few innings but that all changed for the Ems in the bottom of the 8th. Nathan Blasick took over on the mound and walked the first 3 batters of the inning to load up the bases once again for the Ems. The tying run was at 3rd, the go-ahead run at 2nd and an insurance run at 1st with nobody gone. Blasick was able to get a pair of strikeouts to give himself a real chance to get out of the bases loaded chance and send the game to the 9th.

Unfortunately for Blasick, Trevor Cohen put together one of the best at-bats of the season for the Ems. He fouled off pitch after pitch and finally got rewarded with a 10-pitch walk to tie up the game at 5. That prompted a pitching change as the Indians turned it over to Bryan Perez. Gavin Kilen stepped up with a chance to give the Ems the lead but instead of a hit, he drew a 5-pitch walk to give the Ems the advantage. The next batter, Dakota Jordan, drew a 7-pitch walk to give the Ems a 7-5 lead. Eugene scored 3 runs in the 8th, without a single base-hit as they drew 6 total walks.

Niko Mazza pitched the final 4 innings of tonight's game and was dominant en-route to his 1st victory of the season. He pitched 4 scoreless frames while striking out 3. Mazza has now pitched 3 consecutive scoreless outings this year as he has really rounded into form.

Eugene was out-hit tonight, but drew a total of 12 walks as they won their 2nd consecutive game to start the week. A win tomorrow would clinch a series split and give them a chance for the series victory heading into the weekend. First pitch tomorrow is slated for 6:35 PM with Luis De La Torre on the mound for the Ems.

The Eugene Emeralds are the High-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants. The Eugene Emeralds are dedicated to providing the best in family entertainment and creating a fun, safe environment for everyone to enjoy watching a baseball game. For more information, please visit our website at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or call the Emeralds front office at 541-342-5367.

Check out the Eugene Emeralds Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Northwest League Stories from May 1, 2026


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.

OurSports Central