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NWL Eugene Emeralds

Emeralds Walk off Vancouver for the Win

June 24, 2023 - Northwest League (NWL)
Eugene Emeralds News Release


The Eugene Emeralds defeated the Vancouver Canadians by a final score of 2-1. Victor Bericoto hit a walk-off RBI-Single in the home half of the 10th inning to give Eugene the win. The Emeralds now move to 35-32 on the season and more importantly, a 1-0 record to start the 2nd half.

Cade Doughty got the scoring started for Vancouver in the 2nd inning. He was able to connect with a baseball and send it over the wall in left field to give the Canadians the early 1-0 lead. It wouldn't take long however for the Emeralds to respond. Max Wright was able to reach base with a couple of outs and Grant McCray was able to rip a ball to the outfield. Wright hustled from 2nd and scored on the play to tie the ballgame up at 1-1 after the 2nd inning.

Things would slow down in a big way for both clubs as they were held scoreless over the next 7 innings. John Michael Bertrand was on the bump tonight for the Emeralds and he spun an absolute gem on the mound. He went 5 innings, allowed 2 hits and just the one run to Cade Doughty in the 2nd inning. He struck out 3 batters and walked just 2. Bertrand has been really impressive on the bump over his past few outings and has lowered his ERA to a 3.66. The left-handed pitcher from Notre Dame has been a staple in the rotation for Eugene after joining the ballclub last month.

Joe Kemlage and Mat Olsen pitched the 6th and 7th inning and both guys didn't allow a single hit or a run. They each walked one batter and Olsen was able to strike out a Canadians batter. The back end of the bullpen for the Emeralds has been strong recently and it was another great showing for them.

Ben Madison came in for relief of Olsen in the 8th and ended up being the last arm out of the bullpen for Eugene. He pitched 3 innings, allowing just 1 base hit, 0 runs, 0 walks and struck out 6 batters. Madison was near flawless in his relief effort and in the top of the 10th was able to send the batters down in order to give the Ems a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the 10th. Because Eugene ultimately did walk it off, Madison earned the win in tonight's ballgame for his club leading 8th win of the season. Madison has been as consistent as they come out of the bullpen and he once again delivered in a big way tonight.

In the home half of the 10th inning, Grant McCray was the runner placed on 2nd base. Carter Howell started the inning off with a Sac-bunt that advanced McCray to 3rd base and brought up the incredibly dangerous Victor Bericoto. After seeing a couple of pitches, he was able to connect with a baseball and send it up the middle for the walk off RBI. Bericoto continues to be a man on a mission, and has been arguably the best hitter in the Northwest League in the month of June. The walk off win gave the Emeralds a win in the 1st game of the 2nd half in the Northwest League.

For the Emeralds this was a big-time win. They fell a few games short of 1st place in the 1st half in the NWL, and to start this 2nd half off with a win is a humongous confidence boost especially because it came against the team that won the 1st half. They now boast a 35-32 record overall and sit at 1-0 in the 2nd half.

The series is now tied up at 2-2 through the first four games against the Canadians. They'll be back in action tomorrow night with first pitch set for 5:05 P.M.

Check out the Eugene Emeralds Statistics



Northwest League Stories from June 24, 2023


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