Ems Bats Swat 4 Home Runs to Lift Eugene to a Series Victory
Published on April 18, 2026 under Northwest League (NWL)
Eugene Emeralds News Release
EUGENE, OR - The Ems defeated the AquaSox by a final score of 9-3. They tallied 14 hits which is now the most they have recorded in a game as well as hitting 4 home runs. With the win today the Ems have now secured the series victory against the Frogs. Eugene is now 11-3 and sits atop the standings in the Northwest League.
Everett jumped out to a 1st inning lead after the leadoff hitter, Carlos Jimenez, tripled to start the game. A few batters later Felnin Celesten hit him home on a groundout. In the 2nd inning Everett added a pair of runs to extend their lead. Matthew Ellis hit a single and Austin St Laurent hit a 2-out double to put runners in scoring position. Curtis Washington Jr took advantage and ripped a single to give them the 3-0 lead.
The Ems offense woke up and woke up quickly in the home half of the inning. Zander Darby hit an absolute no-doubt home run over the bullpen in right field. It was hit with an exit velocity of 110.7 mph and traveled 426 feet. The next batter, Lisbel Diaz, went back-to-back and hit a solo home run that traveled 387 feet to cut the deficit down to just a run entering the 3rd inning.
Yunior Marte spun a 1-2-3 top of the 3rd before the Ems bats were able to get their first lead of the game. Eugene sent a total of 10 batters to the plate and were able to capitalize and bring home 5 runs. Trevor Cohen started off the inning with a triple, his first triple of the season and the 2nd of the year for the Ems. After a quick pop-out, Dakota Jordan hit it deep enough to right field to bring home the run and tie up the game at 3-3.
The inning didn't stop there as Zander Darby drew a walk and Lisbel Diaz singled to put a pair of runners on with 2-outs for Zane Zielinski. He hit a bloop single to left field and Darby tested the arm of the left fielder Curtis Washington Jr. He threw a laser home and had Darby beat by a few steps but catcher interference was called which allowed the run to score to give the Ems their first lead of the night. The next batter, Walker Martin, followed it up with a 3-run home run to give the Ems the 7-3 lead.
Eugene added another pair of runs in the bottom of the 4th. Gavin Kilen singled for his 2nd hit of the night, and Dakota Jordan hit his 2nd home run of the season to straight away center field to give the Ems the 9-3 lead which proved to be the final in tonight's victory.
Eugene tallied 4 home runs which is the most they've hit in a game this season and ties the most in a single game in the Northwest League so far. The 14 hits is also the most Eugene has recorded in a single game.
Yunior Marte spun a gem on the mound today as he picked up his 2nd win already of the year. After giving up 3 runs in the first 2 innings, he allowed just 1 hit over the next 3.1 innings before exiting to an ovation from the sold-out crowd tonight at PK Park. Esmerlin Vinicio followed it up with 2.2 innings of hitless baseball before Gerelmi Maldonado threw a 1-2-3 9th inning to secure the win for the Ems.
It's another successful week for this Ems ballclub, and they'll now turn their attention to closing out the series strong tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:05 PM with Luis De La Torre getting the start in the first Monarcas De Eugene game of the season.
#RootedHere
Northwest League Stories from April 18, 2026
- Late-Inning Clutch Hits Lead Hillsboro to 5-4 Win - Hillsboro Hops
- Canadians Dominate Spokane, Win 11-1 - Vancouver Canadians
- Indians Fall Flat in 11-1 Loss to C's - Spokane Indians
- Lucas Kelly Strikes out Seven in 9-3 Sox Loss - Everett AquaSox
- Ems Bats Swat 4 Home Runs to Lift Eugene to a Series Victory - Eugene Emeralds
- Cluster of Homers Powers Dust Devils to Second Straight Win - Tri-City Dust Devils
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.
