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 Eugene Emeralds

Ems Rise to Occasion to Edge out Spokane

August 18, 2019 - Northwest League (NWL1)
Eugene Emeralds News Release


In a classic pitchers' duel, Eugene rallied for enough clutch hits in the late innings to eke out a 2-1 victory

EUGENE, OR - After a sloppy first game in Spokane, the Emeralds bounced back with a fine performance both on the mound and in the box to scratch out a 2-1 victory over the Spokane Indians in front of 4,602 at Avista Stadium.

Jake Washer doubled home Luis Vazquez for the game's first run in the 7th with 2 outs, after both pitching staffs largely dominated the early portion of Sunday's Game 2.

The 1-0 advantage would not last long as the Indians clawed their way back, putting runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out off of Matteo Bocchi in the 8th. Derwin Barreto would sky a fly ball to medium-deep left field, deep enough to score pinch runner Jake Hoover from 3rd to tie the game.

With a 1-1 score in the 9th, Luis Vazquez would once again spark a scoring effort. With Ryan Reynolds at 2nd and 1 out, Vazquez laced a ball passed the glove of shortstop Cristian Inoa, bouncing into left field. Reynolds would score from 2nd and the Ems pulled back ahead 2-1.

Matteo Bocchi came back out on the mound to close out the 9th, though he had a walk a tightrope to preserve the victory. The Indians would put runners at 1st and 3rd with 2 outs, but Bocchi induced a swing and a miss from Inoa, striking him out and ending the ballgame, allowing the Ems to breathe a sigh of relief.

Michael McAvene had another strong performance on the mound in his 4th start of the season for the Emeralds, working a career-high 3 scoreless innings and racking up 4 strikeouts along the way. Yunior Perez had a positive outing from the bullpen in relief, retiring all 6 batters he faced in the 4th and 5th innings, punching out 3 hitters as well. Zach Bryant fired 2 scoreless frames following Perez before Bocchi closed the door over the final 2 innings.

The Indians received phenomenal outings from their staff as well, as Justin Slaten set the tone for the game with 2 shutout frames in his start. Luis Rosario seemingly picked up where Slaten left off, throwing 5 solid innings and only allowing the one run in the 7th. Nick Starr received the tough luck loss, allowing the run in the 9th over his 2 innings of work.

The rubber match of the 3-game series takes place on Monday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30pm from Avista Stadium. Catch all of the action on 95.3 The Score.

Tickets to Emeralds home games are on sale now at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or by calling (541) 342-5367.

Stay up to date with the Emeralds by following the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Eugene Emeralds are the short-season Class A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Ems won their second NWL Championship in the past three seasons in 2018, defeating the Spokane Indians three games to none. The Eugene Emeralds are dedicated to providing the best in family entertainment and won the Larry MacPhail Award in 2018, awarded to the club with the top promotional efforts in all of Minor League Baseball. For more information, please visit our website at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or call the Emeralds front office at 541-342-5367.


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