Eugene Pitches Shutout in 3rd Straight Victory
Published on April 17, 2026 under Northwest League (NWL)
Eugene Emeralds News Release
EUGENE, OR - The Ems defeated the Everett AquaSox by a final score of 3-0. It was the 1st shutout victory of the year for Eugene and they have now taken the 1st three games of the series and are the first team in the Northwest League to reach double-digit wins with a 10-2 record.
It was a scoreless first couple of innings tonight but the Ems were able to get on the board in the 3rd. Onil Perez started off the inning with a single to reach base before he stole 2nd and advanced into 3rd on a throwing error to put a runner in scoring position. A few batters later Lisbel Diaz hit a sac-fly RBI to the same spot he hit the walkoff in last night's win.
In the 5th inning Onil Perez hit a lead-off home run to extend the lead. It was a missile off the bat as it had a 105 mph exit velocity and traveled 368 feet. In the 7th the Ems added one more run of insurance for good measure. Zander Darby hit a slow rolling groundball to the first baseman Brandon Eike who couldn't field it cleanly which allowed Darby to reach first base. Perez followed it up by drawing a walk and Robert Hipwell advanced them into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Diaz was able to take care of business once again, this time with a groundout that allowed Darby to score to give the Ems the 3-0 lead.
The pitching was incredible in tonight's victory for Eugene, as it was the first shutout of the season. Niko Mazza got the start and was able to work his way out of some early inning trouble in the 1st. He threw 4 scoreless innings while allowing just 1 hit, 2 walks, and struck out a season high 7. Cade Vernon secured the win with 3 innings of 1-hit baseball. He didn't issue a walk and struck out 2. Liam Simon pitched the final 2 innings and didn't allow a hit while striking out 3 batters to pick up his first save of the year.
This Ems team has now shown that they can win in so many different ways and tonight was another example of that. Eugene is now 10-2 and will carry a 3 game lead in the NWL standings into the weekend.
First pitch is set for 6:35 PM with Hunter Dryden 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.
Northwest League Stories from April 17, 2026
- 10-4, Good Buddy: Tri-City Turns Tables on Hillsboro - Tri-City Dust Devils
- Tenth Inning Slam Wins It for C's - Vancouver Canadians
- Indians Drop Heartbreaker to C's in Extras - Spokane Indians
- Emeralds Shut out Sox on Thursday Night - Everett AquaSox
- Eugene Pitches Shutout in 3rd Straight Victory - Eugene Emeralds
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