Everett Overcomes Tri-City's Incredible Ninth-Inning Rally
July 19, 2023 - Northwest League (NWL)
Tri-City Dust Devils News Release
The Tri-City Dust Devils (9-11 2H, 43-43) scored nine runs in the top of the 9th inning to turn around a 10-2 deficit, but the Everett AquaSox (11-9 2H, 45-41) had the final say with two runs in the bottom of the 9th for a 12-11 walk-off win Wednesday afternoon at Funko Field.
The nine-run frame set a new highest-scoring inning mark for 2023 and started with four consecutive hits. 2B Adrian Placencia, mired in an 0 for 20 slump, broke through with an opposite-field single to left. Pinch-hitter Ryan Hernandez then stepped up and did the same, the righty's single going to right field to put runners on the corners. SS Arol Vera then popped a ball into shallow left field that looked lost in the sun, dropping for an RBI single that scored Placencia to make it a 10-3 game.
RF Alexander Ramirez kept the train rolling, doubling to right to score Hernandez and cut the Everett lead to 10-4. C Gustavo Campero then walked to load the bases, the first five batters of the inning reaching. 3B Osmy Gregorio lined out to third, putting an out on the board, but the bases remained loaded for DH Casey Dana. The righty from Montgomery, New York walloped a pitch from top AquaSox reliever Logan Rinehart well over the wall in left for a grand slam, and his first home run of the season. All of a sudden, the Dust Devils were only down 10-8.
CF D'Shawn Knowles then hit a tapper back to Rinehart, who attempted an underhand throw from about midway up the line. It sailed over Everett 1B Hogan Windish and bounced into foul territory near right field, allowing Knowles to reach second on the two-base throwing error. The potential tying run then came to the plate in LF Joe Stewart, while the AquaSox went to righty Luis Curvelo to try and put out the fire. Stewart hit a hard grounder to shortstop but was thrown out at first for the second out.
Placencia returned to the plate and was hit by a Curvelo pitch, putting him aboard as the tying run. That brought Hernandez up for a second pinch-hit at-bat in the same inning. He and Curvelo battled to a 2-2 count, Hernandez fouling off two pitches to keep the game alive. Curvelo came home again with a fastball and Hernandez hit a soaring drive to left. Everett LF Blake Rambusch went to the wall and watched it get over for a three-run home run, Hernandez's first longball as a Dust Devil, giving Tri-City an improbable 11-10 lead.
The AquaSox then called upon a third reliever in the top of the 9th, righty Jarod Bayless (3-2), who got Vera to fly out to left to end the 9-run incredible inning. Dust Devils reliever Roman Phansalkar (3-1) then entered to try to get the final three outs of the ballgame.
The Everett offense, though, that had scored eight runs in the bottom of the 6th to break a 2-2 tie and give the home side a 10-2 lead, roared back to life. 3B Ben Ramirez doubled to lead off the bottom of the 9th and C Andrew Miller followed with a single to center to put runners on the corners. Rambusch then doubled to the wall in center, scoring Ramirez to tie the game at 11-11 and put Miller, the winning run, at third base.
Tri-City's infield came in to the edge of the grass-colored turf for a possible play at the plate. CF Victor Labrada hit a hard grounder to Placencia, who looked Miller back to third before throwing to first for the out. That brought up SS Cole Young, who walked to load the bases. RF Gabriel Gonzalez, who had homered in the bottom of the 1st to put the AquaSox on the board, then came up.
He hit a grounder to second that Placencia fielded, hoping to start an inning-ending double play. Placencia's plant foot slipped briefly, though, delaying the throw to second. Gonzalez beat the throw at first for a walk-off RBI fielder's choice that turned the tables on the Dust Devils' incredible comeback.
Previous to the 6th inning it had been a close ballgame. Tri-City scored twice in the top of the 2nd, on RBI hits by Campero (a double) and Knowles (a single) to take a 2-1 lead. Everett tied the game in the bottom of the frame on a Labrada RBI double, the score remaining 2-2 until the AquaSox' eight-run outburst in the 6th put the game seemingly out of reach. Baseball reminded all involved in the contest, though, that the team behind always has a chance, whether it be a 10-2 deficit down to the final three outs or a recovery from blowing an eight-run lead.
Dust Devils starter Bryce Osmond went 5.1 innings, matching a career-high nine strikeouts but giving up three home runs at a field famously friendly to longballs. Everett starter Raul Alcántara, meanwhile, set a career-high with 13 strikeouts in a brilliant seven-inning quality start. Both pitchers, though, would not factor in the decision of the wildest game of Tri-City's season.
The visitors got multi-hit games from Gustavo Campero (2-3, RBI 2B, 3B, BB, 2 R) and Ryan Hernandez (2-2, 3-R HR), who managed the feat in his only two at-bats in the 9th inning. Relievers Jake Smith and Hayden Seig both had scoreless outings out of the bullpen.
The wild walk-off for the AquaSox evened the series at a game apiece. Game three of the six-game set is marked for a 7:05 p.m. first pitch, with the scheduled starters left-hander Sammy Natera, Jr. (1-5, 4.96 ERA) for Tri-City and right-hander Nick Davila (0-4, 5.14 ERA) for Everett.
Broadcast coverage begins with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m., both here and at the MiLB First Pitch app.
Following the series in Everett the Dust Devils return to Gesa Stadium for a six-game set with the Hillsboro Hops July 25-30, a series which includes the July 28-30 return of the Columbia River Rooster Tails on Columbia Cup weekend in the Tri-Cities. Tickets for the series with Hillsboro are on sale now, with special ticket rates available for groups of 20 or more. For more information on Dust Devils single game, season, mini-plan (11, 22, 33) and group tickets, visit dustdevilsbaseball.com, call the team office at (509) 544-8789, or visit the team office (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on game nights, or Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. otherwise).
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