Late Insurance Helps C's Survive 9th Inning Rally
July 10, 2022 - Northwest League (NWL)
Vancouver Canadians News Release
EVERETT, WA - A two-out double in the top of the ninth proved to be the difference in a 6-5 win for the Vancouver Canadians over the Everett AquaSox (Mariners) Saturday night at Funko Field.
Leading 5-2 after eight, the C's got a Damiano Palmegiani single after consecutive outs started the inning to put an insurance run on base. Up stepped Zach Britton, who laced his second RBI double of the game to score Palmegiani from first and put Vancouver ahead by four.
That run proved to be gigantic. Everett rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth - all of which scored with two outs - but C's reliever Juan Nunez managed to strand the tying run at second base by getting the would-be winning run to fly out to end the game and secure a 6-5 victory for the Canadians.
After Everett started the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first, Vancouver bounced back to tie it in the top of the second. Garrett Spain - who would make a major contribution to the offense a few frames later - worked a two-out walk and Mack Mueller tripled him home to even the score at one run apiece.
A three-run third put the Canadians in front for good. Addison Barger, who spent the first five years of his life in Everett, cracked his second homer of the series and team-best 14th of the season to make it 2-1. Spain singled home two later in the stanza for a 4-1 advantage after Leo Jimenez logged a base hit and Palmegiani walked to set the table.
C's starter Jimmy Robbins had one of his finest outings with Vancouver this year. The lefty went three and two-thirds, allowed that first inning run on one hit, walked three and struck out five.
Britton's first RBI double of the game came in the top of the fifth to make the score to 5-1, though the Frogs snatched that run back in the home half of that inning to trail by three until the ninth.
Justin Kelly's (W, 2-1) three and a third innings of long relief were crucial to Vancouver's winning effort. He scattered three hits, surrendered one run, walked two and K'd four before Mark Simon (H, 1) recorded his first perfect performance of the season to keep the Canadians in front.
Six of nine starters finished with a hit, headlined by Britton's two knocks and Barger's solo blast, and seven of nine reached base. Britton and Spain had two RBI apiece.
After losing games two through four of the six-game set, Vancouver has a chance to salvage a series split in the finale on Sunday afternoon. Abdiel Mendoza makes his second start of the year opposite #21 Mariners prospect Bryce Miller. First pitch is at 4:05 p.m. and coverage can be found on CanadiansBaseball.com and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
Northwest League Stories from July 10, 2022
- Ten Runs Not Enough as Sox Fall in Finale - Everett AquaSox
- Hops Right a Wong, Salvage Split - Hillsboro Hops
- Emeralds Go Even in the Series against Hillsboro - Eugene Emeralds
- Indians Split Series with Dust Devils, Return Home on Friday, July 22nd - Spokane Indians
- Late Insurance Helps C's Survive 9th Inning Rally - Vancouver Canadians
- Eugene Scores 14 Unanswered Runs to Defeat Hillsboro - Hillsboro Hops
- AquaSox Ninth Inning Rally Comes up Inches Short - Everett AquaSox
- Emeralds Go off Offensively against Hillsboro - Eugene Emeralds
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