Northwest League Walks off in Tenth
Published on August 5, 2015 under Northwest League (NWL1)
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes News Release
Jose Vizcaino, Jr. of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
(Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Credit: Mason Shoultz)
A walk-off single by Tri-City's Peter Van Gansen in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the Northwest League a thrilling victory in the first ever Northwest League / Pioneer League All-Star Game at Avista Stadium on Tuesday night.
Salem-Keizer's Miguel Gomez (C, Batting 4th) and Jose Vizcaino Jr. (DH, Batting 7th) both got the nod in the starting lineup for the Northwest League All-Stars, and Volcanoes pitcher Drew Leenhouts came on in relief.
The NWL jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but tallies in the second and third innings by the Pioneer League had the visitors up 2-1.
Gomez notched the Northwest League's third hit of the game on a sharp grounder into right field in the fourth inning, advancing a runner into scoring position.
On the defensive side, Leenhouts came on in relief in the top of the fifth, tasked with keeping the Pioneer League's advantage at one run. After allowing a leadoff single, the left-hander coaxed a strikeout and two ground balls to keep the Pioneer League scoreless.
After the two clubs traded runs in the fifth and sixth innings, Vizcaino Jr. put the Northwest League All-Stars out in front on a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. A bases-loaded wild pitch tied the score earlier in the frame, paving the way for Vizcaino Jr.'s center-field fly to plate Boise's Hamlet Marte, representing the go-ahead run.
With a wild eighth inning yielding three combined runs, the game moved to extras after a scoreless ninth. With runners on first and second and just one out, Van Gansen lined a ball down the right field line to send the Northwest League All-Stars away with the win.
In addition to Vizcaino Jr.'s RBI, he also drew a walk in the sixth inning. The power-hitting seventh rounder was one of just three players in the game to draw a walk and record an RBI.
It was the second straight year that the Northwest League's All-Star Game advanced to extra innings, after the 2014 edition ended in a scoreless tie. If Tuesday's contest would have remained tied after 10 innings, the Pioneer League would have won by virtue of the Pioneer League's Luke Lowery winning the Home Run Derby earlier in the evening.
After a quiet day in the Northwest League on Wednesday, the Volcanoes will return to action on Thursday. Salem-Keizer (5-2) will travel to PK Park and try to distance themselves from Eugene (4-3) in the Northwest League Southern Division second-half standings. First pitch for all three games in the series is set for 7:05 p.m., with the Volcanoes Live pregame show beginning at 6:35 p.m.
Images from this story
 Jose Vizcaino, Jr. of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Mason Shoultz) |
Northwest League Stories from August 5, 2015
- NWL Walks off against PBL in Historic Game - Spokane Indians
- Northwest League Walks off in Tenth - Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
- NWL All-Stars Top Pioneer League All-Stars - Vancouver Canadians
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.
