Salem-Keizer Earns First Victory of Season
June 20, 2015 - Northwest League (NWL1)
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes News Release
Junior Amion of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
(Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Credit: Mason Shoultz)
Salem-Keizer secured its first win of the season Friday night, defeating the Vancouver Canadians 4-3 in front of 3,061 at Volcanoes Stadium.
The Volcanoes scored on a pair of sacrifice flies in the later innings - one in the sixth and one in the seventh - that tilted a back-and-fourth game in Salem-Keizer's favor.
Armando Paniagua (1-0, 0.00) tossed two scoreless innings of relief, earning the victory for the Volcanoes.
E.J. Encinosa (1) worked around a Vancouver rally in the ninth for the save, stranding the tying run at third base.
The Volcanoes broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning. Salem-Keizer knotted together three straight singles with one out off of Vancouver reliever Dan Lietz (0-1, 27.00). Brad Moss then hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Miguel Gomez and putting the Volcanoes back in front. Richard Rodriguez struck out to end the inning, however, leaving Salem-Keizer with only a one-run lead.
Salem-Keizer added an insurance run in the seventh, again through a sacrifice fly. Brennan Metzger led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Junior Amion. John Riley skied a sacrifice fly to center two batters later, scoring Metzger and pushing the Volcanoes' lead to 4-2.
Sac fly city in Keizer as John Riley scores Brennan Metzger. Volcanoes doubling up @vancanadians 4-2 in the eighth. - Volcanoes Baseball (@SKVolcanoes) June 20, 2015
The two clubs had traded leads up until that point. Salem-Keizer took the initial lead, scratching together a run in the first. Amion hustled out a triple and came in to score on an RBI groundout by Mark Nelson, giving the Volcanoes an early 1-0 advantage.
Our first #TectonicTriple of the season off the bat of Junior Amion. Runner on third for SK with just one out. - Volcanoes Baseball (@SKVolcanoes) June 20, 2015
The Canadians tied the game at 1-1 in the third. Christian Vasquez led off the inning with a double to centerfield and advanced to third on a single by designated hitter Austin Davis. Volcanoes starter Logan Webb then struck out Earl Burl, but allowed Alex Maldonado to lift a fly ball into left field, scoring Vasquez. Webb managed to prevent any further damage by inducing a groundout from Lane Thomas that ended the frame.
Vancouver took the lead in the fourth, though Webb wiggled out of trouble once again. The Canadians again had runners at the corners with nobody out but only scored a single run courtesy of some impressive defense. Following a leadoff walk by Juan Kelly, Sean Hurley punched a single into centerfield that advanced Kelly to third. Kevin Garcia then hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Kelly. The next batter, Juan Tejada, laced a ball into centerfield that looked like it would drop in for a hit, but Volcanoes center fielder Metzger had other plans. Metzger left his feet to make a diving grab, saving a run in the process. Davis then lined out, ending the threat.
Salem-Keizer made the Canadians pay the very next half-inning. Julio Pena, making his first start of the season, smacked a solo home run over the left field fence, tying the game at 2-2. The game would remain tied until Moss' sacrifice in the sixth.
It's called the home run porch for a reason! Julio Pena hits over the left field fence! #LavaBlast Counter: ???? - Volcanoes Baseball (@SKVolcanoes) June 20, 2015
Webb was solid in his debut for Salem-Keizer, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out one in his Salem-Keizer debut. The 2014 fourth-round draft pick was making only the second professional start of his career.
Good start for the 2014 4th round pick Logan Webb. 5IP 5H 2ER 1BB 1K. @SKVolcanoes - GiantsProspectTalk (@giantsprospects) June 20, 2015
Images from this story
 Junior Amion of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Mason Shoultz) |
Northwest League Stories from June 20, 2015
- Vancouver strands nine on-base, walk six in 4-0 loss to Volcanoes - Vancouver Canadians
- Patience at the plate leads Volcanoes to another win - Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
- Hillsboro Hops at Spokane Indians - Hillsboro Hops
- J-Rod Jams Tribe as Hops Break out Bats - Hillsboro Hops
- AquaSox Late Rallies Come up Short - Everett AquaSox
- Indians' Offense Falters in Loss to Hops - Spokane Indians
- Salem-Keizer Earns First Victory of Season - Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
- Errors Costly in Canadians First Loss - Vancouver Canadians
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