Tri-City Doubles up Eugene to Take Series
June 11, 2023 - Northwest League (NWL)
Tri-City Dust Devils News Release
Tri-City Dust Devils at bat
(Tri-City Dust Devils)
The attack of the Tri-City Dust Devils (30-27) put up crooked numbers in the early innings Sunday afternoon, and the "visitors" got big outs from the bullpen on the way to an 8-4 victory over the Eugene Emeralds (28-29) at Gesa Stadium that clinched a series win.
Tri-City completed its road series at its home stadium by again getting out to an early lead. The Dust Devils scored three runs in the top of the 2nd, which started with a walk drawn by RF Alexander Ramirez. After Ramirez stole second, DH Werner Blakely doubled to right to plate Ramirez for a 1-0 lead.
CF D'Shawn Knowles added a sac fly, bringing Blakely home to make it 2-0 and, after 3B Ryan Hernandez drew a one-out walk, LF Joe Stewart capped the inning with a line drive triple to right off Emeralds starter Eric Silva (1-3). The three-bagger scored Hernandez and extended the advantage to 3-0.
The team wearing road grays added to their lead at their next opportunity. SS Arol Vera laid down a perfectly placed bunt up the first base line for a one-out single, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Ramirez singled to right, putting runners on the corners, and then stole second for a second time, placing runners at second and third. C Myles Emmerson then delivered the big hit, a bloop two-run single the opposite way to right that scored Vera and Ramirez for a 5-0 Tri-City lead.
Eugene tried to punch back, loading the bases in the bottom of the 3rd and knocking Dust Devils starter Sammy Natera, Jr., out of the game with one out. Reliever Roman Phansalkar (2-0), who got out of a bases loaded no-out jam in a win over Spokane last week, came in and again extinguished the fire. He first induced a groundball fielded by 1B Gabe Matthews and thrown home for a force out, and then struck out Emeralds SS Aeverson Arteaga to end the inning.
Tri-City added a run in the 4th on an RBI single by Vera that scored 2B Adrian Placencia, who got in scoring position via a one-out double. Two more came home in the 5th on a fielder's choice grounder by Stewart and a run-scoring single by Matthews that gave the Dust Devils an 8-0 lead.
The home team, away from its geographic home, would mount a later charge, scoring three times in the 6th via a DH Ghordy Santos two-run triple and an RBI groundout by CF Grant McCray. Dust Devils reliever Hayden Seig then got himself into a bases loaded, two-out situation in the 7th, but he got himself out via a strikeout of Santos.
A familiar foe would draw Eugene one closer: RF Victor Bericoto, who knocked an 8th inning solo home run over the left field fence and off a lower portion of the scoreboard. Bericoto's seventh home run at Gesa Stadium in 2023, and his 11th in total, closed out the scoring. Tri-City closer Nick Jones, though not in a save situation, came in for the 9th and got the final three outs.
The win gave the Dust Devils both a series win and the tiebreaker over Eugene in the Northwest League First Half race, if needed. Tri-City sits 1.5 games out of first place with nine games left in the First Half, which concludes June 22 with the third of a six-game series with the Spokane Indians at Avista Stadium.
Before that, though, the Dust Devils will return to being the home team at Gesa Stadium beginning Tuesday, June 13, when they host the Everett AquaSox on both a Trivia and Coca-Cola Tuesday. Tickets for the Everett series 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).
Images from this story
 Tri-City Dust Devils at bat |
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