Tri-City Splits Doubleheader, Goes for Series Win Sunday
June 29, 2025 - Northwest League (NWL)
Tri-City Dust Devils News Release
Tri-City Dust Devils' Max Gieg in action
(Tri-City Dust Devils)
VANCOUVER, B.C. - Making up Thursday's rainout by playing two seven-inning games the Tri-City Dust Devils (6-2 2H, 36-38) and Vancouver Canadians (3-4 2H, 40-33) split a doubleheader Saturday at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium, with Vancouver taking the opener 4-2 and Tri-City coming away with a 4-3, extra-innings win in the nightcap.
The winning run in game two for the Dust Devils came in the top of the 9th inning via DH Matt Coutney, who started the frame as the automatic runner at second. Canadians' reliever Jonathan Todd (4-2) struggled with his control early on in his outing, unleashing two wild pitches. One moved Coutney to third and the other brought him home, breaking a 3-3 tie. Tri-City flamethrower Max Gieg (2-0) then got the final three outs, working around the automatic runner and a walk to post the scoreless 9th necessary for the win. The Dust Devils had led 3-0 early on, scoring twice in the 1st after CF David Calabrese led off the game with a triple. 1B Ryan Nicholson brought him in with a double and scored later on an RBI groundout by RF Randy De Jesus for a 2-0 lead. An inning later, LF Alexander Ramirez hooked a line drive just inside the left field foul pole for a solo home run, making it 3-0. Vancouver got three runs in the 4th to tie but the Tri-City bullpen held Vancouver at bay for the remainder, clinching at least a series split and setting up an opportunity to win the six-game set in Sunday's finale.
Game one saw the Dust Devils fall behind 4-0 in the 4th after an uncharacteristic error with two out turned what looked like a one-run Vancouver inning into a four-run burst. Starter Chris Cortez (2-3) went 3.2 innings and got the loss, only charged with one earned run out of the four and striking out five. Tri-City got two runs off Canadians starter Fernando Perez (5-3) in the top of the 5th to cut the lead in half, first on a double play grounder and then on an RBI single by Nicholson. The Dust Devils also got the potential tying runs aboard in the top of the 7th, threatening to come back again but falling short.
DUST DEVILS NOTES
-Five of Tri-City's six pitchers coming out of the bullpen pitched scoreless outings, with Najer Victor going 2.1 innings behind Chris Cortez in game one. Game two starter Carlos Espinosa, usually a bullpen member, threw three scoreless and hitless innings with six strikeouts and only one walk. After righty Sandy Gaston had an uncharacteristically wild outing, relievers Roman Phansalkar (1.2 IP), Bridger Holmes (1.2 IP) and Max Gieg (2.1 IP) picked up the slack by posting zeroes to help the Dust Devils get the game two win.
-Five of the six hits in the game two win for the visitors were extra-base hits. The team had ten hits in the game one loss, nine of which were singles.
-Tri-City last beat Vancouver in a series in May of 2023, taking them down four games to two in a set at Gesa Stadium. The team's last series win at Nat Bailey Stadium came in August 2019, their final visit of the short-season era.
SUNDAY'S HAND: A PAIR OF ACES
The Dust Devils and Canadians meet up for the finale of their six-game series at 1:05 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium. Right-hander Ryan Johnson (2-3, 2.82 ERA) toes the slab for Tri-City, with righty Khal Stephen (4-0, 1.74 ERA) taking the ball for Vancouver.
Free audio-only coverage begins with the Dust Devils Pregame Show, starting at 12:45 p.m. at dustdevilsbaseball.com and the MiLB app.
The Dust Devils return home after the game to host the Spokane Indians for a three-game series beginning on a Coca-Cola Tuesday night, July 1st, at 7:05 p.m. The short set ends with the annual Independence Day Fireworks extravaganza on Thursday, July 3rd, with the teams then decamping to Spokane Valley for three more games over the weekend.
For tickets to the Spokane series, and for all 2025 Dust Devils home games, visit the official ticket site, dustdevilsbaseball.com.
Images from this story
 Tri-City Dust Devils' Max Gieg in action |
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