Brody Rodning picked up his first professional victory in Salem-Keizer Sunday.
The Vancouver Canadians concluded the first half of the Northwest League season with an 8-3 victory over the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Stadium Sunday afternoon. The win gives Vancouver a first-half record of 21-17 and a series victory over the Volcanoes.
This game marked the C’s debut of Toronto Blue Jays first round pick Nate Pearson—the 28th selection of this year’s draft from the College of Central Florida—and he made quite an impression. He struck out the first batter he faced in Malique Ziegler but the strikeout was also a wild pitch that allowed Ziegler to get to first. Another wild offering would allow Ziegler to make it to third but Pearson would not allow Ziegler to go any further as he got Bryce Johnson to line out to third before striking out Orlando Garcia and Ryan Kirby swinging. Pearson would wrap up his two-inning outing with a 1-2-3 second with a groundout, a flyout and a lineout. He threw 22 of his 31 pitches for strikes.
Vancouver could not get anything going with the bats in the first three innings with only David Jacob getting aboard on a two-out walk in the first. Brody Rodning replaced Pearson to start the bottom of the third and he struck out Dylan Manwaring and Juan Rodriguez as part of a perfect frame.
Jacob would reach base again in the fourth, this time on an error by Kirby at first, but Riley Adams would hit into an inning-ending double play. The C’s were retired quickly in the fifth but Rodning kept the game scoreless by retiring seven in a row, stranding a Robinson Medrano single and a Dylan Manwaring double to end the fifth.
Brandon Polizzi snapped a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the sixth.
Vancouver finally broke the goose egg in the sixth when Deiferson Barreto tripled and came home on a Brandon Polizzi single up the middle off Volcanoes starter Stetson Woods. Polizzi would get to third by stealing second and advancing on a throwing error by Manwaring behind the plate. Kevin Vicuna would get Polizzi home on a fielder’s choice at first. Vicuna was thrown out trying to steal second and that prevented a bigger inning as Jacob would double and Adams would take one for the team. However, Bryan Lizardo was retired on a groundout to first.
The Volcanoes would storm right back against Rodning in the sixth when Kirby connected for a two-out, two-run home run that scored a leadoff walk by Ziegler to tie the game at 2-2.
Connor Kaden replaced Woods to start the seventh and the C’s managed to grab the lead again when Owen Spiwak and Barreto lined singles to center and moved up a base on a wild pitch. Polizzi brought home Spiwak with a groundout to third to put Vancouver ahead 3-2.
Chris Hall pitched two perfect innings of relief against the Volcanoes Sunday.
Chris Hall relieved Rodning and sat down Salem-Keizer in order to conclude the seventh and turned the trick again in the eighth after the C’s were retired quietly in the top half of that frame.
Deiferson Barreto‘s third hit of the day broke the game open for Vancouver Sunday.
Vancouver opened up a can of whoopass in the ninth off three different pitchers. Kaden gave up a leadoff single to Lizardo before making way for Alex Bostic. Reggie Pruitt came off the bench to pinch-hit for Norberto Obeso and he dropped down a bunt single. Spiwak was then hit by a pitch to load up the bases. Garrett Cave relieved Bostic and—pun intended—he caved in. Barreto opened the floodgates with a base hit to center to score Lizardo and Pruitt. After a walk to Polizzi, Cullen Large would drop a single to center to cash in Spiwak. A Vicuna sacrifice fly and a Jacob ground brought home Barreto and Polizzi respectively to give Vancouver an 8-2 advantage.
Salem-Keizer would not mail it in as they loading the bases against Jake Fishman in the bottom of the ninth. Garcia had an infield single to short, Kirby was hit by a pitch and an error by Polizzi in right allowed Medrano to reach and load up the bases. Junior Amion produced a sac fly to scored Garcia with the Volcanoes third run. Fishman committed a balk to move Kirby and Medrano up a base but he struck out pinch-hitter Gustavo Cabrera and Manwaring swinging to end it.
Multi-hit games from Vancouver came from Barreto with three and Lizardo with two. Polizzi and Jacob reached twice with a knock and a walk with Polizzi driving in a pair. Despite going 0-for-4, Vicuna was credited with two RBI. The C’s were 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left just five men on base. Polizzi stole his second base but Vicuna was caught for the seventh time this year.
After Pearson’s two near-perfect innings, Rodning earned his first professional victory with four innings of two-run ball, scattering three hits and a walk while striking out five. Hall had two perfect frames before Fishman was nicked for an unearned run in the ninth.
C-Notes
Nate Pearson put on quite a show in his first appearance as a Vancouver Canadian. Vancouver broadcaster Rob Fai had a glowing review of the former College of Central Florida Hurricane on Twitter.
I have just seen the future. @bluejays RHP Nate Pearson is filthy. Oh man… pic.twitter.com/faaot8OyRW
— Rob Fai 🇨🇦 (@RobFaiNation) July 24, 2017
RHP Nate Pearson touched 100mph three times (avg 97.5) and slider bit at 87mph…
— Rob Fai 🇨🇦 (@RobFaiNation) July 24, 2017
Pearson has been assigned #32, formerly worn by fellow righthander Matt Shannon. The Angelo State product is still listed on the team roster but he has not pitched in a game since July 7 in Boise. Righthander Dany Jimenez—who was shaken up on Canada Day vs. Eugene—saw his number #23 taken by first baseman David Jacob.
Dwight Smith Jr. (2012) homered and Rowdy Tellez (2014) had a pair of doubles in Buffalo’s victory in Louisville. Matt Dermody (2013) earned his first save of the year.
Ryan Borucki (2014-2015) spun seven shutout innings of two-hit, two-walk ball against Trenton, striking out four and inducing 12 groundouts. The victory went to Justin Shafer (2014) after three shutout frames. Gunnar Heidt (2014-2015) forced the game into extras with an RBI single in the ninth.
Max Pentecost (2014) was 3-for-3 with three doubles and a walk as Dunedin upended Lakeland. Dan Lietz (2014-2016) had two shutout innings and Zach Jackson (2016) earned his third save.
Mitch Nay (2013) homered and the 2016 trio of Josh Palacios, Yeltsin Gudino and Nick Sinay had two hits apiece but Lansing was downed by Cedar Rapids. 2016 C’s pitcher Nick Hartman (0.1IP) and 2016-2017 hurler Jared Carkuff (1.2IP) finished up with scoreless relief.
2017 C’s Chavez Young had three hits, Jesus Severino had two and Yorman Rodriguez had one hit and four RBI as Bluefield outslugged Elizabethon.
The C’s begin the second half of the 2017 season with the series finale of their five-game set in Salem-Keizer Monday night. Broadcast time on CanadiansBaseball.com is 6:35 pm.
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