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Christopher Bec scored the game’s first run in the first inning Friday.

C's RecapThe Vancouver Canadians will have to wait until next week for their first home victory of 2018. The Everett AquaSox completed a three-game sweep of the C’s with a 4-2 win at Nat Bailey Stadium Friday afternoon.

The C’s took their first lead at home with a run in the first inning. Christopher Bec lined a single up the middle with one out off Everett hurler Orlando Razo and moved to second on a wayward pickoff attempt by Everett catcher Jake Anchia.  Tanner Kirwer joined Bec on the basepaths with a walk and it looked like both runners may have had a chance to score when Nick Podkul made a bid for a double down the left field line. However, Geoandry Montilla robbed Podkul of extra bases with a nice running catch. McGregory Contreras would get the C’s on the board with a single to left to score Bec. Contreras and Kirwer were able to pull off a double steal of second and third but Reilly Johnson flied out to end the inning.

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Jose Espada gave up three runs in 4-1/3 innings but struck out eight Friday.

Vancouver starter Jose Espada got through the first two innings by overcoming a first inning walk to Josh Stowers and a second inning double to right by Bobby Honeyman. Espada was a wild pitch away from getting out of the third inning unscathed. Connor Kopach reached base on a strikeout/wild pitch with one away before Stowers popped up to Sterling Guzman at first base in foul territory for the second out. Instead of that being the end of the inning, Cameron Perkins stepped up and cranked a two-run home run to left to give Everett a 2-1 lead. Espada gave up a double to Jake Anchia and uncorked another wild pitch to move him to third but he retired Ryan Garcia on a groundout to keep the damage at two runs.

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Denis Diaz tossed 2-1/3 scoreless innings and stranded an inherited runner Friday.

Everett would score again in the fifth when Perkins doubled home a Connor Kopach single with one out. A throwing error by Contreras allowed Perkins to move to third on the play and that spelled the end of the day for Espada. Denis Diaz took over on the mound and walked Anchia but he got Garcia to fly out to left and struck out Montilla to keep it a 3-1 game.

Vancouver would cut into the deficit in their half of the fifth when Brandon Polizzi walked and stole second and Vinny Capra followed up with a free pass of his own issued by Everett reliever David Ellingson. Polizzi made it to third on a fly ball by Bec and tagged up again to score on a Kirwer sacrifice fly to bring the C’s to within a run. Capra would steal second and get to third on a wild pitch before Podkul drew the third walk of the inning. Contreras would line out to third to strand the two runners.

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Marcus Reyes supplied 1-1/3 shutout innings of work and stranded a runner Friday.

Everett would add an extra run in the ninth when Perkins doubled home a Kopach double off Justin Watts in the ninth. Watts took over after Denis Diaz and lefthander Marcus Reyes combined to shut down the Frogs with 3-2/3 shutout innings.

Penn Murfee got the win with 2-1/3 shutout innings. Joey Gerber picked up the save after Jamal Wade worked a scoreless eighth. Everett has won five in a row since dropping their first three games of the season. Vancouver limps out of town with a 2-6 record.

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Brandon Polizzi had three stolen bases in a losing cause for the C’s Friday.

C-Notes

C's Notes

The C’s had numerous opportunities to score more than two runs in this one.

Guzman worked a second-inning walk but was picked off on a 1-3-4-3 play to begin the frame. Polizzi would bloop a single to right and needed to turn on the jets after a pick-off attempt by Razo to steal second base. Capra would strike out to leave Polizzi stranded.

Guzman would get a ground-rule double with two outs in the fourth but Jesus Navarro flied to right to leave a potential run on the table.

The sixth inning saw Reilly Johnson lead off with a base hit but he was nailed trying to steal second. Guzman and Polizzi were both hit by pitches but Navarro and Capra grounded out to snuff out that chance.

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Tanner Kirwer takes a lead from third after the first of three stolen bases Friday.

Kirwer tried to get something going in the seventh with a one out single. He stole second and third and Contreras worked a walk to put runners on the corners but Johnson struck out to end the threat.

Polizzi was plunked by a pitch in the eighth and stole second base but went no further and Bec worked a leadoff walk in the ninth but that was the C’s last gasp.

Vancouver stole eight bases in 10 attempts but none of them involved a steal of home. They were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and 12 runners were left on base.

Help is on the way. 2018 Blue Jays second-round pick Griffin Conine and ninth-round pick Jake Brodt are expected to join the team in Spokane Saturday. Conine was the 52nd pick of the 2018 draft out of Duke University as an outfielder. Brodt was a first baseman with the Santa Clara Broncos.

The C’s open up a three-game series in Spokane Saturday and all games will be on CanadiansBaseball.com with Rob Fai. Saturday’s and Monday’s games begin at 6:30 pm with Sunday’s contest starting at 3:30 pm. Lefthander Jordan Barrett will start the series opener for Vancouver.

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The Vancouver Canadians will be wearing three throwback jerseys in 2018.

The team will be back Tuesday for the start of an eight-game homestand that features three games against the Tri-City Dust Devils and five against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

Tuesday’s game is the first of three games that will see the team wearing throwback jerseys. The first game will feature the C’s ‘beer label logo’ jerseys. Tuesday’s game is among five games with 7:05 pm start times at Nat Bailey Stadium. Thursday’s series finale against Tri-City and the July 1 and 2 games against Salem Keizer are 1:05 pm first pitches.

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Published by Niall O'Donohoe

My name is Niall O’Donohoe and I am an avid follower of baseball. My blog beginnings began in 2007 with Batter’s Box under the alias #2JBrumfield. The blog formerly known as Niall On Baseball, C’s Plus Baseball strives to deliver plus coverage of the C’s through photos, observations and interviews of the players striving to make it to the major leagues. If you like what you see here, please spread the word about CsPlusBaseball.ca through your favourite social media platform. This blog began just before the C's championship season in 2017 and the goal is to deliver awesome content about Canada’s only affiliated professional minor league baseball club. Thanks a million for being here!

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