The Vancouver Canadians dropped their second straight game to the Everett AquaSox after a 7-3 setback at Ron Tonkin Field Wednesday.
C.J. Van Eyk looked like he was going to get out of the first inning unscathed when he got Julio Rodriguez to ground out into a 6-4-3 double play to take care of a Zach DeLoach leadoff single. Everett kept the inning going when Austin Shenton‘s single to center was deflected by Tanner Morris at second base. Kaden Polcovich followed with a single to right on a 1-2 pitch and Patrick Frick drew a bases loaded walk to score Shenton with the game’s first run.
The Canadians rallied to take the lead in the second inning. Morris drew a four-pitch leadoff walk against Levi Stoudt, went to second on a Luis De Los Santos base hit to right and scored on Sebastian Espino‘s single up the middle. Eric Rivera walked to load the bases but Stoudt—after a visit from pitching coach Sean McGrath—got Davis Schneider to hit into a 6-3 double play that allowed De Los Santos to score.
After Van Eyk retired the side in order in the second inning, the first four AquaSox got on base to start the third. Rodriguez singled on a pop up to Ryan Gold at first and went to third on a Shenton single. Polcovich singled home Rodriguez and Jack Larsen doubled home Shenton to make it 3-2 Everett. Frick lifted a sacrifice fly to bring in Polcovich with the fourth Everett run. Morris cut down Larsen trying to score from third on a Connor Hoover grounder to second to prevent any further damage.
Schneider drew the Canadians to within a run in the fourth when he homered to right field off Stoudt with two away but that was as close as the home side would get.
Marcus Reyes allowed an infield single to second by Frick to begin the sixth inning which Reyes got a piece of but could not handle. Hoover singled Frick over to third before David Schaeffer‘s sac fly to give Everett a 5-3 advantage.
The Frogs got to Reyes for two more runs in the seventh when Shenton’s RBI triple scored a DeLoach single and Larsen’s sac fly brought in Shenton.
C-Notes
After going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position in the series opener, the C’s were 1-for-13 with men on second and/or third on Wednesday despite having at least one runner on in all nine innings.
Tanner Kirwer and Philip Clarke both drew walks to begin the bottom of the first but Cameron Eden lined into a 6-4 double play to kill that rally.
Gold walked and Morris singled as part of a two-out rally in the third that went nowhere. Eden walked and stole his 15th base of the year in the fifth but he was left 180 feet away when Tyler Driver was summoned from the AquaSox bullpen and struck out Morris swinging on a 3-2 pitch.
Two-out walks by Espino and Rivera from Dayeison Arias were wasted in the eighth and Kirwer’s leadoff double in the ninth did not produce any other sparks.
De Los Santos had the only two-hit night while Clarke and Rivera each walked twice. Every C’s hitter got on base at least once.
Ronny Brito was slated to start at third base Wednesday night for the C’s but Espino replaced him at the last minute.
Van Eyk alternated bad and good innings by allowing four runs combined in the first and third and retiring the side in order in the second and fourth. He struck out the final two batters he faced to match the two walks he issued while giving up seven hits. Of Van Eyk’s 78 pitches, 49 of them were strikes. He also induced five outs on the ground.
Reyes allowed three runs on four hits and a walk whiffing two over three innings. Cobi Johnson pitched two no-hit frames of shutout ball, issuing two walks but striking out three.
Vancouver will send TBA to the mound against Emerson Hancock—the Mariners first-round pick in 2020—in a 7:05 pm first pitch at Ron Tonkin Field. Tyler Zickel will have the call on CanadiansBaseball.com.
C’s Alumni Report
Nash Knight (2016) had a home run for Buffalo before the rains came in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. That game will continue today as Game 1 of a doubleheader.
Patrick Murphy (2016) pitched one inning for Dunedin, giving up three hits and a walk and throwing a wild pitch but he limited the damage to one run while striking out three in Dunedin’s 7-1 loss to Tampa in Game 1 of a doubleheader. Dunedin did take Game 2.
I forgot to mention Josh Winckowski (2018) made another start against New Hampshire Sunday. He pitched 5-2/3 innings of two-run ball, scattering seven hits and two walks while whiffing four. Of his eight outs in play, seven were on the ground. He had a no-decision in Portland’s eventual 7-2 win.
Jon Berti (2011) singled home the tying and winning runs, scored the insurance run, drew a walk and stole a base as Miami upended Philadelphia 4-2.
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