The Vancouver Canadians could not get out of Everett fast enough, losing 7-4 for the fifth time in six games Sunday at Everett Memorial Stadium.
The Everett bats got to C’s starter C.J. Van Eyk in the first inning for the second time in the series. Kaden Polcovich singled on the second pitch of the game before Patrick Frick took four consecutive balls. Jack Larsen would hear ball four from the home plate umpire one out later to load the bases. Cade Marlowe then cleared them with a double to put the Frogs ahead 3-0.
Vancouver picked up a pair of runs in the fourth inning off Everett starter Taylor Dollard thanks to a two-out, two-run home run to right field by John Aiello. His blast scored a Sebastian Espino double to right to begin the frame.
The AquaSox answered back with two runs in the fifth without a base hit. Van Eyk hit Jake Anchia with a pitch and walked Polcovich and Frick with one out to load the bases. Adrian Hernandez took over and plunked Austin Shenton with his first pitch to score Anchia with the fourth Everett run. A Larsen fielder’s choice at second scored Polcovich with run number five.
The Canadians drew to within a run again in the sixth inning when Tanner Morris took Dollard deep to right-center field for a leadoff homer. A one-out Ryan Gold double to right was cashed in by a two-out double to left by Aiello to make it a 5-4 game.
The AquaSox collected insurance runs in the eighth. Connor Hoover tripled off Parker Caracci on a 3-2 pitch and scored on an Anchia sacrifice fly. Polcovich reached on a 6-4 fielder’s choice to erase a Cody Grosse single but stole second and came home on a Frick double to wrap up the scoring.
C-Notes
Van Eyk had an up-and-down outing but it was an improvement over Tuesday’s performance when he could not get out of the first inning against the AquaSox. The right-hander allowed five runs on two hits, four walks and a hit by pitch over 4-1/3 innings but retired 11 in a row at one point and struck out eight.
Adrian Hernandez only stranded one of the three runners left behind by Van Eyk but did not give up any runs of his own over 1-2/3 innings of two-hit ball. He walked one, plunked one and struck out two.
Roither Hernandez worked a shutout seventh with just one walk on his line but Caracci gave up two runs on three hits in the eighth that shot up his earned run average 61 points to 1.61.
Vancouver had trouble getting going in the first three innings with Espino’s first inning double and Spencer Horwitz’s walk in the second inning coming with just two outs in the frame.
Lantigua made it on base with a two-out walk in the seventh against Evan Johnson. He stole second on the play but pushed his luck by trying to take third and he was tagged out on a 2-6-5 putout to end the inning. He was the last baserunner of the night for the C’s.
All six hits Vancouver had were for extra bases. Aiello and Espino accounted for four of Vancouver’s six hits with two apiece, all of them doubles save for Aiello’s first home run of the season. Morris went deep while Gold had a two-bagger.
The Canadians now drop to .500 at 27 wins and 27 losses. That puts them eight games back of first place Everett and 6-1/2 games back of Eugene for second in the High-A West standings. With Minor League Baseball deciding there will be a postseason in 2021, the C’s need to finish in the top two to earn a playoff berth. However, they do not play Eugene again this season but they have to face Everett 18 more times with 12 of them in Everett. This 3-9 road trip against the league’s top two clubs did them no favours and may have put them in a hole too deep to get out of.
It seems the only break the C’s caught in Everett was not having to face Seattle’s 2020 first-round pick Emerson Hancock on the mound Friday. Tim Elliott pitched instead and the Canadians got their only win of the series. Hancock will miss the upcoming Futures Game due to arm issues.
Monty’s Mounties get back at it on Tuesday as they return to Hillsboro to host the Spokane Indians. Adam Kloffenstein is scheduled to fire the first pitch at 7:05 pm at Ron Tonkin Field. The game will be on CanadiansBaseball.com
C’s Alumni Report
Buffalo edged Lehigh Valley 5-4 Sunday.
- Rowdy Tellez (2014) – 2/4, HR, 4RBI
- Richard Ureña (2014) – 1/4, R
- Cullen Large (2017) – 0/3, BB
- Logan Warmoth (2017) – 0/2, HBP, R
- T.J Zeuch (2016) – 5.1IP 4H 3R/0ER 1BB 5K HR HBP
- Patrick Murphy (2016) – 1.0IP 1H 0R/ER 1BB 0K
New Hampshire lost to Portland 9-4.
- Samad Taylor (2017) – 1/4, R
- Otto Lopez (2018) – 2/3, 2B, R
- Chavez Young (2017) – 1/3, 2B, R, CF Assist
- Vinny Capra (2018) – 2/3, 3B, 4RBI, SB, LF Assist
- Tanner Kirwer (2018, 2021) – 0/2, BB
- Mike Ellenbest (2016) – 3.0IP 3H 0R/ER 2BB 1K
Tayler Saucedo (2015) retired the only two men he faced in Toronto’s 5-1 loss to Tampa Bay.
Kevin Pillar (2011) was 1-for-1 with a run scored and Tim Locastro (2014) was 0-for-1 with a sacrifice fly in the battle of New York that saw the Mets beat the Yankees 10-5.
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