The Vancouver Canadians got back in the win column with a 6-1 triumph over the Everett AquaSox at Nat Bailey Stadium on Saturday.
The AquaSox had a chance to get to C’s starter Michael Dominguez in the top of the first inning. Dominguez retired Cole Young on a grounder to first with the first pitch of the game but consecutive walks to Harry Ford and Hogan Windish led to a double steal. Ben Ramirez went down swinging for the second out but a walk to Andrew Miller loaded the bases. The sacks would remain full as Dominguez retired James Parker on a pop-up to first to end the threat.
The C’s first batter of the game was Devonte Brown and he singled to left in the bottom of the first but he was forced out on the front end of a 4-3 double play off the bat of Dasan Brown. AquaSox starter Reid Van Scoter could not close the door in the first as he walked Cade Doughty before Gabby Martinez reached base on a fielding error at second by Parker. Doughty and Martinez would score on consecutive singles to right by Josh Kasevich and Garrett Spain before Jeff Wheeler singled to center to plate Kasevich for a quick 3-0 advantage.
After Dominguez retired the side in order in the top of the second inning, Kekai Rios led off the bottom half with a walk. Van Scoter again was able to get a double play by snaring a liner off the bat of Devonte Brown for a 1-3 twin-killing. However, just like the first inning, Van Scoter had trouble closing the door as Dasan Brown beat out a grounder to first for a base hit before Doughty singled to right. Once again, the defence betrayed Van Scoter as Blake Rambusch muffed a fly ball to center from Martinez and that allowed Brown and Doughty to cross home plate to make it 5-0 Vancouver.
Dominguez put up another three-up, three-down frame in the third with an inning-ending strikeout of Windish. The C’s were kept off the board for the first time with Ryan McCarty getting the only knock with a two-out single to right.
A leadoff walk in the top of the fourth by Ramirez did not lead to anything else for Everett as Dominguez struck out Miller looking and Parker swinging on the way to three straight outs. The C’s had another two-out single when Doughty took one up the middle but Van Scoyoc would not give up anything else.
Mike Salvatore singled to center to open the top of the fifth. Young drew a one-out walk after a Rambusch 6-4 fielder’s choice but Dominguez would get out of the jam by getting Ford on an infield fly rule to first before striking out Windish to complete his fifth frame.
The Canadians went down quietly in the bottom of the fifth but Hunter Gregory took care of the AquaSox with a 1-2-3 frame of his own after relieving Dominguez in the sixth.
The Frogs also went to the bullpen by bringing in Luis Curvelo. He retired the first two men he faced but he walked Devonte Brown, committed a balk and surrendered a double to left to Dasan Brown that scored Devonte with Vancouver’s sixth run.
Gregory enjoyed another perfect frame in the top half of the seventh which started with a strikeout of Colin Davis. The bottom of the seventh also went by quickly thanks to new AquaSox reliever, lefty Peyton Alford.
The Frogs would mount a rally against Gregory in the top of the eighth inning as Young and Ford opened with back-to-back walks. Justin Kelly took over for Gregory but gave up a base hit to center by Windish to load the bases. Ramirez struck out but a Miller base knock up the middle scored Young with Everett’s first run. Kelly would prevent the inning from getting any worse as he fanned Parker and retired Davis on a fly ball to right.
The bottom of the eighth saw only three C’s batters get to the plate against Alford. It was up to Kelly to bring it home for the home side in the top of the ninth and he did just that as a one-out base hit to right by Rambusch was nullified on a game-ending 4-6-3 double play ball from Young. The win went to Dominguez, his seventh of the year.
C-Notes
Vancouver is now 21-8 in the second half and 59-35 overall. The C’s and AquaSox finish up this six-game set at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday. Rafael Sánchez is slated to throw the first pitch on CanadiansBaseball.com and MiLB.TV with Tyler Zickel on the call.
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