The Vancouver Canadians edged the Everett AquaSox 1-0 in Game 3 of the Northwest League Championship Series at Nat Bailey Stadium on Friday.
Vancouver starter Hunter Gregory gave up a Cole Young single to left field on a 1-2 pitch to start the game. A walk to Harry Ford followed and the two runners moved up on a Gabriel Gonzalez fly ball to center as Dasan Brown tried to throw out Young at third. Gregory struck out Hogan Windish and Ben Ramirez to escape the top of the first inning unscathed.
Gregory struck out Josh Hood to begin the top of the second. Mike Salvatore—back to wearing number 1 again—grounded out to second before Bill Knight was plunked in the batting helmet. Knight was okay and took his base. He went to second on a wild pitch. Walks to Blake Rambusch and Young loaded the bases but Gregory got out of the jam by striking out Ford on a 3-2 pitch.
After Everett lefty Brandon Schaeffer worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the first, he plunked Gabby Martinez with a full count to open the bottom of the second inning. That was all the C’s would get as Schaeffer struck out the side.
Josh Kasevich made a nice dive to spear a sinking liner at short off the bat of Gonzalez for the first out of the top of the third inning. Gregory then fanned Windish on the way to his first spotless frame.
The C’s got their first hit of the game off Schaeffer when Jommer Hernández delivered a one-out opposite-field single to right field in the home half of inning three. Kasevich was denied a bloop single by Hood who made a leaping catch in shallow center field from his second base position. Hernández got to second on a wild pitch and was joined on base by Ryan McCarty who drew a walk after 10 pitches. Cade Doughty then flew out to center on the next pitch to end the rally.
Jeff Wehler collected the C’s second hit of the night with a one-out single to center in the bottom of the fourth. He was forced on a Garrett Spain 4-6 fielder’s choice. Spain stole second but Brown grounded out to third to leave Spain halfway home.
Meanwhile, Gregory got through the top of the fourth without incident as he struck out Salvatore in the middle of the stanza. Lefthander Ian Churchill relieved Gregory for the top of the fifth. Kasevich made a nice play to range to his backhand before firing a seed to retire Rambusch for the first out. Young then walked and got to third when Doughty’s throwing error allowed Ford to reach first base. Churchill rallied to strike out Gonzalez and Windish to send Everett away.
Jimmy Kingsbury was the first reliever for the Frogs and put up a zero by facing the minimum in the bottom of the fifth. That was matched by Churchill in the top half of inning six which featured a punchout of Hood.
McCarty led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to center field. Doughty was then drilled by Kingsbury in the left shoulder before Martinez smoked one off the left-center field wall just beyond the reach of Salvatore in left field to score McCarty with the game’s first run.
Kingsbury struck out a batter before making way for Sam Carlson on the mound and Carlson went on to strike out the side.
The AquaSox got a pair of one-out base hits to center and left by Rambusch and Young respectively with one away in the top of the seventh inning. Young’s base hit came on a 1-2 pitch, just before a questionable ball one call that should have been called for strike three instead by home plate umpire Josiah Shepherd. Ryan Boyer made it a moot point as he replaced Churchill and struck out Ford before getting Gonzalez on a 6-4 inning-ending fielder’s choice. Kasevich ranged to his left before making a nice flip to Nick Goodwin at second.
Carlson hit Goodwin in the left arm to begin the bottom of the seventh but Goodwin was thrown out by Ford trying to steal on a 2-6 play. Kasevich then singled to center but McCarty lined out to right to end the inning.
In the top of the eighth, Boyer struck out Windish before yielding a one-out single to right by Ramirez but Hood was retired on a running catch by Spain in right before Salvatore struck out,
Troy Taylor nailed Doughty in the back with a pitch to commence the bottom of the eighth but that was the only baserunner of the inning.
It all came to down the bottom of the ninth inning as Conor Larkin was sent to the bump. He induced a ground ball to third from Knight as McCarty made a nice scoop at first for the first out. Rambusch got aboard on an infield single to short that Kasevich had to put in his pocket after a diving stop to his right. Young hit a 3-1 pitch to left field where Martinez made the catch for the second out. Larkin then struck out Ford swinging to preserve the victory.
C-Notes
The win went to Ian Churchill and the save went to Conor Larkin. All three games in the series have ended in shutouts, the first that has happened in a Northwest League final since 2013 when the C’s won two of three in shutout fashion against the Boise Hawks to complete a three-peat. A tip of the cap to C’s broadcaster Tyler Zickel for that factoid.
Game 4 of the Northwest League final goes Saturday night at The Nat at 7:05 p.m. Vancouver has yet to name a starter. Tyler Zickel will have the play-by-play on CanadiansBaseball.com and MiLB.TV.
The Spokane Indians have released their 2024 schedule which reveals the Canadians will begin next season on the road when they visit Avista Stadium for a three-game series beginning Friday, April 5. That marks the third straight year the Canadians will open the regular season against the Eastern Washington squad. The two sides opened 2022 against each other at Avista Stadium and were to open this year at The Nat but all three games were rained out. Vancouver’s home opener in 2024 is on Tuesday, April 9 against Hillsboro.
C’s Alumni Report
2023 C’s outfielder Devonte Brown bashed his fourth homer for Double-A New Hampshire on Friday. He has an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .857 in the early going with the Fisher Cats.
Orelvis Martinez (2021) belted his 10th dinger of the year for Triple-A Buffalo on Friday.
Radar Gun Rundown
Gregory was at 78 miles per hour and had strikeouts at 95, 93, 85 and 79. Churchill was at 80-05 with Ks of 94, 79 and 84 (2-3 putout). Boyer was at 80 with punchouts at 94 and 84. Larkin was at 79 with the game-ending strikeout at 95.
C-Tweets
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