By: Jacob Archer
EUGENE, OR – The Emeralds were able to take the 3rd game of the series in Spokane by a final score of 7-2. The Emeralds record now moves to 17-7 on the season and they reclaim a 1 game lead in the Northwest League Standings.
It was another great night for the Emeralds on the road tonight in Avista Stadium, as they now boast an 8-1 record on the road this season. Both starters were dominant in tonight’s game, as both Seth Lonsway and Sean Sullivan pitched 5 innings and gave up just 1 run.
The first four frames were scoreless for both ball clubs, but with 2 outs in the top of the 5th Quinn McDanial was able to hit a bloop single out to right field that scored Tanner O’Tremba on the play and gave the Ems a 1-0 lead. In the home half of the inning Spokane answered back to tie up the ballgame at 1-1. Seth Lonsway was excellent tonight for the Emeralds, as he pitched 5 strong innings of 1 run ball. He gave up 6 hits and didn’t walk a single batter while also striking out 4 Spokane hitters. It was enough to earn Seth his first win of the season.
It was in the top of the 6th inning where the Emeralds offense really came to life. With 1 out, both Matt Higgins and Justin Wishkoski drew walks to put a pair of runners on for the Emeralds. That brought up Scott Bandura to the plate. For some context, the Emeralds had gone 9 straight games without a home run leading up to this at-bat. Bandura was 0-6 so far this week from the plate and no Emerald has hit multiple home runs this season. That all changed on one swing of the bat as Bandura launched a 400’ foot home run to right center field to give the Emeralds the 4-1 lead. It was a great moment for both Bandura and for the Emeralds as it put them in the driver’s seat for this game.
In the top of the 7th the Emeralds were able to add onto their lead. Matt Higgins delivered a single that scored both McDaniel and Kachel on the play and it blew the doors off of the ballgame tonight in Spokane. The Emeralds were able to add another run of insurance in the top of the 8th inning, when Alexander Suarez delivered an RBI-Single to score O’Tremba on the play. The base hit from Suarez that inning meant every single Emeralds hitter recorded a basehit in tonight’s game.
Seth Corry pitched 3 innings of relief and gave up just 1 run on 2 base hits and struck out 3 hitters in the process. Hunter Dula pitched the bottom of the 9th and sent Spokane down in order with a pair of strikeouts.
It was an all-around dominant performance at the plate and on the mound tonight for the Emeralds, and it sets themselves up nicely for this weekend. It’s a two team race right now in the standings between the Emeralds and Spokane, and as it stands Eugene currently has a 2-1 game lead in this series. A win tomorrow night for the Emeralds would give them a 2-game lead in the standings and set up for a potential series victory this weekend in Spokane.
First pitch is set for tomorrow night at 6:35 P.M with Dylan Cumming on the mound for the Emeralds.
The Eugene Emeralds are the High-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants. The Eugene Emeralds are dedicated to providing the best in family entertainment and creating a fun, safe environment for everyone to enjoy watching a baseball game. For more information, please visit our website at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or call the Emeralds front office at 541-342-5367. • Emeraldsbaseball.com • Facebook.com/EugeneEmeraldsfanpage • Twitter.com/EugeneEmeralds
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