By: Jacob Archer
Eugene, OR — The Ems kept the bats red-hot as they defeated the Tri-City Dust Devils by a final score of 14-7. Eugene now moves a game above .500 for the first time in the 2nd half.
Tri-City jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first but it would be the last time the rest of the evening that the Dust Devils held the lead. In the bottom of the 1st Quinn McDaniel was able to score on a wild pitch to tie up the game at 1-1. In the bottom of the 2nd inning Justin Wishkoski belted his 4th home run of the year to give the Ems the early lead.
The Dust Devils did tie up the game in the top of the 3rd, but it didn’t take long for the Ems to put up a lopsided number in the home half of the frame. Onil Perez hit his 10th double of the season that scored both Bryce Eldridge and Diego Velasquez. Tanner O’Tremba followed it up by hitting his 4th home run of the season to straight away center field. It was a 3-run shot for O’Tremba and the Ems had a 7-2 lead after 3 innings.
In the bottom of the 4th the Emeralds bats kept it rolling at the plate. Diego Velasquez scored a run on a fielder’s choice that scored McDaniel. Rodolfo Nolasco hit a line drive single to right field and scored Bryce Eldridge for the 2nd time in the game. In the bottom of the 8th inning McDaniel swatted a club-leading 8th home run of the season to give the Ems double-digits on the scoreboard.
In the bottom of the 7th inning Matt Higgins hit the 4th and final home run of the night. It was Higgins 4th home run of the season as well and Eugene had a double-digit lead. In the top of the 8th inning the Dust Devils cut the deficit to just 5 runs after a big inning.
Eugene continued the scoring in the bottom of the 8th inning. Wishkoski hit a sac-fly RBI that plated Velasquez. O’tremba continued his great night at the plate as he ripped a double to score Onil Perez. Cole Tucker closed out the 9th inning with a quick frame on the bump.
Trevor McDonald got the start tonight and pitched 4 innings while allowing 2 earned runs and striking out 6. Wilkelma Castillo made his 2024 Emeralds debut and spun a perfect 2 innings and struck out 2 batters. It was a great night for both of these pitchers.
After dropping the first 3 games of the 2nd half Eugene has now roared back into the race after winning 4 straight against Tri-City. The series is already the Ems, but they’ll now turn their eyes on potentially sweeping the Dust Devils. The Emeralds only 6-game series sweep of the season was on the road against the Everett AquaSox.
Jack Choate will get the starting nod tomorrow for the Ems with first pitch set for 5:05 P.M.
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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