By: Jacob Archer
Everett, WA — The Emeralds took the 2nd game of the series against the Everett AquaSox by a final score of 16-9. The Ems combined for 4 total home runs, and scored runs in 7 of the 9 innings. It was an incredible night for everyone at the plate. Former Oregon Duck Sabin Ceballos was incredible in his debut going 4-5 at the plate with a 3-run home run and scoring 5 total runs. Luke Shliger also was making his Ems debut and hit a grandslam in his first plate appearance.
Usually with these game stories I like to go inning by inning and recap every big moment, but with a night like tonight I feel that it’s more fitting to shine a bright light on all of the standouts. Of course I have to start with Sabin Ceballos. He was recently acquired from the Atlanta Braves at the MLB tradeline, and he joined the Emeralds as the first ever Duck to rock an Ems uniform. You never know what to expect from a talented prospect after moving across the country overnight, but he put on an absolute show for the fans in Everett. He went 4-5 at the plate, but his lone plate appearance that wasn’t a hit he still reached base as there was an error. So he reached base all 6 times he stepped into the box. He hit a 3-run home run in the top of the 7th that plated 3 runs while also scoring 5 runs in tonight’s game. He ended the night just a triple shy of the cycle. You really can’t ask for a much better debut than what we saw from Ceballos tonight.
The next player I want to shine the spotlight on is Luke Shliger. He was maybe a bit overshadowed in his promotion to Eugene with Ceballos coming to town, but he made his impact felt right away. He stepped into the box for the first time with the bases loaded and 2-outs. After battling for a couple of pitches he hit a grandslam over the right-field wall to give the Ems the 4-0 lead in the first. It was just the 4th grand slam of the season, and to see someone not only do it in their debut, but in their 1st plate appearance is truly something special. He added another hit in the later innings to end the night 2-4.
The next person I want to talk about is Scott Bandura. Bandura started the year in Eugene, but ended up going back down to San Jose after just 24 games in Eugene. He played well down with the San Jose Giants and earned a spot back in Eugene. He ended up going 3-6 at the plate with a home run and 3 runs scored. He also made 2 leaping catches out in center field to rob the Frogs of some early inning base hits. Bandura is a great story and it was special to see him put together such a strong performance.
Bryce Eldridge also clubbed his 2nd home run as an Emerald tonight as he ended up going 2-5 at the plate with 2 RBI’s and 2 runs scored. It was awesome to see Bryce put together a complete game at the plate, and when he is on he is one of the scariest hitters in the Northwest League.
The rest of the Emeralds lineup was great tonight as well, with Charlie Szykowny also going 2-5 at the plate with a run and an RBI. Vaun Brown got his mojo going as well with 2 base hits and 2 runs driven in. Thomas Gavello got the start at 2nd base and he also had 2 base hits with 2 runs driven in.
As a team the Emeralds combined for 16 runs on 18 hits and hit for the “cycle” in home runs as they hit a solo shot, a 2-run, a 3-run and a grand slam for the first time this season.
Eugene now sits just 5 games out of a playoff spot with 34 games left in the season. It’s a quick turnaround into tomorrow as they take on the Everett AquaSox at 12:05 P.M tomorrow. Manuel Mercedes will take the mound for Eugene.
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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