The Eugene Emeralds dropped game 1 against the Vancouver Canadians by a final score of 4-2. It’s a 3-game series against the 1st Place Canadians, so Eugene will look to bounce back tomorrow night.
Vancouver got the scoring started in the 1st inning. Alan Roden, Dasan Brown and Michael Turconi started the ballgame off with 3 straight singles. On Turconi’s single he was able to score Roden on the play and give Vancouver the 1-0 lead. Starter Jack Choate was able to strike out Alex De Jesus for the 1st out of the inning and Cade Doughty hit into a double-play to end the inning. It was great to see Choate settle in after a tough start and get out of a tough jam.
Emerald’s starter Jack Choate had a solid night on the bump. He went 4.2 innings and allowed 7 hits but gave up just 2 runs with 1 of them being earned. He walked just 1 batter and struck out 4. While guys were getting hits against him, after that first inning Choate really settled in and did a great job at working out of some tough jams to keep this game within reach for the Emeralds.
In the top of the 3rd inning the Emeralds started the inning off with a bang. Luis Toribio started the inning with a solo home run to tie the ballgame up at 1-1. It was his 10th home run of the season and his 30th RBI. It’s good to see Toribio start to show the pop once again and it could prove to be key down the stretch for Eugene.
In the top of the 4th inning the Emeralds were able to take the lead. After a pair of outs, Canadians starter Kevin Miranda walked Matt Higgins and Luis Toribio with two-outs. That brought up Brett Auerbach to the plate with a chance to extend the lead. He was able to connect with a baseball and drive it down the left field line for the double. Higgins came home to score on the play and Toribio elected to hold up at 2nd. Grant McCray popped out to end the inning but the damage had been done as the Emeralds had taken the 2-1 lead.
Vancouver would respond with a run of their own to even up the ballgame in the home half of the 5th inning. Alan Roden started the inning off with a single. Dasan Brown and Michael Turconi were retired and it looked like Eugene had a chance to escape the jam. That brought up Alex De Jesus who ripped a single up the middle to score Roden on the play and tie up the ballgame at 2-2. The run was charged to Choate who had been pulled after getting the second out of the inning, but it wasn’t an earned run as Roden advanced to 2nd base on an error. The ballgame was tied up at 2 a piece after the first 5 frames.
In the 6th inning the Canadians were able to take the lead. Gabby Martinez led the inning off with a single. The next batter, Garrett Spain, struck out. That brought up Devonte Brown who crushed a no-doubt home run out to left field to give Vancouver the 4-2 lead. It was Brown’s 8th home run of the year and his first against the Emeralds. It was a tough break for Eugene who had hung around all night.
In the 7th and the 8th inning the Emeralds had a pair of base runners on with 2-outs but both times couldn’t cash in a run. In the top of the 9th Carter Howell hit a two-out single to bring the game tying run to the plate in Jared Dupere but he struck out to end the ballgame as the Emeralds dropped game 1 by a final score of 4-2. They now are 8-11 on the season against Vancouver.
The Emeralds record now sits at 41-41 on the season and 7-9 to start the 2nd half. The Canadians, who won the 1st half, have been off to a hot start as they boast an 11-5 record to start the 2nd half. The Emeralds are 4 games out of first place, but with Vancouver already clinching the 1st half the Emeralds are essentially 2 games out of a postseason berth as the Aquasox currently sit in 2nd place behind the Canadians.
The Emeralds will be back in action tomorrow night with first pitch set for 7:05 P.M. Daniel Blair will be on the bump for Eugene. It’ll be Blair’s Emeralds debut as he joined the team in Vancouver. It’s a big ball game against Vancouver as Eugene will look to even up the series at 1 game apiece.
