Eugene, OR – The Emeralds dropped game 3 by a final score of 5-4. After winning on Friday, the Ems dropped consecutive games as the Hops take the series 2-1 over Eugene. They’ll be back in action next Wednesday for the home opener against the Tri-City Dust Devils at 6:35 PM.
The Hops jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd inning. The Ems were able to answer back in a big way in the top of the third. Thomas Gavello started off the inning with a single before Bo Davidson hit into a fielder’s choice. Quinn McDaniel ripped a shot down the left field line that one hopped over the wall for a ground rule double. James Tibbs III stepped into the box and ripped a screaming line drive down the 1st base line that snuck past the 1st base man. Both Davidson and McDaniel came home to score easily on the play.
The inning kept going after Tibbs was able to advance into 3rd on a wild pitch. The next batter, Charlie Szykowny hit a sac-fly to score Tibbs on the play and give Eugene the 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd, Jansel Luis ripped a 2-out single that scored Cristofer Torin on the play to cut the deficit to just 1 run.
The next 3 innings were quiet for the two clubs as neither team were able to push home a run. Both bullpens were dealing. After getting a quick 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th, Ryan Waldschmidt crushed the first pitch he saw over the wall to tie up the game at 3-3.
In the top of the 9th, Cole Foster and Scott Bandura drew a walk to start the inning. After a quick out, Thomas Gavello ripped a single up the middle to score Foster on the play and give Eugene the 1 run lead. The Ems weren’t able to drive in an insurance run and took a 1 run lead into the bottom of the 9th.
Marques Johnson came into the game to try to close the door shut. He struck out the first batter he saw but gave up a walk to Druw Jones to put the game tying run on at first. The next batter, Cristofer Torin, ripped a double down the first base line to tie up the game at 4-4. Demetrio Cristantes hit an infield single up the middle. Quinn McDaniel made a great diving stop to prevent the run from coming home to score.
Ryan Waldschmidt stepped into the box with the winning run 90 feet from home. He was battling at the plate before a wild pitch got away from Johnson and Torin was able to come home and score on the play to give the Hops the 5-4 win.
The Emeralds will now head back to Eugene and get ready for the first home series of the season. Opening Night at PK Park is this Wednesday against the Tri-City Dust Devils. First pitch is slated for 6:35 PM. See you at the ballpark!
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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