AquaSox ride De Los Santos to win
EVERETT, Wash. - Enyel De Los Santos threw seven innings of two-run ball to lead the AquaSox to a 4-3 win over Salem-Keizer on Thursday, Aug. 27, at Everett Memorial Stadium. The 19-year-old right-hander struck out six Volcanoes and didn't issue a walk in the win.
De Los Santos was aided by a three-run first for Everett, started off, as usual, by Drew Jackson. Jackson doubled to lead off the inning, then took third on Arturo Nieto's infield single. A few pitches later, Salem-Keizer starter Logan Webb let a wild pitch slip and Jackson scored on the play.
Alex Jackson and Conner Hale walked to load the bases with Nieto on third for Logan Taylor, who smacked a hard grounder into center to score Nieto and Jackson. That put De Los Santos in control, and Yordi Calderon added one more insurance run on a homer in the fourth to make it 4-0.
The Volcanoes threatened in the top of the eighth, scoring one run to cut the Frogs' lead to 4-3 with two on and two out. Joe Pistorese came on to face Salem-Keizer slugger Chris Shaw, who already had a home run to go along with his dinger the night before. But Pistorese buckled down and got Shaw to go down swinging.
Pistorese ended up striking out three of the last four batters, mixing in a flyout, to end the game and earn his second save. With the win and the Vancouver loss, the AquaSox hold a more comfortable 3.5-game lead in the NWL North Division playoff race.