Costly Error Upends Ems

A costly error for the Eugene Emeralds tuned what could have been a quick inning into a rally for the Boise Hawks, as they scored three unearned runs in the first inning and the Ems fell 5-1 in front of 3,594 at PK Park.

After allowing the first two Boise (5-5) runners to reach on singles and throwing a wild pitch to put them on second and third, Brailyn Marquez (0-1) struck out Daniel Jipping and got Danny Edgeworth to ground the ball to second baseman Luis Vazquez.
The runner on third took off for home when Vazquez fired it home. Catcher Jonathan Soto had the runner beat, but he dropped his glove for the tag just a little bit too early, allowing the ball to get all the way to the backstop.
Two runs scored on the play and Edgeworth moved to second. A ground out moved Edgeworth to third before a soft pop fly by LJ Hatch landed in right field between Gustavo Polanco and Jonathan Sierra, allowing Edgeworth to score and make it 3-0.
Marquez did not last much longer for the Ems (5-5), finishing the second inning after allowing a single and getting through the third frame unscathed. However, he could only get one out in the fourth before Yan De La Cruz came in for relief, leaving a Luke Morgan and Hidekel Gonzalez at third and first respectively.
De La Cruz struck out the first batter he faced before a Terrin Vavra singled to right to score Morgan, making it a 4-0 game. Gonzalez was thrown out at third by Jonathan Sierra to end the inning.
Marquez finished giving up four hits and four runs, one earned, over 3.1 innings to go with a walk and six strikeouts.
Boise added another run in the fifth on a Cade Harris homerun (1) to make it 5-0 before the Ems bullpen finally stemmed the tide. De La Cruz finished going 2.2 innings, with four hits and one run given-up to go with a pair of strikeouts.
Jake Steffens pitched the final three innings of the game, only allowing two hits and striking out four. Steffens still has yet to give up an earned run this year.
The Ems threatened to get back in the game, putting a runner on second base in five of the last six innings, but failed to capitalize until the ninth. Ramsey Romano walked with one out in the inning and, after a pop out, moved to third on a Luis Diaz single.
Diaz stole second and a wild pitch by Jefry Valdez scored Romano and moved Diaz to third, but the rally ended when Fernando Kelli struck out to end the game.
The finale of the three game set will feature Jose Albertos taking the hill for the Ems while the Hawks will counter with Pearson McMahan. Gates will open at 6 pm with first pitch at 7:05 pm.