Five-Run Fifth Foils Chance To Tie For First
The analytics will tell you that allowing only four hits in a ballgame is usually a recipe for a victory. Usually. Wednesday night was not one of those nights. A supremely solid outing from Ems starting pitcher Seth Corry was spoiled by the Tri-City Dust Devils (4-10) who snapped a
The analytics will tell you that allowing only four hits in a ballgame is usually a recipe for a victory. Usually. Wednesday night was not one of those nights.
A supremely solid outing from Ems starting pitcher Seth Corry was spoiled by the Tri-City Dust Devils (4-10) who snapped a nine-game skid behind a 6-3 win over the Eugene Emeralds (9-5) on Wednesday night at Gesa Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The story of the night through four innings was Emeralds starting pitcher Seth Corry, the fifth-ranked prospect in the San Francisco Giants system per MLB.com. The talented left-hander from Utah dazzled over his first four innings, epitomizing the term ‘effectively wild’ as he issued three walks and fell behind in counts numerous times, yet time and time again found ways to coolly and calmly work out of jams and often punch batters out in the process, scattering eight strikeouts over his first four frames.
Because of that effective wildness, though, Corry’s pitch count continued to climb and, after notching his ninth strikeout to start the fifth inning, Corry surrendered his first hit of the day which was immediately followed by plunking a Dust Devils batter on his back foot with a curveball that snapped just a bit too hard on a 1-2 count.
That put runners on first and second and, with Corry’s pitch count just shy of 80 (76 pitches, 39 strikes), the lefty was lifted for Tyler Schimpf who entered aiming to keep the game scoreless.
But having been held scoreless for the first 13.1 innings of the series, TC’s offense had clearly had enough as Livian Soto doubled to score the first two runs of the ballgame, and Brendon Davis followed two batters later with a three-run homer to put the Dust Devils in the driver’s seat, 5-0.
The Ems responded immediately by loading the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth, but they were only able to muster a single run as Will Wilson’s sac fly brought home Ismael Munguia to make it a four-run game.
TC restored their five-run advantage in the home half of the frame with a solo homer from Harrison Wenson, his second of the season, but Eugene responded with a four-bagger of their own in the form of a two-run tater from Tyler Fitzgerald, the second round-tripper of the season for the former Louisville Cardinal.
Fitzgerald’s blast breathed life back onto the Emeralds offense who appeared to, potentially, be finding their usual prolific form, but ultimately Fitzgerald’s homer was the last that the Emeralds offense was notably heard from as they fell by a final of 6-3.
With Everett’s loss and Vancouver’s win on Wednesday evening, the Emeralds missed a chance to move into a three-way tie for first place, and thus remain a game behind the AquaSox and Canadians in the standings.
PEAK PERFORMERS:
Seth Corry – LHP: A tough-luck losing pitcher on the evening, Corry showcased some supreme stuff, highlighted by his trademark curveball as well as a fastball that at times showcased some nice arm-side run. All told, Corry accumulated nine K’s on the evening, just the third time in his pro career that he’s hit that mark in a single game.
Tyler Fitzgerald – 2B: Fitzgerald might’ve only gone 1-for-4, but his ‘one’ was a big one, his second homer of the season that at the time served as a lifeline of hope for what was otherwise a stagnant offensive performance on the evening.
Taylor Rashi – RHP: Despite firing only one inning of work out of the bullpen, the former UC Irvine Anteater faced just four batters and struck out three of them in a seventh inning that put the TC offense back in check.
WHAT’S NEXT: Eugene will face off against the Tri-City Dust Devils again on Thursday night at 6:35pm PST at Gesa Stadium in Pasco, WA. You can listen live to all the action on 95.3FM The Score, via MiLB.com or on the MiLB app.
The Emeralds return home the following week when they will start a six-game series against the Spokane Indians on May 25. Information regarding tickets to Emeralds home games is available at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or by calling (541) 342-5367.
Stay up to date with the Emeralds by following the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.