Base On Balls Bonanza Doesn’t Break Eugene’s Way

Tuesday night’s series opener saw a total of 1,980 feet worth of walks dished as the Eugene Emeralds (19-12) fell to the Everett AquaSox (18-12) by a final score of 8-6 at Funko Field.

THE DETAILS:

• Winning Pitcher: Juan Then (1-0, 4.26 ERA): 5.0 IP | 4 H | 3 R | 3 ER | 4 BB | 4 K

• Losing Pitcher: Conner Nurse (0-3, 5.86 ERA): 4.0 IP | 6 H | 5 R | 5 ER | 4 BB | 4 K

• Save: Jarod Bayless (2): 1.0 IP | 0 H | 0 R | 0 BB | 2 K

• HR(s): Eugene: Simon Whiteman (1) | Everett: Carter Bins (6)

HOW IT HAPPENED: It took only one batter for Eugene to take the game’s first lead. Simon Whiteman, who was once again penciled into the leadoff spot for the Emeralds, belted his first homer of the season in the game’s first at-bat, an opposite field blast that immediately put the Emeralds in front, 1-0.

That lead was short-lived, though, as Everett’s Zach DeLoach led off the bottom half of the first with a double, and he was brought around to score two batters later on an Austin Shenton RBI single that tied the game at 1-1 after one.

The Frogs took their first lead of the game in the third behind a two-out rally in which three runs came across to score, starting with a two-run homer from Carter Bins and then followed by an RBI single from Patrick Frick.

Everett’s offense kept it rolling with a run in the fourth on an Austin Shenton ground-rule double that snuck through one of the openings on the old manual scoreboard in right-center field, and a Joseph Rosa sacrifice fly followed by a bases loaded walk drawn by Julio Rodriguez saw two more AquaSox runs score in the fifth to make it 7-2.

Eugene’s offense kicked back into gear in the sixth by sending nine batters to the plate and scoring three of them, highlighted by a clutch two-out, two-RBI single by Javeyan Williams that preceded a wild pitch by Everett’s Stephen Kolek that scored Jacob Gonzalez from third to make it a 7-5 game.

It became a one-run game one inning later in the seventh when Tyler Fitzgerald scalded a ball to the wall in left-center, a would-be extra-base hit if not for AquaSox center fielder Jack Larsen crashing into the wall to make the grab and rob Fitzgerald of a hit. However, heads-up base-running by Sean Roby coupled with a fielding error from Larson on the transfer from his glove to his throwing had saw Roby score all the way from second base on the play to make it 7-6.

Everett restored their two-run margin in the home half of the inning thanks to more clutch two-out hitting behind a Julio Rodriguez double that was followed by an Austin Shenton single to make it 8-6 after seven innings.

The Emeralds stranded a runner at third in the eighth, and – after Jack Larsen laid out to make a spectacular grab on a Logan Wyatt line drive that led off the ninth – the Emeralds went quietly in the ensuing two at-bats to seal an 8-6 defeat.

The three hour and thirty-seven-minute game saw a combined twenty-two walks with each pitching staff issuing eleven bases on balls.

PEAK PERFORMERS:

• Sean Roby – 1B: Making a rare start at first base, Roby not only showcased the leather with a spectacular over-the-shoulder grab in foul territory in the sixth, but he also went 0-for-1 at the plate… with four walks, a game-high.

• Javeyan Williams – OF: Williams finished with the only multi-RBI game of the evening for the Emeralds, delivering a clutch two-out, two-RBI single in the sixth that helped whittle away at the AquaSox lead.

• Simon Whiteman – INF: Whiteman continues to make a strong case for continuing to be the Emeralds primary leadoff man, once again posting a multi-hit game (2-for-3) with a HR, two walks, and two stolen bases. Whiteman’s season batting average is now up to .300.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Emeralds and Everett AquaSox face off again on Wednesday at 7:05pm PST at Funko Field in the second game of a six-game series in Everett. You can listen live to all the action on 95.3FM The Score, via MiLB.com or on the MiLB app.

Information regarding tickets to Emeralds home games is available at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or by calling (541) 342-5367.

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