Bilardello’s Bashers: Dust Devils Send Four Deep to Down AquaSox
EVERETT – The Tri-City Dust Devils (15-13) broke out the big sticks Tuesday night, sending four home runs over the walls at Funko Field as part of an 8-5 win over the Everett AquaSox (11-17) to open a six-game road series. 2B Adrian Placencia struck again in his first opportunity,
EVERETT – The Tri-City Dust Devils (15-13) broke out the big sticks Tuesday night, sending four home runs over the walls at Funko Field as part of an 8-5 win over the Everett AquaSox (11-17) to open a six-game road series.
2B Adrian Placencia struck again in his first opportunity, sending a pitch from Everett starter Nick Payero (0-1) over the fence in right and on to the grassy berm for a 1-0 Tri-City lead. The longball was Placencia’s third leadoff home run in four games, and his fifth on the season. Two innings later LF Joe Redfield swatted his first homer of 2025 on to the berm, hitting the net protecting the stadium’s Funko doll for a 3-0 advantage. CF Anthony Scull and 1B Ryan Nicholson capped off the power display by going back-to-back in the top of the 5th to shove the lead out to 5-1. The Dust Devils continued to add to the lead, needing to do so with a talented AquaSox lineup jumping back into the game late. Jake Smith (1-2) got the win in relief, covering five outs over the 5th and 6th innings, and lefty A.J. Block got the final three outs for his seventh save of the year.
DUST DEVILS NOTES
-Starting pitcher Keythel Key fell two outs shy of being eligible for the win, going 4.1 innings and giving up two runs. The Venezuelan righty struck out eight, matching his season high in punchouts and navigating around four walks and a hit batter to keep his team in front. Key also has been appointed for the start in the series finale late Sunday afternoon.
-The Tri-City offense piled up 12 hits, getting multi-hit games from Placencia (2-4, HR, 2B, BB, 2 RBI), DH Matt Coutney (2-4, 2B, R), 3B Ben Gobbel (2-4, RBI, R) and Nicholson (2-4, HR, BB). RF Randy De Jesus and SS Capri Ortiz added RBI doubles as part of the dozen-hit attack.
-The visitors from Pasco, Kennewick and Richland scored in six of their nine innings at the plate, putting up crooked numbers with two runs in the 5th and 6th innings and otherwise single runs in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 7th frames. Also, the win brought the Dust Devils within a game of first place in the Northwest League First Half race following Hillsboro’s 9-7 loss to Eugene Tuesday night.
-Though not factoring into the decision or save consideration, reliever Sandy Gastón got a huge out in the 8th inning after Everett had rallied to make it an 8-5 game. Taking on his fellow Cuban, RF Lazaro Montes, Gastón induced a groundball to Nicholson at first that the Kentucky Wildcat grad student took to the bag to defuse the threat and set up Block for the save.
FUNKO WEDNESDAY DOESN’T QUITE HAVE THE SAME RING TO IT
Tri-City and Everett line up for game two of their six-game set at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday night at Funko Field. Right-hander Chris Cortez (1-1, 3.86 ERA) takes the ball for the Dust Devils, countered by righty Marcelo Perez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) of the AquaSox.
Free broadcast coverage, available at dustdevilsbaseball.com and the MiLB app, begins with the Dust Devils Pregame Show at 6:45 p.m.
Tri-City then returns home to host the Hillsboro Hops for a six-game series beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 13th at Gesa Stadium, where it will be Mental Health Awareness Night presented by Coordinated Care as well as another Coca-Cola Tuesday.
For tickets to the upcoming Hillsboro homestand and for all 2025 Dust Devils home games, visit the official ticket site, dustdevilsbaseball.com.