Early, Repeated Scoring Earns Dust Devils First Win of Week

PASCO – Scoring in all but one of their eight at-bats Thursday night, the Tri-City Dust Devils (27-36 2H, 62-67) ran away with a 10-3 win over the Vancouver Canadians (36-27 2H, 63-66) at Gesa Stadium to get in the win column for the first time in the six-game set.

RF Jorge Ruiz got things started with a laser of a home run that left in a hurry to right field, with his fourth longball of the year giving Tri-City a 1-0 1^st inning lead. Vancouver answered with a two-run homer by their RF, Jean Joseph, to lead 2-1 in the 2^nd but the Dust Devils would tie the game right back up on their side of the frame. 3B David Mershon, returning to the lineup, was hit by a pitch and then stole second, coming home on an RBI double to the left center gap by 2B Capri Ortiz that tied the game 2-2 through two innings of play.

The Canadians received a sacrifice fly from C Ryan Sprock to retake the lead at 3-2 in the 3^rd, but Tri-City would again even the score in the same frame. SS Kendrey Maduro reached on a bunt single and moved to second on a single by 1B Harold Coll. LF Kevyn Castillo then doubled to the right center gap, scoring Maduro and tying the game at 3-3.

Separating themselves in the bottom of the 4^th, the Dust Devils put up a pair of runs to take a lead they would grow for the remainder of the night. Ortiz singled and then stole second, scoring on an RBI single by CF Hayden Alvarez to give the home nine a 4-3 lead. Ruiz followed with his second RBI of the night via single, plating Alvarez to make it 5-3.

Coll (single) and Castillo (double) started the 5^th with hits, putting them both in scoring position with no one out. Mershon hit a sac fly to left center off Vancouver starter Troy Guthrie (3-3), bringing in Coll for a 6-3 advantage. LF Jonny McGill then got in on the fun with a trickling grounder down the right field line that snuck by first for an RBI triple, with Castillo scoring to push the lead to 7-3. Mershon later added another RBI single in the 6^th, from the right side of the plate, and errors plus a sac fly by C Alberto Rios in the 8^th closed out the ten-run night.

All the while, Tri-City starter Peyton Olejnik (6-8) fought through a bumpy beginning to post a winning quality start in his final outing for the Dust Devils in 2026. The Cedar Lake, Indiana native went six innings and gave up three runs on four hits, striking out five and holding the Canadians off the board in the middle innings. Relievers Francis Texido (2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 3 Ks) and Sam Tookoian (1 IP, 0 R, 1 H) dutifully covered the final three frames for the win.

DUST DEVILS NOTES

-The team lashed 17 hits on the night, the most in a game by Tri-City since the wild and historic 19-18, 11 inning win over Eugene on August 13, 2025, in Pasco. Kevyn Castillo and Harold Coll each had three hits, and four others (Hayden Alvarez, Kendrey Maduro, David Mershon and Jorge Ruiz) put up multi-hit nights. Every man in the lineup had at least one hit.

-The Dust Devils finished 2026 with a winning record on Thursdays, as the victory gave them an 11-10 record on the third day of a series week. Tuesdays (7-14) and Wednesdays (5-16) were tough on Tri-City this year, but the team stands with identical 13-9 records for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays coming into the final weekend of the season.

-Thursday night in the Northwest League included a 5-2 win for the Everett AquaSox at Avista Stadium over the Spokane Indians, with the Frogs now having taken the first three of the series. The Eugene Emeralds ended up taking the rubber match of their three-game set with the Hillsboro Hops by scoring seven runs in the bottom of the 8^th to erase a 6-0 deficit and win 7-6 at PK Park.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE: A ZOOPERSTAR

Tri-City and Vancouver line up for game four of their six-game series at 6:30 p.m. Friday night at Gesa Stadium, where the long-awaited return of the Zooperstars will take place to entertain in-between innings. Presented by Central Plateau Cleanup Company, an array of mascots will bring laughter and merriment throughout the evening. Also, the team will wear their 25^th Season jerseys for the final time in 2026, with the navy and beige pinstriped threads auctioned off during the game, thanks to Roto-Rooter. As well, one more Family Feast Night will be enjoyed, with $2.50 hot dogs, 16 oz. Coca-Cola products, bags of chips and ice cream sandwiches available all night long, while supplies last.

Right-hander Mason McGwire (1-2, 4.02 ERA) toes the slab for the Dust Devils, while the Canadians will give the ball to righty Landen Maroudis (3-11, 5.90 ERA).

Free broadcast coverage on the MiLB app and dustdevilsbaseball.com begins with the Dust Devils Pregame Show at 6:10 p.m. Fans can also watch the game for free on Bally Sports Live (Tri-City broadcast), and via subscription on MLB.tv and the MiLB app.

The final two games of the season will bring one last fireworks show and a Sunday afternoon game to finish off 2026. For tickets, visit the official ticket site, dustdevilsbaseball.com.