Ems Snap Skid and Break Vancouver's Hearts
The Ems' 6-game losing streak is now a thing of the past as they snapped the skid and picked up a dramatic 2-1 win over Vancouver in a pitcher's duel at Nat Bailey Stadium.
It was a matchup of two starting pitchers on opposite sides of the spectrum, with the Ems sending tough-luck starter Erik Cabrera to the mound while the Canadians countered with one of the best starters in the league, Eric Brown. Cabrera entered the evening matchup with an 0-5 record and a 6.48 ERA while Brown came in with some of the best numbers in the league, including a 5-0 record and a 1.33 ERA.
Through the first four innings, nothing but zeros covered the scoreboard as both starters were showcasing some of their best stuff of the season. But it was the Emeralds who opened the scoring in the bottom of the fifth inning as Felipe Blanco scored from third base on an Anthony Torres sacrifice fly, giving the Ems the 1-0 advantage. The score would hold steady for the next few innings as the Emeralds flirted with disaster but maintained their 1-0 advantage.
However, the Ems' luck would run out in the bottom of the 8th as reliever Josh Richardson came out of the bullpen and immediately struggled, giving up a leadoff single to Chaz Frank followed by an L.B. Dantzler double, a laser up and off the right field wall that scored Frank easily from first and tied the game heading to the ninth.
It appeared to be another case of "same 'old story" for the Eugene Emeralds, but they tore up the familiar script and wrote a new one starting with a one-out walk by designated hitter Edwin Moreno, making his first appearance since July 14th and only his 10th appearance on the season due to lingering injuries. After being advanced to second base on an Anthony Torres ground out, first-round phenom Hunter Renfroe strolled to the plate looking to snap out of a recent slump and break through after an 0-4 night at the plate.
With a 2-2 count and the Nat Bailey Stadium crowd on pins and needles hoping for an inning-ending strikeout, Renfroe instead broke the home crowd's hearts by singling to right field and driving in Moreno from second for the go-ahead run, making the score 2-1 heading to the bottom of the ninth.
With closer Adam Cimber stepping in to close out his fourth save of the season, the Canadians continued to fight back to keep their first-half division title hopes alive by putting runners on first and third base with one out. Ian Parmley stepped up hoping to send the home crowd into a frenzy, and for a moment he did, as a he sent a groundball up the middle and off Cimber's glove which looked as if it would score the go-ahead run. Instead, the ball was redirected right to shortstop Felipe Blanco who then tapped on second base before firing to first to record the game-ending double play.
The wild ending was a fitting one for a wild game all night, as both starting pitchers produced stellar outings but neither emerged with a decision. Ems starter Erik Cabrera finished the night with 5.2 innings pitched, 2 hits, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts while Canadians starter Eric Brown ended the night with 6.0 innings pitched, 8 hits, 1 run and 6 strikeouts.
Ems reliever Josh Richardson, who gave up the game-tying run, ended up with the win and Adam Cimber notched the save while Canadians righty Chuck Ghysels wound up with the loss. With the loss, the Canadians chances of winning the first half division crown were wiped out as Everett clinched the North Division.
The Ems will try to build on the momentum with another day game tomorrow as the Ems and Canadians will face off four the fourth game of the five game set at 1:05pm at Nat Bailey Stadium. You can catch all the action starting at 12:50pm on 95.3FM The Score, www.EmeraldsBaseball.com, or on the free Eugene Emeralds smart phone app.