AquaSox Down Dust Devils In Series Finale, 7-5

EVERETT, Wash. - After a record-breaking streak of futility in the season's first 38 games, the Everett AquaSox are finding a way to turn things around in the second half.

The AquaSox scored in five of their eight innings at-bat and Lukas Schiraldi threw five shutout innings to earn his first professional victory as Everett downed the Tri-City Dust Devils by a final of 7-5 in the rubber match of their three-game set at Everett Memorial Stadium Tuesday. The win gave the AquaSox their second straight series victory, after losing all 10 series and a half-record 27 games in the first half. Everett went 5-3 in the second half-opening homestand against Boise and Tri-City.

The AquaSox scored five times in the first five innings against Northwest League ERA-leader Helmis Rodriguez. The Frogs' barrage began in the first when they scored without recording a hit. Austin Cousino reached on error, stole second on a bizarre play where it appeared ball four had been called on Nelson Ward, advanced to third on a ground ball, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Adam Martin. Everett tallied another run in the second after Kyle Petty doubled and moved to third on a fly ball before scoring on Jordan Cowan's well-placed safety squeeze bunt. Three more runs in the fourth gave the AquaSox a 5-0 lead. Ward reached on an error and Martin crushed a double off the scoreboard in right to put runners at second and third. Corey Simpson then lined a two-RBI double to left center. Simpson moved to third on a single by Petty before scoring on a fielder's choice by Sheehan Planas-Arteaga.

Meanwhile, after lasting only 1.1 innings in his last start, Schiraldi (1-2) allowed just three hits and struck out a season and career-high six batters as he blanked the Dust Devils through five. With Schiraldi out of the game, Tri-City got on the board in the sixth. Sean Dwyer walked and moved to second on a wild pitch by Hawtin Buchanan. Dwyer then scored when Shane Hoelscher doubled off the right field wall, his third two-bagger of the series.

But Everett got the run back in the bottom half of the inning and added another in the eighth that gave the AquaSox a 7-1 lead. Number nine hitter James Alfonso hit his first home run with Everett this season in the sixth: a high, arcing solo shot to right off Carlos Yan. Cousino led off the eighth with a double and ended up at third after an error by right fielder Ryan Garvey before scoring on a single by Ward.

The game appeared all but over heading into the ninth, but the Dust Devils scored four runs and brought the tying run to the plate before Brett Ash retired Renaldo Jenkins to end the game. Ash got the first two outs before giving up a double and back-to-back walks to load the bases, then an RBI single by Denzel Richardson and a bases-clearing double by Cesar Galvez that got Tri-City back into the game.

Helmis Rodriguez (3-6), who entered the game with a 1.92 ERA, took the loss for the Dust Devils after he struggled through five innings. Rodriguez gave up five runs, only two of them earned, on five hits, struck out two, and walked two. Tri-City made four errors behind him and managed only four hits before the ninth.

Kody Kerski pitched a perfect seventh and eighth for the AquaSox, striking out four of the six hitters he faced. Cousino, Martin, Simpson, and Petty each had two hits for Everett. Cousino had two doubles in the game while Simpson had two RBI.

The AquaSox (5-3 second half, 16-30 overall) head into their final series before the NWL All-Star Break as they play five games against the Eugene Emeralds at PK Park starting Wednesday at 7:05. Dan Altavilla (1-2, 5.52) will try to win his second game in a row against the Emeralds' Logan Jernigan (0-1, 4.87). Everett next plays at home August 10 against the Spokane Indians. AquaSox 2014 season and individual game tickets are available now online at www.aquasox.com and by phone at 425-258-3673.