Tri-City Twice Shy in Vancouver

In both a resumed game and a shorter second contest Thursday night the Tri-City Dust Devils (12-21 2H, 41-55) were beaten by a 4-3 score by the Vancouver Canadians (20-12 2H, 50-45) at Nat Bailey Stadium.

The teams started the evening by resuming a game stopped in the middle of the 3rd inning Wednesday night by a rare August heavy rain. The game was scoreless to the top of the 5th inning when Jose Reyes hit his first High-A home run over the right field fence. The homer, scoring D’Shawn Knowles who had doubled ahead of him, gave the Dust Devils a 2-0 lead.

After three scoreless innings in relief by righty Jake Smith, the Canadians tied the game in the 6th. Tri-City answered, though, with a run in the 7th to retake the lead. Christian Sepulveda lined a two-out double down the left field line to get into scoring position. Reyes then hit a grounder to the left side, but Vancouver shortstop Leo Jimenez’s throw flew off-target up the right field line for an error, scoring Sepulveda for a 3-2 advantage.

The Canadians again came back, this time in the 8th, to tie the game at 3-3. It went to extra innings, with the Dust Devils held off the scoreboard and Vancouver ending the game on the first pitch of the bottom of the 10thvia an Andres Sosa single off Ivan Armstrong (1-1) for a 4-3 win. Canadians reliever Matt Svanson (1-0) got the win, pitching four innings of relief.

A second game followed, seven innings in length. Tri-City again got out in front, scoring three runs in a two-out rally in the top of the 4th inning. Straton Podaras blooped a double down the right field line to extend the inning. Sepulveda followed with an RBI single to give the Dust Devils a 1-0 lead. Mike Wilson stepped up and lined an opposite-field home run to left field, his second for Tri-City since joining the team, making it 3-0 to the visitors.

Vancouver then began to chip away at the lead, despite Dust Devils starter Robinson Piña (6-6) using his slider to strike out ten batters in his five-inning start. Canadians catcher Jommer Hernandez did the damage, singling home a run in the bottom of the 4th inning to get the home side within two at 3-1.

Hernandez came up again in the 6th, with two singles ahead of him, and hit a longball to left field, just out of the reach of Wilson and into the Vancouver bullpen for another 4-3 lead.

Canadians reliever Justin Kelly (6-2) got the win. Connor Cooke got the save in his High-A debut.

Tri-City looks to shake the losses off in a 1:05 p.m. Friday afternoon matinee in Vancouver. Lefty Nick Mondak (2-6, 6.03 ERA) goes to the bump for the Dust Devils, and Dutch righty Sem Robberse (4-4, 3.29 ERA) for the Canadians.

The game broadcast begins with the King Beverage Budweiser Pregame Show at 12:50 p.m. at dustdevilsbaseball.com and the MiLB First Pitch app.

Tickets for the Dust Devils' next home series, August 9-14 against the Everett AquaSox, and all games are on sale now. Ticket packages are also available and start at just $99, and special ticket rates are available for groups of 20 or more. For more information on Dust Devils single game, season, mini-plan (11, 22, 33) and group tickets, visit dustdevilsbaseball.com or call 509-544-8789.