C's Crumble Late, Lose 3-2 To Dust Devils

VANCOUVER, BC – After losing the lead in the top of the eighth, the Canadians were unable to make a comeback on a Saturday afternoon at The Nat, eventually falling short in a 3-2 loss to the Tri-City Dust Devils (LAA).

All the action of the game started in the fourth. Peyton Williams was just feet away from his first home run of the season with the Canadians, but his hit bounced off the right field wall for a double. Jacob Sharp batted next and hit a line drive that landed in left field and allowed Williams to scamper home for the first run of the game.

The second C’s run came in the bottom of the seventh inning. With Manny Beltre at second base and two outs, JR Freethy hit a ground ball up the first base line after Beltre had taken off for third. Freethy dashed up the baseline and dove into first base, arriving just ahead of the throw for an infield single. Meanwhile, Beltre never stopped running and crossed home plate for the second run on the board to make it 2-0 for the C’s.

However, Tri-City would score three unearned runs in the top of the eighth to take the lead and the eventual win. Kelena Sauer (L, 0-3) entered the game with two outs and one runner on base then gave up a double to put two runners in scoring position. In the next at-bat, a fielding error at third base was the shift of the game in the Dust Devils’ favour, giving them their first run. The next two batters singled to score two more runs, allowing Tri-City to take the lead.

The C’s loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth but failed to score, coming up just short in a 3-2 defeat.

Canadians starter Austin Cates made his first start of the series. He retired seven consecutive batters to start the day and held Tri-City scoreless for his five innings pitched. The righty faced 19 batters over his time on the mound, threw 78 pitches (51 strikes), gave up two hits and two walks while striking out three.

With the loss, the C’s record falls to 9-11. They will look to win the series tomorrow during White Spot Family Fun Sunday, with first pitch at 1:05 p.m. Landen Maroudis will get the ball to start for the Canadians, and Zach Redner for the Dust Devils.