Morris Caps Two-Homer Day With Walk-Off Blast
VANCOUVER, BC – Sometimes one game is all it takes to reset a scuffling ball club. That game may very well have been Friday afternoon at The Nat for the Vancouver Canadians, who had lost six of their last seven to fall below .500 for the first time this year.
VANCOUVER, BC – Sometimes one game is all it takes to reset a scuffling ball club. That game may very well have been Friday afternoon at The Nat for the Vancouver Canadians, who had lost six of their last seven to fall below .500 for the first time this year. The C’s found themselves in a 6-0 hole through five and a half innings, but the offense was undeterred; their biggest comeback of the season was powered by two home runs from P.K. Morris, the second of which left the building with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to hand the C’s a 7-6 triumph over the Everett AquaSox (Mariners) for their first walk-off win of 2022.
Morris’ heroics capped a valiant team effort that began in earnest in the bottom of the sixth. Trailing 6-0, Leo Jimenez doubled with one out before Addison Barger walked to set the table for the Vancouver first baseman, who parked a 2-1 pitch over the wall in right field to spoil Everett’s bid for a shutout.
Vancouver tied the game by scoring three runs with two outs in the eighth. Riley Tirotta and Harry Ray were at the corners when Davis Schneider – who had gone hitless in his last 20 trips – stepped to the plate. He lined the second pitch of the at-bat into left field to score a run and bring Mack Mueller to the dish. Mueller tagged a double into the right centerfield gap to score a pair and tie the game 6-6, which set up Morris’ second game-winning homer of the year in the following inning (his first big fly of 2022 was a tenth-inning grand slam in Tri-City on April 15).
A terrific effort by the Canadians bullpen helped keep the offense within striking distance as Jimmy Burnette, Garrett Farmer and Ryan Boyer (W, 1-0) combined on 3.2 scoreless frames in the back third to stymie the Everett bats and set up the dramatic finish in the bottom of the ninth.
Morris’ two homer day was the first by a C’s hitter this year. Jimenez – MLB.com’s #5 Blue Jays prospect – set a new personal best with three hits and Mueller’s three knocks matched a single-game high.
The C’s will aim to even the series and more tomorrow afternoon in a doubleheader. #22 Blue Jays prospect Chad Dallas gets the ball in game one and will be followed by #11 Blue Jays prospect Adam Kloffenstein in game two. Everett has tabbed right-hander Tim Elliott and lefty Brayan Perez as their game one and two starters, respectively. Coverage begins at 1:00 p.m. and continues with first pitch at 1:05 p.m. on CanadiansBaseball.com, MiLB.TV and Sportsnet 650 with game two set to begin approximately 40 minutes after game one. Limited tickets are still available at CanadiansBaseball.com.