Tenth Inning Slam Wins It For C's
SPOKANE, WA – A grand slam from Tucker Toman in the top of the tenth completed a remarkable late inning comeback for the Canadians Thursday night in a 9-7 win over the Spokane Indians (COL) at Avista Stadium. Before Toman’s heroics, the C’s needed some magic in the ninth trailing
SPOKANE, WA – A grand slam from Tucker Toman in the top of the tenth completed a remarkable late inning comeback for the Canadians Thursday night in a 9-7 win over the Spokane Indians (COL) at Avista Stadium.
Before Toman’s heroics, the C’s needed some magic in the ninth trailing 5-3 to force extras. Maddox Latta worked a one-out walk to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Carter Cunningham. The reigning Northwest League Player of the Week spun on a 1-1 pitch from Indians closer Francis Rivera (L, 0-2) and uncorked a game-tying two-run homer for his second big fly in as many days and his league-best fifth of the season. He now has a league-leading 20 RBI in 12 games played.
After Jonathan Todd (W, 1-1) put up a zero in the bottom of the ninth, the C’s took the lead for good in the top of the tenth. With the placed runner at second, a single from Alexis Hernandez and a Dub Gleed walk loaded the bases with nobody out. Up stepped Toman, who barreled the third pitch of the at bat the opposite way for his first homer of the season and the first grand slam of his career. It was the third grand slam by the Canadians in their last two games.
Todd worked around a two-run homer in the bottom of the tenth and left the tying run on deck to lock down a 9-7 victory.
The C’s wasted no time grabbing an early lead. Latta clobbered the first pitch of the game for a solo homer in the top of the first after hitting his first pro homer in his last at-bat yesterday. Two more runs scored in the top of the third to make it 3-0 Canadians.
Lost in the late inning heroics was the herculean effort of starter Daniel Guerra. The right-hander twirled five brilliant innings of no-hit baseball while racking up a career high 11 strikeouts and left the game in line for the win with Vancouver leading by three.
Guerra’s first win as a Canadian will have to wait until his next start. Spokane sent 11 men to the plate against the C’s bullpen in the sixth and scored five runs (four earned) on three hits, three walks, a hit batter and an error to spoil Guerra’s effort and lead 5-3.
With the win, the C’s have now come out on top in consecutive games for the first time this year to improve to 4-8. They’ll look to make it three in a row tomorrow night at 6:35 p.m., when Danny Thompson Jr. makes his first career High-A start opposite Spokane righty Jordy Vargas. Catch the game on the Sportsnet 650 alt stream.
For tickets and more information throughout the 75th anniversary season of The Nat, visit CanadiansBaseball.com, call 604-872-5232 and follow the C’s on social via @vancanadians.