Yesavage, Stanifer Dominate While Bats Break Out In Big Win

PASCO, WA – Another dominant performance from the duo of Trey Yesavage and Gage Stanifer combined with an offensive onslaught made the Canadians 10-1 winners over the Tri-City Dust Devils [LAA] Friday night at Gesa Stadium.

Yesavage (W, 1-0) – MLB Pipeline’s #2 Blue Jays prospect – put up a zero in the first before the C’s scored two in the second to take the lead for good. A walk, an infield single and a groundout put a pair of men in scoring position for Nick Goodwin, who lined a base hit to right against #7 Angels prospect Ryan Johnson (L, 0-2) to make it 2-0.

Tri-City was held scoreless and hitless by Yesavage until a lead-off homer in the fourth brought the Dust Devils within a run. They put the next two batters aboard with a walk and a single, but the righty locked in and retired three in a row to keep Vancouver in front 2-1.

A three-run fifth gave the C’s some cushion when two walks set the table for an opposite field homer from Cutter Coffey. Yesavage then went back to work in the bottom of the fifth and finished his night with a 1-2-3 inning that featured two strikeouts. His final line: 5.0 IP / 1 R / 2 H / 1 BB / 9 K.

Stanifer (S, 2) took over to start the sixth and hung a zero in that inning before the Canadians iced the game with four runs in the seventh. Je’Von Ward tripled then scored on a Sean Keys sacrifice fly before Jackson Horning legged out a three-bagger of his own. Up stepped Eddie Micheletti, who hit a towering shot to right field for a two-run home run. Goodwin followed with a homer of his own; it was the second time the C’s hit back-to-back jacks this year and the first since April 6 when Goodwin and Jay Harry hit consecutive bombs here in Pasco.

With the Canadians leading 9-1, Stanifer kept the Dust Devils on their heels in the seventh and eighth before Vancouver plated an unearned run in the ninth to lead by nine. The righty made short work of the future Angels with a perfect final frame to lock down the win.

Eight of nine starters reached base and six had a hit. Hornung paced the offence with three hits while Coffey, Micheletti and Goodwin all had three RBI.

With the win, the C’s are now 27-28 and are out of last place for the first time since May 18. They will wake up tomorrow in a three-way tie for third place while sitting three games back of first with 11 to play in the first half.

Vancouver can secure their second consecutive series victory with a win tomorrow night. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.