EUGENE, Ore. – How’s that for a comeback?
Seemingly down and out early in the game, the Everett AquaSox chipped away one inning at a time, overcoming a five-run deficit to defeat the Eugene Emeralds 6-5 in Northwest League baseball action Sunday night.
Everett trailed 5-0 after five innings and showed few signs of life. However, spectacular relief pitching by Nick Hill gave the Sox a chance to rally, and Everett scored two runs each in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to overtake the Emeralds.
Kalian Sams’ two-run homer in the eighth proved to be the decisive blow as Everett (25-34) won back-to-back games for the first time since Aug. 5. Gregory Halman also homered for the Sox and Edilio Colina went 3-for-4.
But it wouldn’t have been enough if not for Hill. The left-hander stymied the Emeralds over the final five innings, giving up just a pair of singles and striking out 10. That included an eighth inning in which he struck out the side on nine pitches. The victory was Hill’s first as a professional.
Kellen Kulbacki homered and Lance Zawadzki went 3-for-4 to lead Eugene (31-28). Colt Hynes suffered the loss in relief.
Everett trailed 5-0 when Halman jump started Everett’s rally in the sixth, launching a two-run shot out to left center. It was Halman’s second straight game with a homer and team-leading 12th of the season.
The Sox then pulled within one run in the seventh. Back-to-back singles by Jermaine Brock and Jim Davenport followed by a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out. Halman’s groundout brought home one run, then the second scored on a wild pitch, making it 5-4.
The comeback was completed in the eighth. Joe Dunigan led off with a single against Jackson Quezada. Hynes then came on and Sams greeted him by driving the ball out to left-center for his fifth home run of the season, giving the Sox a lead that was enough for Hill.
The comeback saved Everett starter Doug Salinas from suffering his league-leading eighth loss of the season. Salinas struggled through four innings, giving up five runs on 10 hits and a walk. He struck out four.
The comeback also prevented Eugene starter Matt Latos from earning his elusive first victory of the season. Latos, making his 10th start, threw five scoreless innings, giving up four hits, one walk and striking out five.
Eugene took the lead in the bottom of the second inning when Kulbacki led off with his fourth homer of the season. The Emeralds then seemingly broke the game open in the fourth with six consecutive hits. The string included back-to-back two-run doubles by Brad Chalk and Luis Durango, giving Eugene its 5-0 advantage.
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