EVERETT — For a brief moment Monday night, the Everett AquaSox achieved perfection.
Nine up, nine on, nine around.
For one complete trip through the lineup every Everett batter reached base and scored, catapulting the AquaSox to a 13-2 victory over the Vancouver Canadians at Everett Memorial Stadium.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Sox pieced together the ultimate team effort. Beginning with No. 6 batter Marcus Littlewood’s one-out single and ending with No. 5 batter David Villasuso’s two-run homer, every single Everett batter circled the bases. Eight of the nine had base hits, including Taylor Ard’s grand slam. Only Chris Taylor’s four-pitch walk interrupted the hit parade.
The perfect stretch helped the Sox build a 10-run lead that allowed Everett to coast home.
“That’s a pretty cool thing,” Everett manager Rob Mummau said of the perfect stretch. “We swung the bats and were seeing the ball well tonight. We’re just going to try and ride it into tomorrow night’s game.”
Ard homerd twice — his first two dingers as a professional — and finished with five RBI to pace the Sox, who produced their best offensive output of the season.
“That was good to see,” Ard said. “We have been winning games a lot, but things have just been going our way, we haven’t been getting the hits we wanted. To have a breakout game like this, hopefully it just kind of opens the gates and we can start hitting a lot more and win games by big margins like that.”
Canadians outfielder Ian Parmley, a Monroe High School graduate, finished 2-for-3 with two singles and a walk. Daniel Arcila drove in both Vancouver runs with a two-run double in the eighth inning to avert a shutout.
With the victory in the first game of a three-game series, Everett caught Vancouver for first place in the Northwest League’s West Division. Both teams are 8-3.
When the second inning began there was no indication of what was to come. Vancouver starting pitcher Eric Brown blew a two-strike fastball by Villasuso for the first out, then had Littlewood on the ropes before Littlewood lined a two-strike single to right.
But then came the deluge. Singles by Patrick Kivlehan, Alfredo Morales and Ketel Marte brought home one run and loaded the bases. Then Jamodrick McGruder grounded a double just inside the first-base line to drive home two more.
Taylor’s walk reloaded the bases for Ard, whose liner the opposite way just cleared the wall in right-center for his second homer in as many innings. Janelfry Zorilla’s bloop single got things started again, and Villasuso completed the perfect trip through the lineup by blasting a two-run shot to center.
“Any time you can have a big inning is good, but especially early in the game,” Ard said. “It makes us feel good, it makes the pitcher feel good and sets the tone. It lets us cruise and just kind of win that game.”
The Sox also had a team effort on the mound as five pitchers combined on a seven-hitter.
Scott DeCecco, making a spot start in place of Victor Sanchez, had a successful first professional start. The left-hander only went three innings, but he allowed no runs on two hits and struck out four.
DeCecco was followed by a pair of righties making their professional debuts. Grady Wood tossed 11/3 scoreless innings before giving way to Matt Vedo, who threw 12/3 hitless innings. Vedo was credited with the win.
Blake Hauser and Mario De Jesus finished it for the Sox, closing out the final three innings.
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