EVERETT — The top of the Vancouver Canadians order was at it again Thursday night against the Everett AquaSox.
The trio of Roemon Fields, Tim Locastro and Franklin Barreto continued to plague the Sox, leading Vancouver to a 10-1 victory over Everett at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Fields, Locastro and Barreto, the top three batters in Vancouver’s order who provide equal parts speed and pop, combined to go 7-for-17 with three doubles, six runs and three RBI. That included all three getting base hits and scoring in the top of the first inning as the Canadians took control from the start. Thursday’s exploits came after the trio combined to go 9-for-23 with four extra-base hits and four stolen bases in the first two games of the series.
Five pitchers combined on a three-hitter as Vancouver (16-11) produced a comprehensive victory. The bullpen was particularly strong, holding the Sox to two singles over the final eight frames. Chase Mallard was awarded the win with 3 1/3 scoreless innings during which the only baserunner he allowed reached on an error.
Everett (7-20) came up short in its attempt to win its first series of the season. Instead, Vancouver took the series 2-1, consigning the Sox to their seventh straight series defeat.
Rite of passage
Dave Valle went through a moment of managerial initiation Wednesday night when he experienced his first ejection as a manager.
Valle, who’s in his first season managing at any level of professional baseball, was ejected for arguing a call during the bottom of the fifth inning of Wednesday’s 9-4 victory over Vancouver. It came in his 26th game in charge.
“It happened,” Valle said good-naturedly. “It shouldn’t have happened, I still don’t know what I said to get thrown out of the game, but I guess every manager is going to get thrown out once or twice before they’re all done.”
The flash point came with two out in the bottom of the fifth. Everett’s Taylor Smart hit a deep drive to left that caromed back into play. The Sox contended that the ball hit off the Speedway sign, which would have made it a home run. However, the umpires ruled it hit off the wall, leaving Smart with a double.
Valle, who already had a lengthy argument with the umpires earlier in the game, came out to argue that it should have been a homer. After several moments of heated discussion Valle was tossed by field umpire Kale Rodrigues. That only caused Valle to take the intensity of his arguing up a notch, continuing the argument for several more moments before finally leaving the field.
“The ball hit the Speedway sign and the Speedway sign is a home run,” Valle said. “It’s a metal sign and it has a distinct sound compared to the wood of the outfield wall. It was a difference of opinion.”
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