EVERETT — There was never a doubt this Everett AquaSox team could hit.
However, through the first half of the Northwest League season the AquaSox pitching staff was best described as inconsistent. The biggest reason for Everett’s second-half surge has been its improved performance on the mound.
On Friday the AquaSox used that formula yet again as they knocked off the visiting Vancouver Canadians 9-2 before 2,383 fans at Everett Memorial Stadium to clinch the NWL North Division second-half title.
“We’ve had really good starting pitching here recently and offensively we keep battling away,” Everett manager Rob Mummau said. “We don’t give away at-bats and stay at it the whole time. That’s a big part of it.”
The AquaSox (21-7 second half, 39-27 overall) have now won eight of their last nine and will face first-half champion Spokane in a best-of-three division series beginning at 7:05 p.m. on Sept. 7 at Everett Memorial Stadium.
“The energy tonight was electric, even in the clubhouse, the fans and everything,” said Everett third baseman Nick Zammarelli, who had four of Everett’s 18 hits. “Since Day One of the second half we had a goal, which was to come out here and win the second half. That’s what we wanted to do and accomplished that. But that’s celebration No. 1. The second one is after we win it.”
2016 Everett AquaSox clinch Northwest League North Division second half title from Everett Herald on Vimeo.
It’s the second straight year the Frogs have qualified for the playoffs, and the organization is looking for its first playoff victory since winning the league title in 2010.
AquaSox starter Matt Festa (5-2) allowed just a pair of unearned runs as he scattered three hits and struck out six in five innings of work to lower his ERA to 3.74.
Relievers Joselito Cano, Paul Covelle, Dillon Moyer and Elliot Surrey each threw a scoreless inning.
“When you have great pitching it’s exciting,” Zammarelli said. “You want to play defense behind them and you want to make the plays. Festa started out great for us and the other guys kept it going. It gave us a lot of confidence at the plate too.”
The clincher came two days after the AquaSox finished up winning four of five at South Division-leading Eugene. Everett snapped the Emeralds’ 15-game winning streak and carried that momentum into Friday’s game.
The AquaSox took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. With one out Donnie Walton and Mike Baxter collected back-to-back singles, and Zammarelli followed with an RBI double to score Walton. Baxter came home on Kristian Brito’s RBI groundout, and Zammarelli scored on a two-out RBI single by Eric Filia.
David Greer and Walton added solo home runs in the second and fourth innings, respectively, and Brito drove in Zammarelli with a two-out single in the fourth as the lead swelled to 6-0.
The Canadians reached the scoreboard in the top of the fifth. Yeltsin Gudino opened with a single to right and scored when Everett left fielder Jose Leal misplayed D.J. McKnight’s single into a two-base error. McKnight came home on an RBI groundout by Deiferson Barreto to cut the Frogs’ lead to 6-2.
Both runs were unearned as the Frogs surrendered more than one run for the first time since a 9-3 win over Tri-City on Aug. 18.
“Hitting can be contagious and the same with pitching,” Mummau said. “Just maybe it can be a competition — see who can go the longest in the game or something like that. For sure, once it starts it just keeps on rolling.”
Everett got one back in the bottom of the inning when Leal scored on Goldstein’s long RBI single.
Zammarelli added an RBI triple and Brito had an RBI double in the eighth.
Bryson Brigman, Jason Goldstein and Brito each had two hits while Brito drove in three. Walton was 3-for-5 with two runs and Zammarelli was 4-for-5 with a triple, two doubles, three runs and two RBI. Filia also finished 3-for-4.
Vancouver fell to 10-18 and 26-40 on the year.
The series continues at 7:05 p.m. Saturday. Tim Viehoff (0-2, 2.77 ERA) will start for Everett against Vancouver’s Luis Sanchez (1-2, 3.83).
For the latest AquaSox news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @jessegeleynse.
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