YAKIMA — At one point in Sunday night’s game between the Everett AquaSox and Yakima Bears, the Bears led by five runs.
In the end, they would need extra innings to finish off the AquaSox 7-6, and end the Frogs’ three-game winning streak.
Shaun Cooper hit the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning, scoring Kevin Medrano from second base to life the Bears to victory. It was the third straight single in the 11th for Yakima, which had a 5-0 lead after the third inning.
The AquaSox (27-10) suffered their first loss since they clinched the first half West Division title on Friday night. Yakima (21-16) won the first half title for the East Division on July 18.
Everett turned the tables on what looked like a blowout in the making in the top of the fifth inning.
After scoring two in the fourth, the Frogs took the lead in the fifth on one swing of the bat by designated hitter Marcus Littlewood. Littlewood hit a grand slam to turn a three-run deficit into a one-run lead, putting the AquaSox up 6-5.
The score remained that way until the bottom of the ninth, when Joseph Loftus hit an RBI single off Frogs’ reliever Marcos Reyna to tie the score and force extra innings.
AquaSox outfielder Jamodrick McGruder and shortstop Ketel Marte had three hits apiece for Everett. Littlewood finished the game 1-for-5 with five RBI and a run scored.
Matthew Vedo (1-1) took the loss for the Frogs. Vedo came in with two outs and two runners on in the bottom of the tenth and got Daniel Poma to groundout to end the inning.
Then came the Bears’ 11th inning-rally.
Yakima rightfielder Michael Lang hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the bottom of the third inning to pad the Bears’ early lead.
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