Herald staff
KEIZER, Ore. — The Everett AquaSox found themselves stymied Monday night, falling 7-1 to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.
Everett struggled to get anything going offensively as the Sox were limited to just six hits by four Volcanoes pitchers.
On the other side, Salem-Keizer’s Will Callaway had a big day, going 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBI as the Volcanoes (5-6) took a 2-1 lead in the five-game Northwest League series.
Austin Cousino went 2-for-4 to lead Everett (3-8).
The Sox had no answer for Salem-Keizer starring pitcher Andrew Leenhouts. Leenhouts tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just two singles and not allowing a runner past second base. He struck out six.
Everett pitcher Jefferson Medina struggled in his first start since joining the team from Pulaski of the rookie Appalachian League. The right-hander allowed four runs — two earned — on six hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out four.
Salem-Keizer opened the scoring with an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning. Callaway’s two-out, bases-loaded infield single scored Travious Relaford — who reached on an error by Sox first baseman Kyle Petty — from third, giving the Volcanoes a 1-0 lead.
Salem-Keizer then broke things open in the fifth. The first three batters of the inning reached base to chase Jefferson. Then against reliever Cruz Pereira, Callaway doubled to left to drive home two runs, Leonardo Fuentes hit a sacrifice fly to right to bring home another run, and Fernando Pujadas singled to left to score another, increasing the Volcanoes lead to 5-0.
Everett finally got on the board after Leenhouts departed, scoring a run in the seventh courtesy of Brett Thomas’s RBI double to left-center. However, the Sox left the bases loaded and still trailed 5-1.
Then the Volcanoes countered in the bottom of the seventh. Callaway scored from third on a wild pitch, then Tyler Hollick’s single drove him a second, making it 7-1.
