Frogs are now 3-0 in lucky uniforms

Published 9:00 pm Monday, July 31, 2006

EVERETT – For the Everett AquaSox, Monday’s victory was as easy as a walk in the park.

Everett took advantage of Spokane’s pitching wildness and defensive miscues, and the AquaSox breezed to an 11-3 victory over the Indians at Everett Memorial Stadium.

Everett used six walks and two errors during the second and third innings to build a 7-0 lead, and from there it was smooth sailing.

“It really did feel easy,” said Everett left fielder Bryan Sabatella, who walked and scored in both the second and third innings. “Everything was rolling. The pitchers were throwing strikes and getting us off the field fast. Then we’d be up for a while scoring runs, and even when we weren’t scoring runs we were getting good at bats. Everything went in our favor.”

Starting pitcher Steve Uhlmansiek threw five shutout innings, Kevin Reynolds drove in four runs and Sabatella scored four for the AquaSox (20-22), who won their third straight game while wearing their tie-dyed Frogstock jerseys. The plan is to remain in the Frogstock jerseys until they lose.

Also chipping in for Everett were Jair Fernandez, who was 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Ogui Diaz, who was 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Joe Napoli had two hits for Spokane (15-27).

Little came easy for the AquaSox during July, a month that saw Everett lose 19 games and plummet into the Northwest League’s West Division cellar.

But wins don’t come much easier than Everett’s did Monday. The Sox were issued eight free passes – seven of which came around to score – and were the beneficiaries of six Spokane errors, leading to six unearned runs. Everett’s 11 runs came on a mere nine hits.

And after a difficult month it was nice getting an easy one.

“It’s nice getting out of that little rut we were in,” Sabatella said. “It feels like the beginning of the year. Everyone’s playing together as a team, we’re hitting well and we’re pitching well. We’re not going out there thinking too much, we’re just playing again.”

As easy as things were for Everett’s offense, they were nearly as easy for Uhlmansiek. The left-hander continued his resurgence, giving up just two hits and two walks in his five scoreless innings. He struck out three.

Uhlmansiek (3-1), who went through a midseason swoon after a blistering start, now has three consecutive solid starts.

“I actually felt good during those bad outings, I just had mental lapses in one inning,” Uhlmansiek said.

“I was just working off my fastball,” Uhlmansiek added. “Having command of my fastball really helped with getting ground balls and with my pitch count. My goal every time out is to throw less pitches and go more innings, and having command of my fastball enables that.”

Everett’s main victim Monday was Spokane starter Michael Wagner. Wagner, a graduate of Woodinville High School, struggled during his return to his home region, getting knocked out in the third inning and taking the loss to fall to 2-4.

Wagner’s control deserted him in the bottom of the second, and the AquaSox took advantage to score five runs on just two hits. After Joe White reached on an error, Wagner walked four consecutive batters, Fernandez and Diaz each forcing home runs with their bases-loaded free passes.

When Wagner finally did find the plate, Reynolds grounded a two-run single off diving second baseman Jay Heafner’s glove, and Dean Zorn later added an RBI single off the right-center wall, staking Everett to a 5-0 lead.

Everett added two more in the third, again with Spokane’s help. Sabatella walked, stole second and motored home when Heafner booted Jose Graterol’s potential inning-ending grounder. Graterol then came home on Fernandez’s double down the left-field line, making it 7-0. From that point on the AquaSox were on cruise control.