Boise outlasts Everett 11-10, halts Sox’s streak
Published 10:59 pm Friday, June 26, 2015
EVERETT — The Boise Hawks committed three errors in Friday’s Northwest League game against Everett. The AquaSox made sure each of them was costly, but it wasn’t enough for the AquaSox to extend their six-game winning streak in an 11-10 loss.
The three mistakes eventually led to four runs for the Frogs, who fell to 7-2 this season — still the best mark in the league.
After Everett scored two runs to tie the score at 8-8 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Boise answered with a two-run double from Kevin Padlo in the top of the eighth. The damage could have been worse. Padlo’s double, which came with the bases loaded, almost cleared the bags, but Hamlet Marte was called out at home plate, though he appeared to be safe.
The AquaSox took advantage of the good fortune in the bottom of the eighth, scoring two runs to once again tie the score, this time at 10-10, thanks to an RBI double from Johan Quevedo and a run-scoring groundout from Corey Simpson.
The Hawks delivered the knockout blow in the top of the ninth inning on an RBI double by Eric Toole.
Boise held five-run leads twice — 5-0 after 1½ innings and 7-2 after 3½ innings — early in the game an appeared to be in firm control before Everett made its comeback.
The bottom of the fourth inning is where the errors started for Boise and not coincidently, when Everett started to get back into the game. With one run already in for Everett, Toole dropped a pop fly in left field off the bat of Everett’s Luis Liberato that would have been the second out of the inning. Drew Jackson followed Liberato with a grounder to third baseman Padlo, who elected to throw to second base for the force out on Liberato. The throw was high, loading the bases for Everett with one out.
The AquaSox benefitted from another mistake when starting pitcher Boise starting pitcher Angel Lezama hit Ryan Uhl with a pitch, forcing in Simpson and leaving the bases loaded for Yordi Calderon. Carlderon came through with two-run single to center field that scored Jackson and Liberato to cut Boise’s lead to 7-6, which is how the inning would end.
The Hawks wasted little time getting a run back. Brian Mundell led off the top of the fifth inning with a home run to straight-away center field, but relief pitcher Rohn Pierce recovered by retiring three straight to keep any damage to a minimum.
The AquaSox threatened again in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with one out for a second straight inning. This time, they came up empty. A strikeout from Jackson and a pop fly from Uhl allowed Boise to escape the threat.
The Hawks couldn’t escape twice.
Simpson scored on a groundout by Jackson in the bottom of the seventh inning to cut the Boise lead to 8-7. Uhl followed Jackson with a hard hit, but easily playable, line drive at shortstop Scott Burcham that would have ended the inning. Burcham dropped the ball, allowing Liberato to score the tying run on what proved to be the most costly of the three errors.
Boise built its lead early in the game by getting to Everett starting pitcher Lane Ratliff. The Hawks scored three runs in the top of the first inning. All three runs came courtesy of Padlo, who hit a towering home run over the left-field wall with two outs.
The Hawks continued the onslaught in the top of the second. Of the first four batters he faced in the inning, Ratliff allowed a single, double, hit a batter and allowed a run to score on a wild pitch, leading AquaSox manager Rob Mummau to go to his bullpen. The Hawks added another run — credited to Ratliff — before the inning relief pitcher Spencer Herrmann retired the side.
Ratliff pitched 11/3 innings, giving up five runs and five hits.
The AquaSox scored two runs in in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI triple from Liberato and an RBI grounder by Jackson. Boise got both runs back in the top of the fourth inning with RBI doubles from Luis Castro and Padlo.
