Grebeck delivers walk-off single, AquaSox top Merchants 6-5

Published 10:40 pm Wednesday, June 15, 2016

EVERETT — Austin Grebeck delivered a two-out single to score Yojhan Quevedo in the bottom of the ninth lift the Everett AquaSox to a 6-5 victory over the Everett Merchants in the 13th Annual Everett Cup Wednesday at Everett Memorial Stadium.

Grebeck, a former Oregon Duck and the son of former Major Leaguer Craig Grebeck, ripped the first pitch he saw from Merchants reliever Max Dwyer as the Frogs retained the Cup for the sixth straight year and improved to 11-2 all-time in the series before 725 fans.

Quevedo led off the bottom of the ninth with a double that hit the left field foul line. Merchants manager Harold Pyatte disagreed, and was tossed from the game.

Two outs later Grebeck delivered the game-winner for his third hit on the evening.

The walk-off win ended a valiant comeback effort by the Merchants, who trailed 5-0 before tying it on Sean Clancy’s bloop single in the top of the eighth.

The Merchants spotted the AquaSox the first five runs. The comeback began when the Merchants loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the fifth against AquaSox reliever Lane Ratliff. Jake Levin drove in Hudson Byorick with an infield single, and Matt Thompson followed with a bases-loaded walk to cut the deficit to 5-2.

That was all for Ratliff, who was lifted for Joselito Cano. The southpaw, the younger brother of Seattle Mariners star Robinson Cano, induced a groundout to end the threat.

But in the sixth the Merchants took advantage of a walk and an error and a double off the wall from pinch-hitter Jaykob Sells, a Mountlake Terrace alum, to slice the score to 5-4.

The AquaSox got on the board in the bottom of the second. Jose Leal launched a one-out double, and Ivan Gonzalez drove Leal in one out later with an RBI single to left field for a 1-0 lead.

Gus Craig made it 3-0 in the third when his two-run home run plated Jhombeyker Morales, who had led off the frame with a double.

The Frogs tacked on two more in the fourth when Morales doubled in Gonzalez, and Craig followed with an RBI single to push it to 5-0.

Craig finished 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI while Morales doubled and scored twice for the AquaSox. Marvin Gorgas earned the win in relief.

Ty Holm, a Marysville Pilchuck alum, and Eli Gallo each scored twice for the Merchants of the Pacific International Baseball League.