AquaSox top Dust Devils 9-3 for third consecutive win
Published 10:00 pm Thursday, August 18, 2016
EVERETT — You could forgive the Everett AquaSox if they were looking ahead to next week’s five-game series against Northwest League South Division-leading Eugene.
But such forgiveness remains unnecessary because the AquaSox have continued to take care of the opponent at hand. They did so again Thursday as they knocked off the Tri-City Dust Devils 9-3 before 2,049 fans at Everett Memorial Stadium.
With their third straight victory the AquaSox (15-6 second half, 33-26 overall) moved seven games up on the Dust Devils (8-13, 27-32) in the second-half standings. Vancouver remained seven games back with its victory over the first-half champion Spokane Indians who are six games back.
Eugene (16-5, 44-15) won its 14th straight on Thursday.
Nick Zammarelli finished 4-for-5 at the plate with two doubles and five RBI to lead the offense, and starting pitcher Robert Dugger (1-1) struck out seven while scattering three hits and walking one as he surrendered one run in five innings.
Bryson Brigman scored three times while Jason Goldstein, Kristian Brito and Jose Leal all had two hits.
The Frogs never trailed as Zammarelli and Goldstein collected RBI singles in the bottom of the first for a 2-0 lead.
The Dust Devils got one back in the top of the second when Wilfri De La Cruz drove in Chris Mattison with a one-out RBI single, but the AquaSox answered right back in the third when Zammarelli scored on a Joe Venturino RBI single and Brito came home on a throwing error.
Chris Mattison’s two-run home run to straight-away center field against Everett reliever Lane Ratliff cut the lead to 4-3, but that was as close as the Dust Devils got.
Zammarelli had a bases-clearing, three-run double in the bottom of the sixth, and added another RBI double in the eighth as the AquaSox pulled away.
The series concludes at 7:05 p.m. on Friday. Brandon Miller (2-2, 3.32 ERA) will pitch for Everett against Tri-City’s Hansel Rodriguez (0-0, 3.65).
