AquaSox homecoming spoiled by Tri-City in major blowout

Published 12:05 am Wednesday, April 8, 2026

EVERETT — The last time the Everett AquaSox took the turf in front of fans at Everett Memorial Stadium, the night ended with the home side lifting up a championship trophy. Seven months later, the scene could not have looked more different.

Kicking off their 2026 home-opener on Tuesday, the AquaSox welcomed the Tri-City Dust Devils, who wasted no time spoiling the reigning Northwest League champions’ homecoming.

By the time Everett got on the scoreboard, when designated hitter Josh Caron led off the fourth with a triple to set up catcher Luke Stevenson for a sacrifice fly, Tri-City still led by 15 runs. The Dust Devils built up a 10-0 lead in the first three innings before the AquaSox got their first hit, and extended it to 16-0 in the fourth, capitalizing on inconsistent pitching and a few fielding errors.

Putting the game out of hand quickly, Tri-City breezed to a 17-2 win to remain undefeated through four games. Meanwhile, Everett sits 1-3. Seven months after a night they’ll always remember, the AquaSox started off their first homestand with a night they would soon like to forget.

“These games are going to happen. That’s really kind of the way you have to look at it every now and then,” AquaSox manager Ryan Scott said. “Games just aren’t going to go your way, and I really just want to see how the boys are going to compete, and they did tonight. We had a couple good innings there and swung the bat well. … Even though the game gets away from us, it’s all we can really ask for.”

Caron and second baseman Axel Sanchez each went 2-for-4 at the plate, while Stevenson and outfielder Jonny Farmelo each had one hit and one RBI.

Starting pitcher Taylor Dollard allowed six hits, six earned runs and four walks across just 2 2/3 innings, but six of his eight outs came via strikeout. Calvin Schapira was tagged for five earned runs and four hits across 2/3 innings in relief, but Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman and Jose Geraldo combined for 4 2/3 innings where they allowed a collective four hits and one earned run. Geraldo notched six punchouts himself, but the game was long out of reach.

“(The Tri-City bats) were aggressive early,” AquaSox pitching coach Bryan Pall said. “And then when they made contact, they didn’t miss. So credit to them for that. Our guys are going to come back and compete tomorrow.”

It took the Dust Devils just 15 pitches to get on the scoreboard. Shortstop Capri Ortiz worked a walk on a full count before stealing second, and third baseman Jake Munroe capitalized by ripping a single to center field to score Ortiz with just one out. Tri-City loaded the bases with a single and another walk, and outfielder Randy De Jesus ripped a two-run double just past AquaSox left fielder Curtis Washington Jr.’s glove to push it to 3-0.

The Dust Devils added another run in the second with a sacrifice fly from Munroe, but Dollard racked up two more strikeouts to finish the first two innings with five total.

After pitching just 8 1/3 total innings in 2023 with Triple-A Tacoma and none in 2024 due to a shoulder injury, Dollard returned to the mound for Everett in 2025. The 27-year-old righty posted a 4.54 ERA across 69 1/3 innings, and enters 2026 fighting to regain the form that earned him Texas League Pitcher of the Year in 2022, when he had a 2.25 ERA and 16 wins for Double-A Arkansas.

“Taylor is a really cool story,” Pall said. “I’m thrilled to see him out there, and he has a great perspective on everything, but he understands he just fell behind the count today. And when he’s ahead, good things happen. I’m not worried about Taylor. He’s going to figure it out. He’s an amazing dude, and just where he came from the past two years, this was a win just to see him compete tonight.”

The AquaSox fell into more trouble on a couple of errors in the third. Tri-City catcher Juan Flores reached on an error by Everett first baseman Luis Suisbel to put runners on first and second, and a catcher’s interference by Stevenson in the next at-bat allowed both runners to move into scoring position. Second baseman Adrian Placencia grounded into a fielder’s choice up the middle, and designated hitter Matt Coutney scored to make it 5-0.

“I haven’t managed any of these guys before,” said Scott, who spent two seasons managing the AquaSox before spending 2025 at the helm of Double-A Arkansas. “So I’m really starting to try to get to know them and kind of who they are as people and how they want to be coached, and how we can best help them. So that’s really the thing I’m starting to learn about these guys, is who they are as individuals and how we can ultimately create that into a good, winning baseball team.”

The Dust Devils loaded the bases yet again, and Ortiz sent a two-run double to center field to push it to 7-0, which marked the end of Dollard’s night. Schapira took the mound, and immediately allowed a three-run homer to Munroe. He retired the next batter to end the frame, but Tri-City sat comfortably in the driver’s seat up 10-0.

Sanchez opened the bottom of the third with a single to right field to break up the no-hitter, but Tri-City starter Chase Shores retired the next three batters to strand him. The Dust Devils continued to pass the bat, with the first four batters of the fourth inning reaching base. Schapira walked Placencia with the bases loaded to make Tri-City’s lead 11-0, and outfielder Anthony Scull and Ortiz laced back-to-back RBI-base hits to extend it to 14-0.

Lunsford-Shenkman replaced Schapira after another Tri-City walk loaded the bases, and he threw two straight four-pitch walks to allow two more runs to score. It got to the point where his first strike — on his 10th pitch — received a loud cheer from the crowd. It’s not like they had much else to celebrate. That is, until he gave fans reason to cheer for real, settling in to retire each of the next seven batters.

Caron’s triple in the fourth gave the offense some life, and Stevenson brought him home in the next at-bat, working a full count before flying out to deep center field. Suisbel got on base with a walk right after, but Tri-City reliever Alex Martinez retired the next two batters to end the frame.

“I was definitely trying to get a hit right there, and trying to put a good swing on one,” said Caron, who fouled off the first pitch before his triple. “… We’re professionals, these things happen. It’s not the last time this is going to happen. I think you just try to string a couple good at-bats together and do the best you can.”

The scoring settled down from the fifth inning on. Placencia tacked on another run with a solo shot in the top of the seventh, and Farmelo cranked a homer of his own in the bottom of the eighth to cut it to 17-2. The AquaSox loaded the bases with three straight singles after Farmelo’s home run, but Suisbel popped up to the shortstop and outfielder Carlos Jimenez flied out to strand them.

Infielder Austin St. Laurent pitched the ninth inning for Everett, allowing one hit and retiring the other three batters he faced.

“We’re always going to fight until the last pitch,” Caron said. “Obviously tonight didn’t go our way in any facet of the game, and we’re going to be better tomorrow.”