AquaSox fall in early 4-run hole, lose to Dust Devils 8-4

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 4, 2017

EVERETT — Each time the Everett AquaSox closed the gap, the Tri-City Dust Devils answered.

The Dust Devils scored four runs in the top of the first inning and met every Everett threat with more offense of their own in an 8-4 win over the AquaSox before 4,698 fans at Everett Memorial Stadium on Independence Day.

Tri-City starter Adrian Morejon (1-1) scattered seven hits and struck out five while allowing a pair of earned runs in six innings to pick up the victory. That overshadowed the performance of Everett hurler Steven Ridings who surrendered only one run on four hits in five innings of long relief.

It started in the top of the first as Everett starter Oliver Jaskie (0-1) allowed an RBI double to Luis Asuncion. Jaskie was a pitch away from limiting the damage, but Tri-City first baseman Chris Mattison belted an 0-2 hanging slider off the video board in left-center field for a three-run homer and a 4-0 lead.

Everett got one back in the second when Eugene Helder led off with a triple and scored on an RBI single by Greifer Andrade.

A solo home run in the top of the fourth from Luis Almanzar pushed Tri-City’s lead to 5-1.

Evan White drove in Juan Camacho with a sacrifice fly in the fifth to make it 5-2, but the Dust Devils answered yet again in the seventh when Tre Carter doubled with two outs and scored on an infield error.

Joseph Rosa’s two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh cut the Dust Devils lead to 6-4, but Josh Magee belted a two-run shot of his own in the top of the eighth to make it 8-4 Tri-City.

The teams conclude their brief two-game series at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday.