EVERETT — Playing two games to account for a May 11 rainout against the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Everett AquaSox swept both ends of Tuesday night’s doubleheader, winning 8-7 and 8-0 during Bark at the Park night at Funko Field.
The two victories vaulted the Frogs (30-28) into a three-way tie for first place in the Northwest League with Hillsboro and Vancouver. Tri-City (26-32) fell into last place.
Game One featured the completion of a rainout dating back to May 11, when the AquaSox and Dust Devils’ matchup was postponed midway through. Trailing 5-0 after three innings, the AquaSox powered their way to a five-run third inning to tie the game. Brandon Eike, Colt Emerson, and Jonny Farmelo drilled consecutive home runs before the game’s suspension.
Tying the game pre-suspension was Freuddy Batista, who reached on a fielding error that allowed two runners to hustle home. Tri-City took the lead three batters into the resumption of the game as Rio Foster knocked an RBI double to set the Dust Devils ahead 6-5. The one-run lead held until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Lazaro Montes scored on a balk to knot the game 6-6. Providing the AquaSox a 7-6 lead was Luis Suisbel, who scored on a wild pitch.
Tri-City’s Ryan Nicholson hit a solo home run to tie the game. However, Suisbel answered by crushing a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to win game one 8-7 for Everett.
From the mound, right-hander Nick Payero tossed four innings of one-run baseball. He allowed two hits, striking out eight batters to tie his career high. Earning the win was Stefan Raeth, who threw two innings and struck out three.
Charlie Pagliarini provided the AquaSox a spark during the Frogs’ first at-bat of the second game, hustling his way around the bases for a leadoff triple. Pagliarini would score on a sacrifice fly by Emerson to give the Frogs a 1-0 lead. During the bottom of the second, Josh Caron smacked a solo home run for his fifth long ball of the year, doubling Everett’s lead.
Leading 2-0, the AquaSox added their third run in the bottom of the third inning as Emerson hit a solo home run to right center field for his fifth homer of the season.
The AquaSox broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth, scoring five times.
With the bases loaded, Milkar Perez hit a two-run single, and Pagliarini crushed a three-run home run to provide the AquaSox an 8-0 lead. Everett’s pitchers handled business from there, cruising their way through the final three innings to shut out the Dust Devils in game two.
Starting pitcher Marcelo Perez threw five innings of shutout baseball. He allowed only three hits, walking one and struck out a season-high seven hitters. Tyler Cleveland struck out the side in one inning of work to lower his earned run average to 1.13, and Brock Moore ended the game by throwing one scoreless inning. Moore struck out two and the trio of pitchers combined to walk two Dust Devils.
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