AquaSox bats explode in third straight win against Spokane

EVERETT — The Everett AquaSox smacked 13 hits and rode another strong starting pitching performance to a 7-1 win against the Spokane Indians at Funko Field on Friday. Everett has won three straight, which is their longest streak of the second half.

AquaSox starter Taylor Dollard allowed four hits and one earned run, striking out three across six innings. Outfielder Tai Peete, lined up at designated hitter on Friday, hit a three-run homer for the second game in a row, and the 19-year-old has homers in three of his past four games.

Peete (2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI) was one of five AquaSox to have a multi-hit game on Friday, leading an offensive explosion for a team that started the week with just two hits in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss.

“I think they were just getting good pitches to hit, and not missing them,” Everett manager Zach Vincej said. “That’s been a key message for us moving forward, is just take advantage of the pitches that they give us, being on the heater, and that’s what they did tonight. It was awesome.”

One of the five with multiple base hits was infielder Carter Dorighi, who debuted with the AquaSox on Wednesday and started his High-A career 0-for-7 with four strikeouts and no walks through two games. Perhaps third time’s the charm for the 22-year-old Denver native, as Dorighi went 3-for-4 with a run scored on Friday.

Dorighi’s single to lead off the second inning — his first career hit in High-A — sparked a three-run rally that put the AquaSox ahead for good.

“It felt good,” Dorighi said. “Just helping out my guys out here. Good to be out here with the fellas and enjoying my time so far in Everett.”

After batting .299 with a .750 OPS in 85 games with Single-A Modesto this season, Dorighi was assigned to Everett on Monday. After driving up that day, he spent Tuesday getting acclimated before entering the lineup on Wednesday.

Dorighi spent his college career at Butler University and Lafayette College, then signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners on July 22, 2024. After a few games in the Arizona Complex League, Dorighi spent the rest of the season in Modesto, where he struggled at the plate to the tune of a .196 average and .522 OPS, albeit in only 16 games.

After Dorighi’s progression in 2025, the organization believes he is ready for the next step in Everett. With just one professional home run in his career, he is expected to produce “a lot of contact” at the plate while also filling in multiple spots defensively in the infield.

“He’s going to hit line drives. He’s going to play really good defense,” Vincej said. “He does a little bit of everything, you know? And it’s a good bat to have in the lineup, especially putting the ball in play and being able to move runners and drive in runs that way.”

After Dorighi’s first hit, outfielder Curtis Washington Jr. moved him to second with a single of his own, and a wild pitch allowed both runners to advance to scoring position. Fellow outfielder Anthony Donofrio fouled off four pitches, including three straight, before hitting a sacrifice fly to right field and scoring Dorighi.

Second baseman Charlie Pagliarini and shortstop Colt Emerson followed that up with back-to-back RBI base hits to increase the lead to 3-0. Pagliarini went 3-for-4 on Friday, snapping a five-game hitless streak but extending his on-base streak to eight games. All three of his hits were doubles.

“I (felt) confident at the plate the past couple games, and I was able to find some holes tonight,” Pagliarini said. “It feels great being able to get that done.”

With the Indians trailing 3-0, Skyler Messinger put them on the board with a solo home run off Dollard in the top of the fifth inning, but Washington Jr. restored the three-run lead with an RBI double in the bottom of the frame to score Peete.

Peete extended the lead even further with his home run, which cleared the tallest part of the scoreboard, following a Pagliarini walk and a Freuddy Batista single.

“I taught him everything he knows, so he’s got me to thank for that,” Pagliarini said jokingly. “But no, he’s killing it. It’s really fun to watch your buddy do well, so it’s always cheering him on and getting excited with him.”

With a comfortable lead in hand, the AquaSox bullpen arms of Allan Saathoff, Jordan Jackson and Natanael Garabitos had little trouble getting through the rest of the game and securing the 7-1 final. Saathoff retired the side in the seventh, while Jackson notched three strikeouts in the eighth inning after allowing a leadoff double.

“It really goes back to winning counts, winning the first pitch,” Vincej said. “We put a huge emphasis on winning the 0-0 counts. We try to win the split counts, too, the 1-1 counts, and when you get into those driver’s seat counts, we’re in a good spot. And our defense is unbelievable right now, and if you let them put the ball in play, good things will happen.”