BOISE — Everett center fielder Ryan Royster formed the bookends to a five-run, eighth-inning rally for the AquaSox in a 7-3 Northwest League win over Boise on Monday night in front of 2,032 fans at Memorial Stadium in Boise.
The win snapped Everett’s four-game skid, which matched its longest of the season.
Royster reached base to lead off the eighth inning after being hit on the foot by a pitch. Nine batters later Royster lined out to end the inning as Everett (11-8 second half, 38-19 overall) batted around while scoring five unearned runs on just one hit and coming back from a one-run deficit.
Right fielder Kalian Sams came up with the big, and only, hit of the inning as Sams hit a one-out, two-run triple to left-center field giving Everett a three-run cushion.
Prior to Sams’ hit, the Frogs tied the game when Royster scored from second base after Boise shortstop Elliot Soto fielded a two-hopper off the bat of AquaSox third baseman Kevin Mailloux but air-mailed the throw to first base.
Mailloux, the recently-named Northwest League Player of the Week who extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a fourth-inning single, scored the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice by second baseman Hawkins Gebbers.
First baseman Evan Sharpley set the table of Sams when his bouncing grounder up the middle slipped through the legs of Boise (7-12, 26-31) second baseman Pierre LePage. Gebbers advanced to third on the error.
Sams scored the final run of the eighth inning on a one-out fielder’s choice by catcher Billy Marcoe. First baseman Ryan Cuneo’s throw home was in time, but Sams bowled over Boise catcher Jeff Virgus, dislodging the baseball.
The first half of the game stood in stark contrast to the final half.
Everett starting pitcher Austin Hudson retired 12 straight Boise batters through four innings — nine on ground balls.
Hudson’s counterpart, Boise starter Juan Serrano, held Everett scoreless through five innings, striking out six before departing the game in favor of reliever Carlos Rojas.
Boise broke the seal first with two runs in the fifth inning off Hudson. Virgus hit a one-out, two-run double over Royster in center field to give Boise a 2-0 lead.
Everett struck back in the sixth after designated hitter Fred Bello led off with a triple and scored on a Royster RBI-ground out.
Sams drove in Sharpley with a game-tying sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. Sams battled back from down in the count to lift a deep, two-strike fly ball to center field.
Virgus gave Boise a 3-2 lead in the seventh on a fielder’s choice that plated first baseman Ryan Cuneo. The catcher drove in all three runs for the Hawks.
Everett reliever Tyler Burgoon (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings of relief, while Eric Thomas tossed a scoreless ninth inning to close out the win.
On Kevin Rivers’ triple in the ninth inning, the AquaSox recorded a team-record tying three triples against the Hawks.
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