AquaSox fall 9-7 to Boise
Published 10:54 pm Wednesday, July 4, 2007
BOISE, Idaho – The Everett AquaSox kept battling and battling Wednesday night against the Boise Hawks. But eventually they came up one comeback short.
Everett staged three comebacks to tie the score, but was unable to produce a fourth as Boise prevailed 9-7.
Everett (9-7) trailed 5-0, 6-5 and 7-6 and came back to tie it each time. But Boise pinch hitter Mario Mercedes’ two-run single in the bottom of the eighth broke a 7-7 tie, dashing Everett’s final comeback hopes.
Jonathan Wyatt went 3-for-4 with three runs, Audy Santana earned the win in relief and Harol Tolentino got the final out to earn the save for Boise (4-12), which won back-to-back victories for the first time of the season.
Ogui Diaz went 3-for-4 with a homer and Matt Mangini also had three hits for Everett. Reliever Nick Hill took the loss.
Everett ace Edward Paredes turned in his worst start of the season. The left-hander, who came into the game 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA, struggled with his control. He hit Dylan Johnston with his first pitch of the game and walked four in lasting just two innings. Just two of the five runs he surrendered were earned.
Boise starter Al Albuquerque didn’t last much longer. The righty lasted just 21/3 innings. Giving up three runs on six hits and two walks.
Boise took advantage of Paredes’ control problems to grab the lead in the bottom of the first inning when Paredes had control problems. The hit batter and two walks allowed the Hawks to score twice on infield grounders and take a 2-0 lead.
The Hawks extended their lead in the second. A walk and an error set the stage for Johnston to drive in a run with a groundout and Ty Wright to ground a two-run single up the middle, making it 5-0.
Everett got on the board in the third with five singles. Joe Dunigan’s single drove in a pair and Manelik Pimentel’s scored a third as Everett cut the deficit to 5-3.
The Sox tied it in the sixth. With two out Everett loaded the bases on three walks. Mangini lined a single to left, bringing home two runs and making it 5-5.
Boise regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a pair of Everett miscues. With two out Marquez Smith was picked off first, but first baseman Kris Sanchez’s throw to second sailed into left field. Smith advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored when third baseman Mangini fell while fielding a grounder for another error, making it 6-5.
But the Hawks gave the run right back in the seventh, a pair of wild pitches allowing Sanchez to score and make it 6-6.
Boise went ahead once again in the bottom of the seventh on Drew Rundle’s RBI single, making it 7-6.
And once again Everett came back to tie it, Diaz hitting his first professional home run in the eighth to make it 7-7.
