EVERETT — Powered by five home runs, including three consecutively, the Everett AquaSox blasted their way past the Spokane Indians 13-4 in front of a season high 3,716 fans on Sunday at Funko Field.
AquaSox starting pitcher Evan Truitt had his best performance of the year. He threw five shutout innings to start the Northwest League game.
Everett’s offense got going in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, outfielder Anthony Donofrio capitalized on the scoring opportunity, pulling a bases-clearing double down the right field line. Continuing the scoring attack one batter later was Brandon Eike, who hit an RBI single to provide the AquaSox a 4-0 advantage.
Spokane (26-25) cut Everett’s lead in half during the top of the sixth as Jared Thomas hit a two-run home run to center field after Caleb Hobson singled. However, Everett (24-26) blew the game open in the bottom half of the frame as Luis Suisbel, Tai Peete, and Andrew Miller all drilled consecutive solo home runs with two outs. Furthering the lead was Eike and Charlie Pagliarini, who knocked consecutive RBI doubles to provide the AquaSox a 9-2 lead.
Truitt concluded his outing after six brilliant innings of two-run baseball. He allowed five hits and walked only one while collecting a career-high six strikeouts — four swinging and two looking. The 22-year-old righty also lowered his earned run average to 4.06 this season.
The Indians added two more runs during the top of the seventh courtesy of Skyler Messinger, Hobson, and Thomas. Messinger hit a solo home run to center field, and Hobson and Thomas doubled consecutively to cut the Frogs’ lead to 5. Thomas’ RBI double gave him his third RBI of the game.
Everett concluded their scoring outburst in the bottom of the eighth, plating four more runs. Miller demolished a 410-foot solo home run for his second long ball of the day, scoring the Frogs’ 10th run. This was the second time in Miller’s AquaSox career that he has homered twice in a game.
Eike singled for his third hit and Colt Emerson singled, allowing Michael Arroyo to crush a home run over the manual scoreboard to give Everett a comfortable 13-4 lead.
Stefan Raeth threw the final two innings for the AquaSox, holding the Indians scoreless to lock down the Frogs’ victory. Raeth allowed no hits, lowered his season earned run average to 2.61, struck out one, and walked none.
The Frogs, who split the six-game home series with Spokane, begin play the first of six games at Eugene on Tuesday.
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