AquaSox lack spark in Independence Day loss to Vancouver

EVERETT — It may have been Independence Day, but the Everett AquaSox did not provide many fireworks.

That says nothing about the postgame pyrotechnics display. Rather, with just two hits all night, the AquaSox lost 9-2 to the Vancouver Canadians, who pulled away with a five-run seventh inning at Funko Field on Friday.

While the bats didn’t do damage, the AquaSox made things as interesting as possible for the sellout home crowd, working eight walks as a team to put runners in scoring position. Despite loading the bases in the fifth and seventh, Everett failed to score any runs to execute a comeback.

“It was a tough one,” said AquaSox bench coach Hecmart Nieves, who served as acting manager with Zach Vincej out of town. “We did have some good times there, trying to get something going, but we couldn’t get that big hit to get us going.”

Four Canadians pitchers combined for the two-hitter, with starter Fernando Perez striking out five and walking four across 4.2 innings. Everett starter Ryan Hawks allowed seven of Vancouver’s 13 hits as well as four earned runs in six innings of work.

Everett’s first hit was a big one: A go-ahead, two-run homer from Charlie Pagliarini in the bottom of the third. After Curtis Washington Jr. worked a two-out walk, Pagliarini sent the first pitch he saw, left hanging in the top-middle of the zone, out to center field for the two-run shot.

“I saw (Perez in) the at bat earlier, and I saw the kitchen sink. I saw everything he had,” Pagliarini said. “I’m always on heater, so I sat heater, he put it in a good spot, and I was able to take a good swing on him.”

The Canadians opened the scoring in the top of the frame when Carter Cunningham scored from third as Hayden Gilliland hit into a double play. After Pagliarini made it 2-1, Eddie Micheletti Jr. tied it 2-2 for Vancouver with a solo homer in the top of the fourth.

Gilliland gave Vancouver the lead back in the fifth after floating a ball to left field with runners on second and third. AquaSox outfielder Carson Jones barely mistimed what would have been a difficult catch, and both runners scored as the ball bounced in front of Jones to make it 4-2.

“It was 50-50. I just wanted to be aggressive, give it as much effort as I could to catch the ball,” Jones said.

Tai Peete displayed his skills on the base paths following his leadoff walk in the fifth, stealing second before baiting a putout attempt that rolled into the outfield and allowed him to take third. Washington Jr. and Pagliarini subsequently worked walks to load the bases with two outs, but Colt Emerson struck out to end the inning.

It was a similar story in the sixth, with Luis Suisbel and Peete getting on base via walks before Brandon Eike grounded into an inning-ending force out.

Jordan Jackson took the mound in the seventh, where the Canadians hammered him for five earned runs in just 0.2 innings. Washington Jr. had a couple miscues in the outfield, first letting a ball bounce behind him off his glove on a base hit, then running out from underneath a fly ball against the wall. Vancouver scored runs on both instances.

“Sometimes the game speeds up on them at this level,” Nieves said. “It’s just a mistake that is very rare, but we got to stay locked in in these types of situations.”

AquaSox debutante Natanael Garabitos stopped the bleeding with a strikeout, but not before Vancouver had a sizable lead. The 24-year-old Dominican Republic native allowed one hit and one walk in 1.1 innings.

“We got hit around,” Nieves said about the seventh inning. “They put some good ABs together. There’s nothing you can do in that moment, they just put the ball in play. They’re hitting it hard, and it’s just like trying to limit the damage, but we couldn’t there.”

The only other hit for Everett aside from Pagliarini’s homer in the third was Jones’ single to lead off the seventh.

“I’m just trying to get the line moving, you know,” Jones said. “Little things turn into big things. I was just trying to put together a good at bat, hand it off to (Washington Jr.) and then the top of the order, so that’s really the mindset there. Tough situation, but you just got to keep grinding.”

Everett loaded the bases once again in the seventh with Jones’ single and walks from Pagliarini and Freuddy Batista, but Suisbel popped up to first with two outs to end the rally before any runs could score.

The game fizzled out in the eighth and ninth. Cunningham led off the top of the eighth with a walk, and Nick Goodwin grounded into a double play. The next 10 batters between both teams were retired, ending with a Pagliarini fly out.

“We’re big on dominating the zone,” Pagliarini said. “So we’re basically swinging at our pitches and taking balls, and we were able to work some counts tonight. When you work walks, you’re able to do a lot of damage that way, and it didn’t fall tonight, but there’s always tomorrow.”