EVERETT — The Everett AquaSox got off to a difficult start to the 2018 Northwest League season as they dropped their first three games to the visiting Hillsboro Hops.
Prior to Everett’s fourth game last week Monday, 2-year-old Kinsley Murray wowed the players, coaches and fans with her version of the National Anthem.
The AquaSox haven’t lost since. They lead the North Division first-half standings by two games over Tri-City going into Monday’s series finale against the Dust Devils and are tied with Salem-Keizer for the best record in the league.
Everett is getting it done at the plate. The AquaSox have scored seven or more runs in four of the seven victories and pounded out nine or more hits five times during the seven-game winning streak.
The AquaSox are second in the eight-team league in average (.257), on-base percentage (.340) and leading the league in slugging (.422) and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.762). Everett leads the league with 19 doubles and is tied for second with nine home runs.
A trio of infielders are leading Everett’s offensive charge. Ryne Ogren finished 4-for-4 in Sunday’s 8-5 win and is slashing .500/.565/.778 with four extra-base hits in 18 at-bats. Connor Kopach is slashing .407/.448/.593 with a homer and a pair of doubles in 27 at-bats, and Bobby Honeyman is slashing .368/.429/.474 with a pair of doubles in 19 at-bats.
Everett has also received solid pitching during the winning streak. Starter Jheyson Caraballo has two wins during the seven-game stretch and is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA and a WHIP of 0.82 in 11 innings this season.
Following Monday’s game the Frogs depart for their longest road trip of the season with eight games in nine days before they return home to play host to Vancouver on July 4.
Movin’ on up
Minor league rosters are fluid things, especially this early in the NWL season, and several players who began the season with Everett have already moved on to other levels.
Onil Pena was promoted Friday from Everett to Clinton of the Midwest League. That Pena was assigned to Everett earlier this month was a bit of a surprise as he played in 71 games last year and slashed .270/.369/.465 with 10 home runs and 31 RBI. He is now one of two first basemen for the LumberKings as he joins Ryan Costello who is slashing .280/.372/.525 wtih 13 home runs and 55 RBI in 71 games.
Outfielder Keegan McGovern also made his stay in Everett brief. The ninth-round pick out of Georgia had a pair of doubles in 16 at-bats during four games with Everett before he was promoted to Clinton last Thursday. He has since appeared in four games with the LumberKings and has a home run and four RBI in 12 at-bats.
Catcher Rainis Silva also was called up along with McGovern. He had a pair of doubles in seven at-bats for Everett this season.
Capps looking to resurrect career
Carter Capps threw a scoreless eighth inning for Tri-City Sunday as he walked one and struck out one.
If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Capps is a former Seattle Mariners relief pitcher that was dealt to Miami for first baseman Logan Morrison prior to the 2014 season.
The hard-throwing Capps has battled injury issues and missed all of the 2016 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was traded to San Diego during that 2016 season and posted a 6.57 earned-run average in 11 appearances for the Padres last season before a blood clot ended his season in September.
He has allowed one earned run on four hits in four appearances with the Dust Devils this summer.
For the latest AquaSox news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter.
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