PASCO — The Everett AquaSox got their title defense off to a winning start.
Everett opened the 2011 Northwest League season by defeating the Tri-City Dust Devils 5-4 Friday night at Gesa Stadium.
The AquaSox, defending league champions, fell behind early. However, they held the Dust D
evils scoreless during the middle seven innings, then used a five-run outburst in the top of the fifth to kick-start their season.
Everett starting pitcher Stephen Landazuri and relievers Nolan Diaz and Matt Bischoff combined to limit Tri-City to just three singles between the second and eighth innings. Tri-City scored three in the first, then made it interesting by pulling within one in the ninth. However, Bischoff worked out of the jam to preserve the victory.
Landazuri overcame a rocky start to pick up the win. The 19-year-old right-hander allowed three runs on four hits and one walk, striking out four.
Danny Lopez led Everett’s offense by going 4-for-4. Marcus Littlewood and James Wood each drove in two runs as the Sox knocked out 13 hits.
Ryan Casteel went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs to lead Tri-City.
The Dust Devils were all over Landazuri in the bottom of the first. Tri-City loaded the bases on a pair of singles wrapped around a walk. Jordan Ribera’s groundout to short drove home the first run of the season, then Casteel laced a two-run single to center, staking the Dust Devils to an early 3-0 lead.
But Landazuri settled down, retiring the next 11 consecutive batters, and Everett surged ahead in the top of the fifth. Littlewood’s soft liner to left with the bases loaded plated two runs. Then Wood bounced a two-run double just inside the first-base line to give the Sox the lead. A fifth run scored when Wood raced home from second on Jabari Blash’s infield single to third, making it 5-3.
The Sox maintained that lead comfortably until the ninth. Lopez’s error at third gave the Dust Devils runners at the corners with nobody out. Casteel made it 5-4 with a sacrifice fly to center. But Bischoff got the final two outs to shut the door.
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