Hillsboro, Ore. — The Everett AquaSox scored five runs in the final two innings to overcome a four-run deficit and beat the Hillsboro Hops 8-7 on Tuesday at Hillsboro Ballpark.
Calvin Schapira (1-0) earned his first win of the season by pitching a scoreless eighth in the Northwest League game. Natanael Garabitos closed it out in the ninth, striking out two Hillsboro batters to earn his second save.
Trailing 7-3 after seven innings, the AquaSox (16-27 second half, 53-56 overall) opened the eighth with three straight hits against Hops reliever Joangel Gonzalez. Charlie Pagliarini doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a single by Josh Caron, who finished the evening 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs. Anthony Donofrio doubled, then moved to third as Caron scored on Gonzalez’s wild pitch to close the gap to 7-5.
Milkar Perez (2-for-4, RBI) grounded out to first, allowing Donofrio to come home to pull the Frogs within a run. Carter Dorighi (2-for-3, RBI) doubled, but was stranded when Jonny Farmelo struck out swinging for the third out.
In the top of the ninth, AquaSox left fielder Tai Peete reached on an error by Hops first baseman Modeifi Marte, and stole second. After a Luis Suisbel strikeout and a Pagliarini groundout, Caron came through again with a game-tying, line-drive double to drive in Peete and knot the score at 7-7.
After Caron stole third, he came home on a wild pitch from closer Carlos Rey (1-5), who took the loss after blowing his fifth save of the season in the eighth. Brandon Eike struck out for the third time of the game, but the Frogs took an 8-7 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
Kenny Castillo greeted Garabitos with a single, but the AquaSox reliever earned the save by inducing a flyout and striking out the final two Hillboro batters.
Ryan Hawks started on the mound for Everett, giving up 10 hits and five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. The 2023 eighth-round pick out of Louisville struck out eight and walked none. The Hops tacked on their final two runs in the bottom of the seventh against AquaSox reliever Jose Geraldo (1 2/3 innings, one hit, four walks, one strikeout).
Former Frog Ashton Izzi, who was part of the trade that sent Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners, got the start for the Hops, giving up two earned runs across four innings.
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