Opponent: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
When: 4:05 p.m.
Where: Everett Memorial Stadium
Radio: KRKO (1380 AM)
Pitchers: Everett left-hander Justin Thomas (1-1, 4.15 earned-run average) vs. right-hander Sergio Romo (1-0, 0.77)
Frogs bats heating up
In his two-plus years as manager of the Everett AquaSox, Pedro Grifol has learned you never know what you’re going to get.
So when his Frogs piled up hit after hit and run after run earlier this week in a breakthrough five-game road series against the Boise Hawks, Grifol was pleasantly surprised.
Grifol said he and the Everett coaching staff do all they can to prepare the young players for success. Sometimes everything comes together, as it did when Everett scored 43 runs and batted .356 while taking four of five games against Boise.
One key to the surge, Grifol said, has been a burning desire to stay in the lineup.
“There’s a lot of competition on this club,” he said. “The guys want to play and they’re battling for playing time. They’re giving us some quality at-bats.”
Everett’s offensive output against Boise put it atop the Northwest League in several offensive categories, including batting average (.272), runs (107) and hits (172). The Frogs also lead the league in walks (87) and stolen bases (29).
Outfielder Casey Craig was 7-for-14 in the Boise series, boosting his season batting average to .358, the fourth-best mark in the league. He also scored seven runs in the series, giving him a league-leading 17 for the season.
Wu injured: Catcher/first baseman Chao Wu is out indefinitely after he dislocated his elbow Thursday against Boise. Wu, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound player from Taiwan, hurt the elbow when he collided with a Boise baserunner. Grifol said Wu will see a doctor in Seattle on Monday. Wu was batting .217 and drew seven walks in eight games.
Roster moves: Two new players joined the AquaSox this weekend, They are Adam Brandt and Jeff Gilmore, both pitchers. Brandt is a 6-2, 230-pound left-hander who came from Tacoma and played for Everett last season.
Groovy, baby: The AquaSox wore their multi-colored Frogstock uniforms on Saturday for the first time this season. As part of the festivities, the first 1,000 kids age 14 and under received a commemorative tie-dye baseball – sure to turn heads at local sandlot games throughout the summer.
Mike Cane, Herald writer
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