VANCOUVER, B.C. – The offensive woes continue for the Everett AquaSox.
Everett’s bats proved impotent again Friday afternoon as the AquaSox fell 6-2 to the Vancouver Canadians in Northwest League play.
Everett snapped its string of 172/3 scoreless innings, but managed little else. The AquaSox managed just eight hits in the game – three by catcher Adam Moore – and Everett scored just four runs in the three-game series.
Vancouver (13-6) took two of three from Everett (10-9). The AquaSox return home today to begin a three-game series against Eugene.
Vancouver starting pitcher T.J. Franco (1-0) shut the AquaSox down whenever they threatened to score. He tossed six scoreless innings. He gave up five hits and one walk, striking out none. Everett scored lone runs against relievers Shane Presutti and Branden Dewing.
Sam Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead Vancouver’s offense.
Everett starter Doug Fister (1-2) lasted five innings. He gave up two runs – one earned – on three hits and a walk. He struck out one.
Moore finished 3-for-4, and Jair Fernandez and Bryan Sabatella drove in runs for Everett.
Vancouver used a little help from Everett’s defense to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. After Greg Dowling led off with a single the Sox committed back-to-back errors – second baseman Chris Minaker threw a potential double-play grounder away, then Fister dropped a sacrifice-bunt attempt – to load the bases. Larry Cobb’s single drove in the first run and Michael Affronti’s groundout to third scored the second.
Vancouver made it 3-0 in the sixth. Affronti led off with a double to left, moved to third on Jermaine Mitchell’s infield single and scored on Jake Smith’s sacrifice fly.
Everett finally broke its scoreless string in the seventh as Vancouver’s defense gave one back. With two out and nobody on, Jose Graterol grounded to third baseman Wilber Perez, who threw the ball into the Everett dugout for a two-base error. Fernandez followed by blasting a line drive off the left-field wall, scoring Graterol and making it 3-1.
But Vancouver put it out of reach in the eighth. Reliever Ari Kafka walked the bases loaded before giving up an RBI single to Casey Myers. Jose Suriel relieved Kafka and after getting the second out of the inning, gave up a Hernandez line drive to left that went off diving left fielder Kuo Hui Lo’s glove for a two-run double, making it 6-1.
Everett got a consolation run in the ninth, Moore leading off with a double and later scoring on Sabatella’s RBI single.
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