EVERETT – Wednesday night’s Northwest League game at Everett Memorial Stadium came down to control. The Yakima Bears’ pitchers had it, the Everett AquaSox’s pitchers didn’t.
Yakima took full advantage when Everett’s control faltered, and the Bears defeated the AquaSox 8-2.
Both teams had a modest number of hits – eight for Yakima, six for Everett. The difference came from the free passes. Everett’s pitchers issued six walks and hit another two batters, while Yakima’s pitchers had only one walk and one hit batter.
And every one of those free passes proved costly to the Sox. Seven of Yakima’s eight runs were scored by batters who reached base either by walk or being hit.
“Walks are going to score, that’s the way it works here,” Everett manager Mike Tosar said. “When you walk guys, they usually end up scoring runs. Then when you give up free passes like that you get your pitch count up, you get in jams and you try to make the perfect pitch instead of attacking the zone and letting the defense work.”
Everett starter Juan Ramirez epitomized Everett’s malaise. The 18-year-old right-hander from Nicaragua showed both electric stuff and the occasional inability to harness it. He was regularly clocked in the mid-90s and struck out seven in his 51/3 innings. However, he also walked three and hit a batter. All four of those runners eventually scored. He surrendered just three hits in the process of surrendering his four runs, taking the loss.
The only Everett pitcher who didn’t walk anyone was Brandon McKerney, the Meadowdale High School graduate who was making his professional debut. McKerney, a right-handed reliever, entered the game in the eighth inning and closed out the game for the Sox. In two innings, he gave up one unearned run on two hits. He struck out one.
While Everett’s pitchers had momentary lapses of control, Yakima’s pitchers were in command throughout. Starter Dan Fournier turned in a solid effort. Working at a fast pace the right-hander tossed six solid innings, giving up two runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out four.
Chase Christianson then earned the save with three scoreless innings of relief. He struck out the final six Everett batters of the game.
“We didn’t swing the bats well today,” Tosar said. “We swung at some balls out of the zone and at some breaking pitches early in the count that we shouldn’t have.”
Clayton Conner and Ramon Ramirez each had two hits and Joel Melendez scored three runs for Yakima (1-1).
Ogui Diaz was the only player with multiple hits for Everett (1-1), going 2-for-3.
Ramirez’s control got him in trouble in the top of the first as a walk, hit batter and uncontested stolen bases because of a pitch to the backstop gave the Bears runners at second and third with nobody out. Ramirez got a strikeout, a popout and two strikes on Aaron Hanke to come within one pitch of escaping unscathed, but Hanke spoiled that by lacing a two-run double off the right-center wall to give the Bears a 2-0 lead.
Everett tied it back up in the third. With the bases loaded and one out Deybis Benitez hit a tailor-made double-play grounder to second. However, Yakima shortstop Mark Hallberg’s relay throw pulled first baseman Mike Mee off the bag. Danny Santin scored from third and Diaz, hustling all the way, sneaked home from second, knotting it at 2-2.
Ramirez regained his control after the first, but lost it again in the sixth and the Bears again took advantage. Ramirez issued back-to-back walks to Melendez and Hallberg to lead off the inning. The runners then took off and catcher Julian Henson’s throw to third was errant, allowing Melendez to score. Hallberg then came around when Conner singled through a drawn-in infield, making it 4-2.
The Bears tacked on another in the seventh. With runners at the corners and two out, Henson let Marquis Pettis’ pitch slip between his legs for a run-scoring passed ball, making it 5-2.
Yakima added more insurance in the final two innings. Konrad Schmidt’s two-out single up the middle drove in two runs in the eighth, then another run scored in the ninth on Diaz’s throwing error.
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