PASCO — The Tri-City Dust Devils had no solution for Tony Butler. However, they found their way against the Everett AquaSox’s bullpen.
Tri-City waited out Everett’s starting pitcher, scoring all six of their runs against Sox relievers as the Dust Devils topped Everett 6-4 Saturday night.
Butler, making his comeback with the Seattle Mariners organization after being traded to Baltimore in 2008, was nearly perfect. The tall left-hander allowed just one hit and one walk in five scoreless innings, striking out five as he departed with a 2-0 lead.
However, Everett’s bullpen couldn’t hold the lead as Tri-City surged ahead immediately after Butler departed, scoring four in the sixth and one each in the seventh and eighth.
Dominic Altobelli led the way for Tri-City (1-1), going 2-for-3 with a home run. Ching Lung Lo earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief, and Isaiah Froneberger pitched out of trouble in the ninth to pick up the save.
Jabari Blash had three hits, including Everett’s first home of the season, to lead the Sox (1-1).
It was all going Everett’s way early in the game. The Sox opened the scoring in the top of the first, taking advantage of wildness from Tri-City starter Vianney Mayo to go ahead 1-0 on Blash’s RBI single to left.
The Sox then doubled their lead in the third. With Jetsy Extrano on third and the infield drawn in, James Wood hit a chopper to second. Altobelli threw home, but Extrano beat the throw to make it 2-0.
But after Butler departed, the Dust Devils jumped all over reliever Jason Buursma in the sixth. Buursma faced six batters without recording an out, allowing four hits and two walks. Tyler Massey and Jared Simon both had RBI singles, and in between Leo Reyes drew a bases-loaded walk. Bryan Leigh relieved Buursma and immediately rolled a double play to ease the pressure, but another run scored in the process as Tri-City took a 4-2 lead.
Tri-City tacked on another run in the seventh when Altobelli smacked a solo home run to left that just cleared the fence, upping the lead to 5-2.
Everett got that run back in the eighth when Blash belted a long homer to left-center to make it 5-3. But the Dust Devils restored their three-run advantage in the bottom of the eighth, Ryan Casteel scoring on a groundout.
Everett tried to mount a comeback in the ninth, with Extrano’s sacrifice fly cutting the deficit to two, but that’s all the Sox could manage.
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