EUGENE — The Everett AquaSox and Eugene Emeralds played a sloppy game combining for eight errors Tuesday night at Civic Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
The Emeralds came away with the 10-inning, 4-3 victory when a wild pitch allowed Cole Figueroa to score the game-winning run after Everett reliever Matt Renfree walked the bases loaded.
Unfortunately the game didn’t hold quite as much luster as it could have for Eugene as the Emeralds were eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the night when Salem-Keizer defeated Vancouver 3-0. The Northwest League West Division title is the third straight for the Volcanoes.
Just two of the seven runs scored during the contest were earned, as the two teams combined for eight errors — including three by Everett shortstop Anthony Phillips — negated a second straight sterling effort by starter Aaron Brown.
Brown, fresh off a seven-inning, one-run outing at home last Thursday, went five innings on Tuesday allowing just two unearned runs while striking out five.
Eugene scored its first run in the bottom of the second without the benefit of a hit. Matthew Clark worked a leadoff walk, but Brown coaxed two fly ball outs from the next two hitters. Brown appeared to work out of the jam, but Ryan Hill hit a ground ball that Everett third baseman Jharmidy DeJesus bobbled, then threw into right field to put runners at the corners. DeJesus was charged with two errors on the play and Clark came in to score on a wild pitch.
DeJesus atoned for his mistake in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Welington Dotel doubled — extending his hitting streak to 11 games — and DeJesus followed with an RBI single to tie the score at 1-1.
The Emeralds added another unearned run in the fourth. Everett left fielder Ben Billingsley misplayed a Clark fly ball, allowing Clark to reach second. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI groundout by Blake Tekotte.
Everett took the lead in the top of the sixth when Brandon Fromm was hit by a pitch leading off the inning. Dotel put down a bunt that Clark threw down the right field line for an error, and Fromm and Dotel advanced to third and second, respectively. Fromm came home on a wild pitch and Dotel came home on an RBI groundout by Fleming Baez for the 3-2 lead.
No sooner had Everett taken its first lead of the contest when yet another error — this one by second baseman Luis Nunez — allowed Cole Figueroa to reach first. Figueroa scored on a double by Blake Tekotte to retie the contest.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the 10th inning.
Northwest League MVP Daniel Robertson went 4-for-5 to break the single-season Northwest League record with 114 hits. He was thrown out by Billingsley at the plate representing the potential winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The five errors by Everett tied a season high. Renfree fell to 0-2 on the season.
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