EUGENE — The Everett Aqua Sox and Eugene Emeralds played punch and counterpunch Monday at Civic Stadium.
Unfortunately for the AquaSox, Eugene got in the most blows.
The Ems capitalized on back-to-back singles to start the bottom of the seventh inning to score the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in a 4-3 Northwest League victory.
Jason Hagerty also drove in what would turn out to be a critical insurance run in the seventh for Eugene (4-6), which won its third straight game. Everett fell to 5-5.
Everett reliever Christian Staehely (0-1), who uncorked the wild pitch, surrendered three runs in 11/3 innings and absorbed the loss.
The AquaSox pulled within one in the eighth, when Juan Fuentes led off with a double, took third on a passed ball and scored on an infield single by Welington Dotel.
The Frogs also advanced runners to second and third with one out, but Eugene reliever David Erickson retired Anthony Phillips on a groundout and put down the side in order in the ninth to earn his third save.
After falling behing in the bottom of the sixth, the AquaSox came right back to tie the score in the top of the seventh. Blake Trinkler led off with a single to right and went all the way to third when Eugene second baseman Brayden Drake dropped the throw at first on Phillips’ sacrifice bunt. Trinkler scored on an infield hit by Mario Martinez. But Eugene prevented any further damage with a double play and a strikeout.
Eugene broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth. Vincent Belnome greeted Staehely with a leadoff double. Belnome moved to third on a groundout and scored the tiebreaking run on Matt Vern’s clutch, two-out single to left.
Sox starter Taylor Stanton limited the Emeralds to one run on three hits over the first five innings. He walked two and struck out four.
The AquaSox squandered a scoring opportunity in the top of the fourth inning. Mario Martinez led off with a triple off the wall in center. Eugene brought the infield in, and the strategy paid off in back-to-back groundouts to shortstop.
Then, after Dotel was hit by a pitch, Ryan Royster struck out, stranding Martinez.
Everett tried to return the favor in the bottom of the fourth after a leadoff double by Drake. With one out, Drake was awarded third on a balk and the Sox brought in their infield. Belnome was hit by a pitch, setting up a potential inning-ending double play. But the Emeralds’ Nathan Freiman foiled the Frogs, dropping an RBI single in between second baseman Ben Billingsley and Dotel in right to drive in Drake with the tying run.
Everett got on the scoreboard early. Phillips led off the game with a single to right field and was bunted to second base by Jose Rivero. Martinez followed with an RBI double off the wall in left.
It was the ninth time in 10 games in which the AquaSox have scored first.
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