EVERETT — The Everett AquaSox fell to the Eugene Emeralds 8-2 in front of 1,222 fans on Thursday.
The AquaSox led 1-0 after the first inning, scoring the game’s first run. Freuddy Batista was hit by a pitch, and Luis Suisbel singled with two outs, sparking the scoring effort. Josh Caron reached base on a throwing error following Suisbel’s single, allowing Batista to come home and score.
Everett, which won the first half standings race, slipped to 1-5 in the second half of the season and 38-34 overall.
Eugene (4-1, 36-35) knotted the game 1-1 in the top of the fourth. Jonah Cox singled and stole second base to place a runner in scoring position, and Jack Payton capitalized by hitting an RBI single to right field. The tie failed to last long, though, as Everett regained the lead in the bottom half of the frame.
Caron reached base on a throwing error for the second time to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning, and he scampered to third base on a wild pitch. With Caron on third, Tai Peete hit a sacrifice fly to left field, setting the AquaSox ahead 2-1.
The Emeralds blasted their way to a 5-2 advantage in the top of the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, Luke Shliger demolished a grand slam to the homer porch in right field. Shliger’s home run was his second in as many games. AquaSox starting pitcher Ashton Izzi exited following the grand slam, recording six strikeouts during his outing. Bo Davidson brought home Eugene’s fifth run in the top of the fifth, lining an RBI single to right field.
Eugene added two more runs during the top of the seventh inning, extending their lead to 8-2. Scott Bandura hit a leadoff single, and Cox doubled him home for the frame’s first run. Davidson delivered his second RBI single of the night one batter later to cap off the night’s scoring efforts.
The Frogs threatened in the bottom of the eighth inning as Colt Emerson and Batista each singled with one out. However, Everett failed to score across the game’s final five frames, falling for the fourth consecutive game. Defensively, Anthony Donofrio excelled in right field, tallying two outfield assists.
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