EVERETT – Adam Cowart hasn’t needed much help from his offense this season. One run is pretty much all the Salem-Keizer pitcher has needed to work with.
So if the Volcanoes offense erupts in the early innings of a Cowart start, it’s safe for the fans to head to the exits. The final outcome is all but certain.
Cowart continued his dominating ways, throwing six scoreless innings, and his offense provided all the support he needed in the first two innings as the Volcanoes blew out the Everett AquaSox 9-0 Tuesday night at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Mike McBryde and Brett Pill homered for Salem-Keizer, which scored all its runs in the first two frames. That was surplus requirements for Cowart, who easily has been the most effective pitcher in the Northwest League.
“He’s got good movement on his pitches, he throws strikes and has a good idea of what he’s doing,” Everett manager Dave Myers said. “You just have to look at the numbers, we’re not the only team he’s done this to. We haven’t been able to figure him out.”
Cowart doesn’t give the appearance of pitcher who would have high school ball players overmatched, let alone the Northwest League. He’s anything but overpowering, with a fastball that tops out in the mid-80s.
However, with a funky crouching stretch position and a deceptive sidearm delivery, Cowart mesmerizes the opposition. Coming into the game he’d given up just two earned runs in 50 innings for a microscopic 0.36 earned run average.
Tuesday night he was even better. The right-hander gave up just two hits in his six innings, neither of which traveled further than 80 feet. He retired the first seven batters he faced, as well as the final 10. Eight of his outs came on the ground and seven came by strikeout. He remained perfect at 7-0.
“I felt good out there today,” Cowart said. “I woke up and didn’t feel good, I think I’m coming down with the flu or something. So I was just trying to say focused on controlling my pitches and doing what I do.”
Cowart isn’t considered a top major-league prospect. The Kansas State University product wasn’t selected until San Francisco called his name the 35th round of this year’s draft, and despite his numbers there’s little buzz surrounding him.
But the only AquaSox batters who reached base against him Tuesday were Ogui Diaz and Kevin Reynolds, both of whom beat out infield singles in the third inning.
“It’s been a big surprise,” Cowart said about the level of his success. “I just come out here every day, work hard and keep doing what I’m doing. I have a great defense behind me and I try to let them work because I know they’ll get the job done.”
Reynolds went 2-for-4 and was the only player to register more than one hit for Everett (24-25), which had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Pill finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and McBryde also drove in three runs for Salem-Keizer (32-17), which now leads Everett by eight games in the West Division.
The game proved a disaster for AquaSox starting pitcher Ricky Orta. Orta (2-3) had been solid since moving into the rotation in mid-July. However, he didn’t fool anyone Tuesday. Orta only retired one of the seven batters he faced. The other six all hit the ball on a line, with McBryde’s three-run homer to center completing the carnage. As a result, Salem-Keizer led 6-0 before Everett even reached the plate.
The Volcanoes continued the bloodbath against reliever Drew Fiorenza in the second, scoring three more runs. Pill’s two-run homer was the biggest blow as the Volcanoes went ahead 9-0.
The way Cowart was pitching, that was an impossible deficit to overcome.
“It doesn’t matter who you’re facing, if you give up six runs in the first you’ve got an awful big hill to climb,” Myers said. “When you go down 9-0 after two, you’re asking a lot of your offense against anybody.”
The lone bright spot for Everett was the performance of left-hander Jose Suriel, who was impressive during three scoreless innings of relief.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
