EVERETT – The drought continues.
After digging themselves an imposing six-run hole early on, the Everett AquaSox extended their season-long losing streak to six Sunday in a Northwest League game at Everett Memorial Stadium. The Eugene Emeralds drilled six extra-base hits off Everett starter Nick Allen in the first two innings and 3,697 fans watched the AquaSox fall 10-3.
The loss dropped Everett to 15-18 and last place in the four-team West Division.
”Baseball is a game of momentum,” Everett manager Pedro Grifol said after the game. ”Momentum is hard to get, hard to maintain, especially at this level. We don’t have any right now.”
Eugene (16-17) led 6-0 after its first two at-bats. Emeralds first baseman Daryl Jones was 2-for-5, including a solo home run in his team’s five-run second inning.
”It’s always great to have a big inning,” Jones said, ”and we won the ballgame. That’s the most important thing.”
Jones, Chase Headley, Nick Hundley, Brian Cavanaugh and Santiago Guerrero had two hits apiece for Eugene. All but Cavanaugh had an extra-base hit.
The Emeralds took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Cavanaugh’s line-drive single to right field off Allen (4-1) drove in Mike Sansoe, who began the game with a double off the center field wall.
Then Eugene’s onslaught hit high gear. The Emeralds cranked out five extra-base hits in the second inning and chased Allen, who recorded just five outs. Allen entered the game undefeated and seeking his league-leading fifth victory. Instead, his 2.92 earned-run average took a beating.
”Nick has been throwing the ball great for us all year,” Grifol said of Allen, who allowed six runs on eight hits. ”He had a bad game. That’s part of baseball. He’ll get the ball five days from now and (try again).”
Catcher J.B. Tucker’s fourth home run of the season got Everett within 6-1 in the bottom of the second. Despite allowing two subsequent hits in the inning (singles by Daniel Santin and David Hall), Eugene starting pitcher Josh Geer (1-1) smothered the attempted rally when Santin was caught in an inning-ending rundown.
Everett’s other runs came on a solo homer by Casey Craig in the sixth inning and Luis Valbuena’s RBI single in the eighth.
Craig was 2-for-4 and scored twice, busting out of his recent slump. The outfielder entered the game hitless in his last four games (0-for-17). Tucker and Hall also had two hits for the Frogs, who continue their three-game series against Eugene today at Everett Memorial. Left-handed starting pitcher Justin Thomas (1-3, 4.40 earned-run average) will try to get Everett back on track.
”We need a quality start, period,” Grifol said. ”We need somebody to take the bull by the horns.”
Lately, that bull has gored the Frogs.
Pitcher Lance Beus performed well in relief for Everett. Consistently tossing first-pitch strikes, the 6-foot left-hander retired six of the first seven batters he faced and allowed just one run in 41/3 innings. The Idaho native completed 21/3 scoreless innings before surrendering a run in the top of the fifth.
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