EVERETT – The Everett AquaSox received a first-hand look at a major leaguer at the start of Monday night’s game.
Then they got a major-league performance from one of their own.
Edward Paredes threw six strong innings in relief of Seattle Mariners pitcher Mark Lowe, and the AquaSox broke out of their funk by beating the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 5-1 at Everett Memorial Stadium.
With the victory Everett (10-11) snapped its six-game losing streak just in time for its upcoming six-game road trip.
“At this stage any win was going to be very important for us,” said Everett reliever Brandon McKearney, the Meadowdale High School graduate who threw two perfect innings to earn his second save of the season. “And to leave here on a good note is always good.”
The loss also snapped Salem-Keizer’s eight-game winning streak. The West Division-leading Volcanoes are now 17-4.
Perhaps the Sox had a little bit of the majors rub off on them. It began when Lowe took the mound in the first and tossed a perfect inning as he continues to rehabilitate his arm following offseason elbow surgery (see story at left).
Then Paredes followed suit. The left-hander allowed hits to two of the first three batters he faced, then didn’t give up a hit the rest of the night. He walked four and struck out six to improve to 3-0.
It was a welcome return to form for Paredes. After being lights out in his first three starts, he struggled last Wednesday when he lasted just two innings. But he was back to his usual self Monday.
“Lowe got us started tonight,” Everett manager Mike Tosar said. “Then Paredes came in and didn’t give in.
“That’s great to see from a young kid, being able to bounce back and learn from his last outing,” Tosar added about Paredes. “That’s what it’s about, it’s a learning process and he’s got the stuff to go out there and compete every night.”
Offensively the Sox were led by Kalian Sams, who rattled the fence with a pair of RBI doubles, and Gregory Halman, who hit his team-leading fifth home run of the season. Each of those hits came with runners in scoring position, a situation Everett struggled with in the first two games of the series.
“Sometimes you need those hits and we got them today,” Sams said. “Hopefully we can keep doing the same thing.
“Today we played perfect,” Sams added. “We had pitching, we had defense, we had situational hitting. We did everything right today and you can see we won a ballgame.”
Kris Sanchez and Jeff Dunbar each added two hits for Everett, which heads to Eugene following today’s off day.
Shane VanElderen and Andrew Davis were the only two batters with hits for Salem-Keizer.
Salem-Keizer starter Ryan McGrath took the loss, giving up three runs on six hits in 42/3 innings. He walked none and struck out three.
Salem-Keizer opened the scoring in the top of the second immediately after Paredes replaced Lowe. With one out VanElderen and Davis grounded back-to-back doubles down the third-base line, giving the Volcanoes a 1-0 lead, but that was it for Salem-Keizer.
McGrath was strong early, setting the Sox down in order in each of the first three innings. But Everett finally got to McGrath in the fourth as the first five Everett batters in the fourth hit the ball hard. However, a line drive double play helped limit the Sox to Sams’ RBI double off the left-center wall that tied it up at 1-1.
The Sox then took the lead in the fifth, Halman powering a line drive over the center-field fence, the two-run shot gave Everett a 3-1 lead.
Everett made the lead secure in the eighth. Sams smacked a liner off the left-center wall again for his second RBI double of the game, then Welington Dotel’s groundout brought home another to complete the scoring.
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