KEIZER, Ore. — The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes have been looking in their rearview mirror, and ever since Wednesday have seen the Everett AquaSox getting bigger and bigger behind them.
Tyson Gillies’s sacrifice fly to deep center field in the top of the eighth inning scored Nate Tenbrink with the eventual winning run as the Frogs edged Salem-Keizer, 5-4, in front of 2,857 fans at Volcanoes Stadium Saturday night.
With their fourth consecutive victory, the AquaSox (15-17) closed to within one game of first-place Salem-Keizer (16-16) in the Northwest League’s West Division.
The Frogs gained four games in the standings on S-K in four days, and it was the first time Everett has swept the Volcanoes in Keizer, Ore., since 2004.
Trailing 4-1 in the seventh inning, Everett evened things up with one swing of the bat. Gillies led off with a looping single to short left field. Anthony Phillips’s twisting fly ball down the right field glanced off Damon Wright’s glove for a double, putting runners at second and third with nobody out. After Bennett Billingsley and Luis Nunez went down on strikes, a walk to Kevin Reynolds set the stage for first baseman Brandon Fromm, who smashed a triple off the center field fence, clearing the bases to knot the score at 4.
With the scoreless game moving along at a lightning pace, things broke down for Everett starting pitcher Ryan Feierabend in the bottom of the fourth inning. The lefthanded Feierabend, completing his two-game rehabilitation assignment with Everett, yielded a leadoff home run to second baseman Ryan Lormand, who crushed a line drive over the left field wall for his first home run of the season to give S-K a 1-0 lead.
After designated hitter Francisco Peguero singled to right, Jose Flores doubled down the left field line to score Peguero and make it 2-0. Brooks Lindsley and Wright followed with hits and the Frogs were quickly down 4-0.
The AquaSox responded quickly with a run in the top of the fifth. Wellington Dotel led off with an infield single. After advancing to second on a Lormand error, Gillies cracked a single up the middle to plate Dotel and put Everett on the board.
Marquis Pettis (1-0) got the victory for the Frogs after pitching two strong innings in setup relief and Doug Salinas closed it out in the ninth for his second save.
Right-handed starter Andrew Richard threw five solid innings for the Salem-Keizer, allowing only one unearned run while scattering six hits for a no-decision.
The Frogs travel to Boise to begin a five-game series against the Hawks today before returning home Friday to face the formidable Spokane Indians.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
