EVERETT – On a pleasantly warm afternoon when the “SpongeBob SquarePants” theme song was a huge hit with the overwhelmingly youthful crowd, the home team seemed destined to go hitless.
But after failing to solve Spokane Indians pitching for six innings, the Everett AquaSox finally got the icebreaker they needed.
Bryan Sabatella’s leadoff double ignited a game-tying four-run rally in the seventh and Joe White won it with a line-drive single in the bottom of the 10th to launch Everett to a 5-4 triumph over Spokane Tuesday afternoon in a Northwest League game at Everett Memorial Stadium.
The AquaSox won for the fourth straight time in their eye-catching Frogstock tie-dyed uniforms. They treated an announced crowd of 3,274 – mostly youngsters who filled the sun-drenched bleachers on Kid’s Day – to an entertaining finish.
Sabatella’s double got things going for Everett (21-22).
“I think that first hit sort of loosened everybody up,” Everett manager Dave Myers said.
“When Sabatella got the hit it kind of broke the ice and kind of changed the momentum a little bit for us. And we were able to go up there to the plate not pressing as much to get the first hit,” added White, a first baseman.
Everett’s first four hitters in the seventh scored, including the latter three on Leury Bonilla’s three-run home run to left-center field. Bonilla’s fifth homer of the season tied it at 4-4.
Bonilla, Everett’s No. 9 hitter, entered the game with a meager .206 batting average, but his lone hit of the game was timely and highly appreciated.
“He’s got power. He really drives the ball to the opposite field too. He came up big for us today with that home run,” White said.
Neither team scored in the eighth or ninth innings. After Everett reliever Doug Fister (2-4) threw a perfect top of the ninth, White drilled his first game-winning hit since – well, he can’t exactly remember.
“Geez, it’s been awhile,” White, a left-handed hitter, said about his line-drive hit to deep right off Austin Weilep (1-1) that drove in Dean Zorn and ended the game.
Zorn drew a leadoff walk against Weilep before Marcos Villezcas reached on an error. With runners on first and second, White delivered.
“Sometimes in a pressure situation like that I try to do too much, and this time I was just trying to go up there and advance the runners to the next base and stay out of a double play. Fortunately I got a pitch (a fastball over the inside half of the plate) I was able to handle.”
Everett’s victory concluded a five-game series against Spokane (15-28). The Frogs, who took four of five from Spokane, are off today and begin a five-game series at Tri-City on Thursday.
Before Everett’s hitters warmed up, Spokane seemed well on its way to an impressive victory.
Everett starting pitcher Natividad Dilone’s lack of control – two hit batsmen and one walk – helped Spokane take a 1-0 lead in the first, but it could have been much worse for the AquaSox. Spokane tallied just one run – Dilone forced it in with his second walk – and Everett came away in decent shape.
“They made the most of their opportunities, and generally when you’re winning and you’re playing good baseball that’s what you do,” said Spokane manager Mike Micucci, whose team stranded 12 runners.
Spokane’s Nick Cadena hit a two-run home run in the fifth to make it 3-0. The third baseman’s third homer of the year was a high blast to left that appeared to stay fair by just a few feet.
Dilone rebounded from a rough start for Everett. He allowed one run on three hits in four innings with three strikeouts and three walks.
Frogs relievers Steve Richard and Fister combined to strike out six and didn’t surrender a run over the final three innings.
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