EVERETT — The Everett AquaSox are playing terrific defense so far in the young Northwest League season.
Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canadians was Everett’s fourth straight game without an error and Everett has committed a league-low nine errors in 20 games for a team fielding percentage of .988.
That’s despite a constant stream of numerous players rotating through both the infield and outfield positions.
“Right now I think they’re trying to compete to be in the lineup,” Everett manager Jose Moreno said. “They’re doing the little things to make sure they’re going to be in the lineup every day. I think it’s good to have that type of competition because we don’t know when somebody is going to play and do something to help the team win.”
The North Division-leading Frogs are making the routine plays with the occasional great play intermixed. That was the case Wednesday as center fielder Jansiel Rivera threw out Vancouver’s Jake Brodt at the plate following a two-out single to end the fourth inning.
“I just got a good read on the ball, fielded it well, and I could tell he was just rounding third base,” Rivera said. “So I just said, ‘I’m getting this guy out.’ It was great. We got the out and that’s all that matters.”
Rivera’s perfect throw to catcher Geoandry Montilla preserved a 1-1 tie at the time. It proved a key moment in the contest as Everett ended up winning by a single run.
“It was big,” Rivera said. “It helped the pitcher out and got us out of the inning so it’s a big deal.”
Rivera also got the Everett offense going when he led off the bottom of the second inning with a home run over the center field fence. It was the team-leading fourth homer for the left-handed outfielder.
“It’s a different kind of excitement,” Rivera said. “You get a different feel at the plate. When you get a big hit you hear the crowd cheering for you and that’s a good feeling. But it’s definitely up there with the fielding stuff.”
Rivera is slashing .239/.342/.457 with four homers and seven RBI in 46 at-bats in 17 games. He appeared in 25 games with Everett last season after a midseason call-up from Arizona. He showed flashes of power with a pair of homers last year in 73 at-bats.
“I didn’t get to play as much last year so it’s good to be back,” Rivera said. “I came in from the beginning so we have a good chemistry and it feels real good to be here.”
Everett’s win Wednesday was its third straight. The Frogs previously had a seven-game winning streak snapped prior to their last road trip.
Following Friday’s series finale against Vancouver the Frogs take a brief three-game road trip to Tri-City before beginning a season-long eight-game homestand. Salem-Keizer comes to town next Wednesday for a five-game series before Spokane visits Everett for three.
For the latest AquaSox news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter.
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