KEIZER, Ore. – Now its official.
The Everett AquaSox lost their third straight game Tuesday, falling to Salem-Keizer 8-4 in a Northwest League game at Volcanoes Stadium.
The loss puts the Frogs 16 games behind the West Division-leading Volcanoes – with 15 games left to play – and mathematically eliminates them from contention.
Salem-Keizer now has a 10-game lead on second-place Eugene, a 7-0 loser to Vancouver Tuesday night, and appears to have a lock on the division title.
One night after getting just three singles in a 4-1 loss to Yakima, AquaSox batters managed eight hits – four for extra bases – but their pitching put them in a hole too big to overcome.
The Volcanoes (44-18) pounded out 13 hits and scored in every inning except the fourth and eighth, with Frogs starter – and Mariners second-round draft pick – Chris Tillman (1-2) and reliever Andrew Fiorenza combining to give up seven runs, all earned, through the first six innings.
Salem-Keizer starter Steven Calicutt (3-1) allowed two runs on six hits in five innings to earn the win. Clayton Tanner added three perfect innings in relief – setting the AquaSox down in order in the sixth, seventh, and eighth – for the Volcanoes.
Everett’s (28-34) biggest offensive output of the game came in the ninth against reliever Eric Stolp. Bryan Sabatella walked to start the frame and Joseph White and Manelik Pimentel hit back-to-back doubles to pull the Frogs to within four at 8-4. Stolp settled in after that, striking out Carlos Peguero and getting Jair Fernandez and Leury Bonilla to groundout to end the game.
Everett second baseman Dean Zorn accounted for the Frogs’ other two extra-base hits with doubles in the fifth and third. Zorn finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
The Frogs are on a six-game road trip against the Northwest League’s two Oregon teams. Everett plays two more games against Salem-Keizer today and Thursday before heading to Eugene for the first of a three-game set against the Emeralds on Friday.
The Volcanoes made it 8-2 in the seventh when shortstop Emmanuel Burriss grounded a single up the middle to score right fielder Tyler Graham from second. Graham was in scoring position courtesy of a two-base throwing error. Sox reliever Air Kafka got two quick outs after entering the game in the seventh before Graham bounced a chopper back to him. Kafka fielded the ball cleanly but threw it past first Pimentel at first.
Burriss was 3-for-4 with an RBI and Graham was 1-for-4 with two runs scored.
With one out in the sixth, Fiorenza hit Volcanoes designated hitter Christopher Todd with a pitch, his second hit batter of the game. Brett Pill followed with a line-drive single to left field to put runners at first and second for Adam Witter, who hit a two-RBI double over the head of Sox center fielder Kevin Reynolds to make it a 7-2 Volcanoes lead.
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