EVERETT — Jose Flores’ infield single in the top of the 10th inning drove in the go-ahead run, and the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes defeated the Everett AquaSox 2-1 Wednesday night.
On a wet and chilly evening at Everett Memorial Stadium that lasted well past 11 p.m. — thanks in part to a 1-hour, 18-minute rain delay at the start of the game — Flores grounded a ball up the middle that Everett shortstop Anthony Phillips gloved but couldn’t make a play on, allowing Pepe Frias to score from third.
Flores finished the game 4-for-5 to lead Salem-Keizer (33-29), which snapped a three-game losing streak.
Four Salem-Keizer pitchers combined to limit the Sox to three hits and strike out 20. Justin Fitzgerald earned the win by getting the final five outs.
Luis Nunez doubled twice and drove in Everett’s lone run to lead the Sox (27-35), who suffered a blow in their attempt to catch the Volcanoes. Everett now trails Salem-Keizer, the leader in the Northwest League’s West Division, by six games with 14 remaining.
After four innings during which the pitchers dominated, Everett finally found the breakthrough in the fifth. With one out Welington Dotel was hit by a pitch and stole second. Then Luis Nunez followed by lacing a double into the left-field corner. Dotel scored easily and the Sox led 1-0.
Salem-Keizer had chances to score, but couldn’t capitalize. In the fifth the Volcanoes left the bases loaded, and in the seventh Salem-Keizer had a runner gunned down at the plate.
But the Volcanoes did tie it up in the eighth. With one out Frias lined a ball off the odd angle in the right-field fence, the ball bouncing into the corner and allowing Frias to get a triple. Conor Gillaspie followed by grounding a single through a drawn-in infield, and the score was tied 1-1.
Everett starting pitcher Kenn Kasparek only threw three innings, but what a three innings those turned out to be. The right-hander struck out seven of the 10 batters he faced, and the only baserunner he allowed was on Casey Bond’s bunt single.
Salem-Keizer starter Andy Reichard was just as effective as Kasparek when it came to missing bats. In five innings the righty fanned 11, including five straight between the first and second innings, and gave up just one hit, Nunez’s RBI double.
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