EVERETT— On Saturday, the AquaSox didn’t run out of heart or talent.
They simply ran out of pitchers.
Cash Gladfelter, a position player, entered the game in the sixth inning with the game tied due to no one else being available in Everett’s bullpen, and Tri-City (2-3) eventually pummelled the AquaSox (3-2), 11-4, at Funko Field at Everett Memorial Stadium.
“It’s always tough to have position players on the mound,” AquaSox manager Louis Boyd said. “We dealt with some injuries, but it is what it is. Offensively, our guys were still taking good at-bats and trying to get better, that’s what this whole thing is about. But you don’t have much controlled when
Gladfelter entered the game sporting a wide smile, aware of the ridiculous nature of his entrance into the game, and obtained the first two outs of the inning on a pair of pop outs. But the wheels fell off soon after that, with Kelvin Alarcon poking a single to left and Reinaldo Illarraza pouncing on a two-run homer to right field.
Gladfelter stranded a pair of baserunners in the seventh, but the rout was on after that.
Sean Guilbe launched a leadoff homer off catcher Juan Camacho in the eighth, Jordy Barley ambushed his second homer of the night to right field and Kelvin Melean chipped in a RBI double to spot Tri-City a 10-4 lead.
Barley singled in another run off third baseman Luis Joseph to build the lead to 11-4.
How does something like that happen like that, anyway?
The AquaSo possessed four available pitchers on their staff tonight: Brandon Williamson, Juan Mercedes, Garrett Westberg and Fred Villarreal.
Williamson, the Mariners’ second-round pick and on a strict pitch count after a heavy college workload, pitched his expected two innings and dazzled doing so, striking out five of the seven hitters he faced.
The Mariners’ second-round pick hasn’t allowed an earned run over 6.1 innings this season.
But Mercedes lasted only two innings, allowing three runs on four hits, and didn’t come out for the fifth due to an injury.
“Especially when a piggyback was gets hurt, it hurts you for innings,” Boyd said.
Westberg entered the game in the fifth, allowed one run on two hits, but didn’t finish his first batter faced in the sixth and left the game with an injury.
Normally, Villareal would have been active in the AquaSox bullpen, but he was deemed unavaible right up to game time due after some complications on his flight back from Arizona after spending three games with the Mariners’ Arizona Rookie League team in Peoria, Arizona.
No more pitchers left, it was up to Gladfelter to hold the lead, who was ejected earlier this year for plunking a batter in a lost game.
Guess pitching is on hold for a while now https://t.co/PwK1YzPudu
— Cash Gladfelter (@CashGlad12) July 7, 2019
The AquaSox jumped out to an early lead after Cade Marlowe drilled a RBI triple off the left-center field wall and was lated plated on Carter Bins’ RBI groundout.
But that lead wouldn’t last long, as Barley doubled to left field with two outs, Matthew Acosta brought him in with a RBI single and Acosta was doubled home on Kelvin Alacon’s base hit down the left-field line.
Alacon homered to right field in the fourth and Barley homered in the fifth to put the Dust Devils up 4-1.
The AquaSox battled back and tied the game in the fifth on DeAires Moses’ two-run homer and Connor Hoover’s homer.
After Spokane’s win against Vancovuer, the Indians are tied with the AquaSox for first in the Northwest League North second half division standings at 3-2.
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