June 1, 2023 – Northwest League (NWL) – Eugene Emeralds News Release
The Emeralds dominated game 2 against the Canadians and took it by a final score of 8-1. The Emeralds now have tied the series up at 1 game a piece and sit just 1.5 games out of first place in the Northwest League.
If you were expecting a normal start to the ballgame tonight, you would have been severely disappointed. On the first pitch Grant McCray dropped a perfect bunt to reach first. Grant Howell on the 2nd pitch of the ballgame dropped another perfect bunt to give the Emeralds two base runners to start things out. Victor Bericoto followed it up with an infield hit of his own and before you could blink the Emeralds had the bases loaded with nobody out. Logan Wyatt hit into an unfortunate double play and the lead runner as well as Wyatt were called out. With 2 outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Adam Macko committed a Balk that sent Carter Howell home to give the Emeralds their first base runner of the game.
After that first inning things slowed down all the way until the 7th. The starter for the Emeralds tonight, Carson Whisenhunt, was as close to flawless as you can get. He went 5 strong innings allowing just 1 hit, no walks and struck out 7 consecutive batters at one point. Whisenhunt continues to dominate here with the Emeralds, and after making his Northwest League debut here in Vancouver a month ago, he showed why he’s quickly climbing up prospect rankings tonight. He went 5 innings which qualified him for the win and gave him his first career win as a Eugene Emerald. It was just another night of dominance for Whisenhunt tonight.
Jose Cruz came in for relief of Whisenhunt and pitched two hitless innings and struck out 4 batters. The bullpen was dominant the entire night. The Emeralds tacked on their 2nd run of the ballgame in the top of the 7th inning after Victor Bericoto hit a Sac-Fly to center field and scored Grant McCray. The Emeralds had been racking up the hits up until that point but only had the 2 runs to show for it. That would all change in the 8th inning.
The Emeralds had a huge 8th inning, putting up 8 runs and really opening the ballgame up. Aeverson Arteaga singled to get things going, and Ghordy Santos walked after him. Max Wright stepped into the box and got hit by a pitch to load up the bases with just 1 out. Edison Mora stepped into the box and got walked on just 4 pitches to walk in a run. Grant McCray followed him up with a 4 pitch walk of his own and before you knew it the Emeralds had a 4-0 lead.
That brought up Carter Howell to the dish with the bases loaded and just 1 out. Howell made his Emeralds debut last night and recorded a hit. Heading into this plate appearance he was 3 for 4 with 2 singles as well as a double. After battling at the dish, he was able to connect with a baseball and rope it down the right field line for a fair ball. The ball rolled all the way into the corner and all 3 base runners were able to score and Howell showed off his speed and turned it into a triple. It was his first RBI’s as an Emerald and he was able to deliver in a big moment of the ballgame.
The next batter Victor Bericoto hit into a groundout that scored Howell and gave the Ems their 8th run of the ballgame. The Canadians hadn’t been shutout all year and in the 8th inning they were able to score a run after former Oregon Duck Josh Kasevich hit a Sac-Fly to give Vancouver their lone run of the evening.
In the 9th inning Tyler Myrick came into pitch and allowed just 1 hit and struck out a batter to close things out for Eugene and give them the 8-1 victory. It was one of the more complete games all around for Eugene this season, as they put up 8 runs on 13 hits and allowed just 3 hits all night. It was a big game for them as they had dropped 4 straight games and were slowly slipping down the standings. But this game catapults them back into the race and puts them just a game and a half out of first place. Vancouver and Spokane both are currently tied for 1st. The Emeralds will have a chance to close that gap even more tomorrow night with Eric Silva on the bump against Vancouver. First pitch is set for 7:05 P.M.
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