June 3, 2023 – Northwest League (NWL) – Eugene Emeralds News Release
The Emeralds took game 5 against the Canadians by a final score of 5-3. The Emeralds now move to 26-24 on the year and sit just a half game out of first place in the Northwest League.
The Emeralds jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the ball game this afternoon. With 2-outs Victor Bericoto was able to jump all over a baseball and crush it out to left field for a solo home run. The exit velocity on the baseball was 108 mph off the bat. It was his 8th home run of the season and his 3rd RBI of the series so far. Bericoto ended the day reaching base safely in 3 plate appearances.
IN the 2nd inning the Emeralds were able to continue adding onto their lead. Michael Wielansky, the newest Emerald, hit into a fielder’s choice with 1 out. The next batter, Edison Mora, hit a line drive to the left field corner that Canadians left fielder Devonte Brown wasn’t able to get to and it dropped for a fair ball. WIelanksy was hustling around the bases and scored easily and Mora gave the Emeralds the 2-0 lead. It was a good piece of hitting for Mora and it gave him his 2nd base hit of the series.
Starter Nick Sinacola was great today for Eugene. After a couple of tough last outings, he bounced back in a big way today. He pitched four innings, allowing 2 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 5 and not walking a single batter. He looked great on the rubber and in complete rhythm and control the entire outing. Brett Standlee came in for relief of Sinacola and pitched 2 strong innings allowing 5 hits and 1 earned run. Standlee faced some tough 2-out situations in both innings of work but was able to escape with only 1 earned run. He did enough to earn the victory tonight, his first win this season.
In the 4th inning Aeverson Arteaga crushed a baseball out to left field for a solo home run. It’s great to see him really start to get going after a slow couple of weeks. He continues to be incredibly impressive defensively and has been a key part of this Emeralds roster this year. In the 4th inning Vancouver was able to respond with a run of their own after Alan Roden opened the inning up with a double. Cade Doughty hit a bloop single that Roden was able to score on and helped cut into the Emeralds lead.
It didn’t take long however for the Emeralds to answer back in the 5th. Edison Mora opened the inning up with a leadoff double down the right field line. Grant Howell hit a 1-out single to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Victor Bericoto ripped a single out to left field and Edison Mora thought about running home but electec to get back to third base. The left fielder Devonte Brown elected to fire into 3rd base to try and backpick Mora but it was an errant throw and Mora was able to hustle home and score and Howell advanced to third. The next batter, Logan Wyatt, hit a pop fly to the outfield for the sac-fly and Howell was able to come home and score to give the Emeralds the 5-1 lead in the game.
Those would be the last runs the Ems scored all game but it proved to be enough. Alan Roden was able to score again after Doughty hit a groundout that resulted in a scored run. That combo would be back in action once again in the 8th inning after Doughty ripped a double into the gap to score Roden for a 3rd time. Those two gave everything they could in today’s ballgame but it just wasn’t quite enough for Vancouver.
With this win today the Emeralds now move to 2 games over .500 and sit just a half a game behind the first place Canadians. Depending on how the other Northwest Leauge games shakeout later this evening, the Emeralds could have sole possession of second place with a chance to take possession of first in tomorrow’s ballgame against Vancouver. The Emeralds now have guaranteed themselves that at worst they’ll split this road trip north of the border, and with a win tomorrow they’d take the series by a final count of 4-2. Matt Mikulski will be on the bump for the Ems with first pitch set for 1:05 P.M.
The Eugene Emeralds are the High-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants. The Eugene Emeralds are dedicated to providing the best in family entertainment and creating a fun, safe environment for everyone to enjoy watching a baseball game. For more information, please visit our website at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or call the Emeralds front office at 541-342-5367. – Emeraldsbaseball.com – Facebook.com/EugeneEmeraldsfanpage – Twitter.com/EugeneEmeralds
• Discuss this story on the Northwest League message board…
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.