June 2, 2023 – Northwest League (NWL) – Eugene Emeralds News Release
The Emeralds won game 4 against the Vancouver Canadians by a final score of 2-1. The Emeralds now move to 25-24 on the year and Vancouver moves to 26-22. It was a big win for the Emeralds as they look to stay in the hunt for the 1st half Northwest League Title.
The Emeralds were able to strike first tonight in the ballgame. Edison Mora led off the third inning and on the very first pitch he was able to connect with the baseball and drive it to left field for a solo home run. It was great to see Mora connect with the ball after he had been held hitless the first 3 ball games in Vancouver. It was his first home run as an Emerald after being called up a few weeks ago.
In the 5th inning Vancouver was able to finally get to starter John Michael Bertrand and they tied the game up. With two outs Michael Turconi ripped a double down the 3rd base line. It was the first base hit of the afternoon for the Canadians. The very next batter, Jommer Hernandez, hit a popfly to right field that Carter Howell wasn’t quite able to get to and it dropped for the RBI. It was a tough break for John Michael after he had pitched almost 5 innings of near perfect baseball.
John Michael still posted an incredible statline on the bump tonight. He went 5 strong innings, allowing just 1 hits, 1 earned run and striking out 3 batters. He earned the win tonight for the Emeralds and his record now moves to 2-2 on the season. The bullpen was dominant after Bertrand, with 4 pitchers each going an inning and only allowing 2 hits.
It was the 6th inning where the Emeralds were able to retake the lead in the game. Grant McCray and Carter Howell led the inning off with a single. After Victor Bericoto hit into a fielder’s choice, Logan Wyatt walked to load up the bases for Michael Wielansky. Wielansky was making his Emeralds debut and had a big-time at bat in this ballgame. He was able to hit a ball to right fielder Garrett Spain, and Howell was able to tag up easily and score to give the Emeralds the 2-1 lead. It was great to see Wielansky deliver in such a big moment in his first game rocking the Ems uniform.
The Emeralds bullpen was great, as Ty Weber pitched a scoreless 6th inning. Matt Olsen and Hunter Dula pitched an inning each and didn’t allow a single base hit while striking out 3 batters. Tyler Myrick came in to close the game for Eugene and after allowing a 1 out double to Garrett Spain, he was able to strike out Gabby Martinez for the 2nd out of the inning. That brought up Michael Turconi who had already doubled earlier in the ballgame. He hit a groundball over to 3rd baseman Edison Mora. Mora bobbled the ball and had to scoop it up and fire it across the diamond to Logan Wyatt at first. Turconi was burning down the line but the throw got there just in time to give the Emeralds the 2-1 win in Vancouver.
For the Emeralds this was a big game for them, as they didn’t want to slip and fall below .500. This win keeps them right in the thick of the 1st half title race in the Northwest League. They now trail the Canadians by just a game and a half for first place. The Emeralds have 2 more games left this series here in Vancouver, with first pitch set for 1:05 P.M on Saturday and on Sunday.
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.
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