EVERETT – The three-game series between the Everett AquaSox and Salem-Keizer Volcanoes was best summed up by Gregory Halman in the bottom of the third inning.
With two on and two out Halman, Everett’s leading hitter, struck out on a breaking ball in the dirt. Afterward he let his bat drop to the ground and slowly pivoted, staring off in the distance as if in a daze.
Such was Everett’s fate at bat all series long.
Salem-Keizer’s pitching staff completed its mastery of Everett’s offense with another shutout, and the Volcanoes swept the AquaSox with a 4-0 victory at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Four Volcanoes pitchers combined on a four-hitter as Salem-Keizer recorded its second straight shutout against the AquaSox. The Volcanoes concluded the series with 27 straight scoreless innings.
“We’re lacking offense right now,” Everett manager Mike Tosar said. “We faced some pretty good arms today, you’ve got to give those guys a little bit of credit. But we’re just not swinging the bats well right now.”
The victory was Salem-Keizer’s 11th straight and improved the Volcanoes’ record to an amazing 46-10. And the series against Everett was a virtuoso demonstration of just why Salem-Keizer is running away with the West Division.
Just how dominant was Salem-Keizer’s pitching in the series? Check out this cumulative pitching line: 30 innings pitched, 17 hits, two runs, two walks, 43 strikeouts.
“All their guys were pretty solid,” said Everett shortstop Roberto Mena, who had two of Everett’s four hits Wednesday. “All of those guys have an idea what to do to get us out, and they weren’t making a lot of mistakes. They were consistent throwing the curveballs down in the dirt, throwing them for strikes and keeping our hitters off balance.”
Wednesday night was just more of the same. Starter Daryl Maday tossed three scoreless innings, striking out three. Waldis Joaquin, who was credited with the win to improve to 2-0, gave up just one hit in four innings, striking out five. Then Tim Egart and Wilmin Rodriguez each tossed a scoreless inning.
“We hit our locations,” Salem-Keizer manager Steve Decker said about his pitching throughout the series. “We expanded the zone when we had to, we threw fastballs for strikes when we had to, and that’s what we do.”
It also helps when the pitchers get spectacular defense behind them. The Volcanoes made spectacular plays all series long, including a pair of diving snags of line drives Wednesday.
Matt Downs led Salem-Keizer’s offense, going 2-for-4 including a two-run home run. Shane Jordan went 2-for-3 and scored two runs.
Mena and Jermaine Brock each finished 2-for-3 for the Sox. Everett struck out another 10 times, which was the fewest number in the series. “We haven’t made any adjustments,” Tosar lamented. “These guys have to start making some adjustments. They have 20 games left to turn their season around and hopefully we can do that.”
Everett starter Edward Paredes was saddled with the loss, falling to 6-4. Paredes had his struggles, but battled through for the most part. In 423 innings he allowed six hits and four walks, but held the Volcanoes to just two runs. He struck out two.
Salem-Keizer grabbed the lead in the top of the first. The Volcanoes had three consecutive singles to load the bases with one out. Michael Ambort then hit a one-hopper to short that Ogui Diaz couldn’t handle, a run scoring to give the Volcanoes a 1-0 lead.
The Volcanoes doubled their lead in the fifth when Andrew Davis doubled to the right-center field wall, scoring Bruce Edwards from second to make it 2-0.
Salem-Keizer doubled its lead again in the seventh when, with two out, Downs lined a two-run shot over the left-field wall, making it 4-0. The homer was Downs’ seventh of the season.
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