EVERETT — Ryan Feierabend brought a little big-league class to the Everett AquaSox on Monday night.
Unfortunately, the Sox bullpen is still operating at a single-A level.
Everett’s bullpen couldn’t pick up where Feierabend left off, and the Sox fell 8-5 to the Eugene Emeralds at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Feierabend, the former Seattle Mariner making the first of two rehabilitation starts for Everett, pitched a strong 4 2/3 innings to help stake the Sox to the lead.
However, the Emeralds took advantage of Everett’s relievers, with Sawyer Carroll delivering the decisive blow with a grand slam in the top of the seventh innings that gave Eugene the lead for good.
“The game started off well,” Everett catcher Travis Howell said. “Our pitching was good and we were hitting the ball pretty well. We just had that breakdown inning in the seventh with that grand slam. We just got beat tonight.”
Carroll went 3-for-5 — finishing a single short of the cycle — and drove in five runs for Eugene (10-17), which had won just twice in its previous 11 games. Pablo Menchaca earned the win, improving to 1-2 with 4 1/3 innings of effective relief.
Ben Billingsley hit his first professional home run to lead Everett (11-16). Dennis Raben had his hitting streak to start his professional career halted at nine games.
Everett finished the game without manager Jose Moreno, who was ejected in the top of the seventh following a lengthy argument over a balk call that brought home the game’s final run.
For much of the game things looked good for the Sox. They took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, and Feierabend was toying with the Emeralds. In his 4 2/3 innings he walked none and struck out nine, and he was unfortunate to be charged with two runs.
Feierabend didn’t do it by overpowering anyone, his fastball usually registering in the mid-80s. He did it with offspeed stuff that often left the opposition swinging awkwardly and looking foolish. He also did it with control, throwing 50 of his 71 pitches for strikes.
“Coming into the day we talked about what he wanted to do,” Howell said of Feierabend. “He said he can go to his changeup at any point in the count and he used it to his advantage today. He was able to get ahead and keep the batters off balance.”
But it all went for naught for the Sox. Marquis Pettis relieved Feierabend in the fifth after Feierabend reached his 70-pitch limit and promptly gave up an RBI single to Daniel Robertson and an RBI double to Carroll, allowing the Emeralds to pull within 4-3.
After Billingsley’s homer into the homer porch in the right in the sixth increased Everett’s lead to two, it all came apart for the Sox in the seventh. Eugene loaded the bases against reliever Robbie Dominguez on an error, a walk and a bunt single. That brought Carroll to the plate, and he lined a shot that just cleared the fence in left field, transforming the two-run deficit into a two-run lead. The run-scoring balk later in the inning made it 8-5.
Eddy Fernandez, the exception to the bullpen meltown, shut the Emeralds down the rest of the way, striking out five in 2 2/3 scoreless innings. However, the Sox couldn’t take advantage of their run-scoring opportunities down the stretch and never drew any closer.
Anthony Bass registered the save for Eugene, his first, by striking out four in two innings.
Everett took advantage of Eugene’s early struggles — three walks, two errors — to score three runs in the bottom of the first with just one hit, that being of the infield variety. Sacrifice flies by Howell and Billingsley sandwiched Brandon Fromm’s RBI infield single as the Sox went ahead 3-0.
Eugene struck for one in the top of the second. Robbie Blauer led off with a double to center, was balked to third, then scored on a wild pitch, cutting the lead to 3-1.
Everett got that run back in the bottom of the inning, Howell singling home Nate Tenbrink to make it 4-1.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
