YAKIMA — For all intents and purposes, the Yakima Bears finished off the Everett AquaSox early Wednesday night.
The first five Yakima batters of the game reached base and scored, and that would be more than enough as the Bears defeated the Sox 7-3.
Anthony Smith drove in four runs, including a two-run double during the decisive first-inning rally, as Yakima (19-37) took a 2-1 lead in the five-game series.
Welington Dotel finished 2-for-4 and drove in two runs to lead Everett (25-31), which remained 51/2 games behind Salem-Keizer for first place in the Northwest League’s West Division.
Yakima jumped all over Everett starting pitcher Kenn Kasparek in the bottom of the first inning to take control of the game. A pair of walks sandwiched around a single loaded the bases with nobody out. Smith and Ryan Babineau then ripped back-to-back two-run doubles to right. Babineau later scored on Roberto Rodriguez’s fielders choice grounder, giving the Bears a 5-0 lead.
That proved enough for Yakima starting pitcher Ryan Cook and three relievers, who combined on a six-hitter. Cook was particularly effective. In six innings the right-hander gave up two runs on four hits, walking none and striking out six to earn his first win of the season.
Kasparek, who was yanked after his rocky first inning, took the loss to drop to 2-3.
Despite the rough first inning, Everett tried to stay in the game, getting two right back in the top of the second on Ben Billingsley’s RBI triple and Dotel’s RBI single, making it 5-2.
But the Bears continued their offensive ways off Doug Salinas in the bottom of the second, Smith’s two-run bloop single making it 7-2.
The game sped up from there, the score remaining the same until Dotel’s RBI triple in the seventh made it 7-3. But the Sox got no closer.
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