EVERETT — The Everett AquaSox got their third home win of the season Wednesday night.
However, their manager missed the latter part of the game.
Dave Valle got his first career ejection as a manager in the bottom of the fifth inning arguing what appeared to be a home run by Everett’s Taylor Smart off the “Speedway” sign in left field at Everett Memorial Stadium – a home run by field rules. Valle’s appeal was unsuccessful but the AquaSox were, defeating the Canadians 9-4.
According to the Everett Memorial Stadium Ground Rules, “The left-field scoreboard is positioned behind the outfield wall such that any ball hit off the scoreboard shall be ruled a home run.” The ball appeared to hit off the sign and return to the field.
Everett used a four-run rally in the bottom of the fourth to get a 5-0 lead over Vancouver before the Canadians came back with four runs of their own in the fifth.
Sheehan Planas-Arteaga scored on Smart’s hit and a solo home run by Austin Cousino in the bottom of the sixth helped keep Everett (7-19) ahead. The Frogs added two more insurance runs in the eighth on RBI hits by Corey Simpson and Kyle Petty, bringing the AquaSox total to 11 hits for the game.
Everett struck first in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI fielder’s choice by Chris Mariscal. Nelson Ward, who walked earlier in the inning, beat the throw to the plate to score and put the Frogs up 1-0, despite them not having recorded a hit to that point in the game.
Mariscal added a two-run single with the bases loaded in the fourth. The single, and a throwing error on Vancouver center fielder Roemon Fields, allowed Wilton Martinez to score from second. Cousino followed that with a two-run double to put the Frogs up 5-0.
Vancouver (15-11) loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the fifth and McBroom cleared the bases with a three-run double to cut Everett’s lead to two. The Canadians added another run on a sacrifice fly by Michael De La Cruz that scored McBroom and make it 5-4.
But that’s as close as Vancouver would get. In the fifth inning — Valle’s final of the night — the Sox added another run on Smart’s hit, officially ruled a double. After Valle’s ejection, Everett hitting coach Mike Davis took over as third base coach for the rest of the game.
The AquaSox got out of a jam in the top of the third inning thanks to an unassisted double play by first baseman Kyle Petty. After a wild pitch that put runners at second and third with one out, Petty fielded a grounder by Vancouver’s Chris Carlson and ran at the Canadian’s Franklin Barreto, who was running toward home plate.
Barreto froze and turned to run back to third base where his teammate Ryan McBroom was already standing. Petty tagged Barreto and then went after McBroom, who retreated to second base. Petty tagged him too, completing the inning-ending double play.
Vancouver manager John Schneider talked with the umpires for several minutes, but was unsuccessful in overturning the call.
Cousino led the Sox batting 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored. Smart and Wilton Martinez also had two hits apiece for Everett.
Reliever Hawtin Buchanan got the win for the AquaSox, his first of the season, and Cruz Pereira picked up his second save. Jairo Labourt (1-2) took the loss for Vancouver.
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