The series was in danger of getting away from the Everett AquaSox.
Everett had lost three in a row against the Vancouver Canadians in ugly fashion, and things weren’t looking good in the fourth.
But the Sox put together a rally using a team approach to hitting, and that was the spark Everett needed not only to end its skid, but to play the league leaders to a draw.
Everett scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning of Saturday’s game, turning a three-run deficit into a two-run lead, and the Sox used that as a springboard to split their six-game series with the Canadians, despite falling behind 3-1.
Things were not looking good for Everett on Saturday. After winning the series opener, the Sox dropped three straight by a combined score of 26-4, and after allowing four runs in the bottom of the fifth Saturday they trailed 5-2.
But in the top of the sixth the Sox rallied, and the decisive blow came following a sequence in which everyone played their part. Charlie Welch’s one-out, two-run homer had cut the deficit to one. But after that James Parker singled, Colin Davis was hit by a pitch and Harry Ford walked, loading the bases with two out. Ben Ramirez followed by lining a double to center, clearing the bases and giving Everett a 7-5 lead that lasted to the game’s end.
“The continued messaging for our hitters has been to pass the baton, pass it to the next guy, have team at bats,” Everett manager Ryan Scott said. “In situations like that sometimes hitters want to get the job done on their own. The ability to take walks and let the next guy get the job done, that team mentality came out in that inning, which was really good to see.”
Everett went on to win Sunday’s series finale 16-6, meaning the series was split 3-3 and the Sox (16-16) remain 2.5 games behind first-place Vancouver (17-12) in the Northwest League standings. This was despite losing second baseman and key offensive contributor Hogan Windish to a minor oblique issue for the second half of the series.
“I think that rally was pivotal,” Scott said. “It was great, especially after giving up four runs in the inning before. To be able to bounce back and not let the game get away from us, to go out there and put up those runs, it kept us in it and let our bullpen go out and do some work. It was a good response from our offense, coming out and not letting the game get away.”
Players of the week
Hitter: Ramirez. The 24-year-old third baseman, who was a 13th-round pick in the 2021 draft by the Seattle Mariners, did more than just deliver the decisive double during Saturday’s key rally. He finished the week with 10 hits — twice as many as any other player on the team — including four doubles, giving him a triple-slash line of .417/.517/.583. He scored a team-high seven runs in the six games.
Pitcher: Peyton Alford. The 25-year-old left-hander, signed by the Mariners as a non-drafted free agent in 2021, was electric last week. He threw two dominating innings in Wednesday’s 3-1 loss, allowing just one hit while striking out five to get the game to extra innings before Vancouver won it in the 10th. He then tossed a perfect ninth, striking out one more, to close out Sunday’s victory.
The week ahead
Everett is back home this week for a six-game series against the Spokane Indians. Spokane, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, is 16-14 and in third place in the league, 1.5 games behind Vancouver and a game ahead of the Sox after winning four of six at home against Hillsboro last week. The teams played one another in Spokane to close out April, with the teams splitting the series 3-3.
Spokane is loaded with Colorado’s top prospects, as seven of the top 10 as listed by MLB.com are currently on Spokane’s roster. Chief among those is shortstop Adael Amador (.287, four home runs, 16 RBI), who’s ranked No. 55 in all of baseball.
Spokane has the league’s top offense, averaging 6.37 runs per game. Outfielder Jordan Beck (.278, nine homers, 30 RBI), leads the Northwest League in both homers and RBI, while first baseman Zach Kokoska (.325, seven homers, 20 RBI) leads active qualifiers in OPS at 1.146.
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