Justin Wishkoski's outstretched leg leads Emeralds to 6-2 comeback win

Eliezer Zambrano shouted loudly, Justin Wishkoski churned his legs.

For a brief moment, as Wishkoski barreled toward first base, trying to beat out a throw and insure the go-ahead run would score from third, it seemed like the Emeralds third baseman wouldn’t make it.

Instead, in the defining moment of the team’s 6-2 win at PK on Tuesday, Wishkoski beat the throw to first, ensuring the eventually fateful run would score.

When the Emeralds (34-35, 1-3 second-half) win games this year, it likely will often be because they won on the slimmest of margins.

Never more so was that true Tuesday night — one outstretched leg setting up one cathartic swing from Thomas Gavello whose two-run blast capped off a five-run comeback.

There were other little ways the Emeralds won Tuesday night — for the first time in four second-half tries.

The ever-elusive recipe for victory looked quite clear to the 2,738 in attendance

Sometimes, there will be a dominant showing from the bullpen, an improved unit with callups coming in droves over the past two weeks.

Other times, a one-man show, or an opponent’s blunder.

Indeed, Tuesday night’s much needed — the Emeralds went spiraling out of the Northwest League’s playoff race by losing five of six on home soil less than two weeks ago — victory included all of those familiar hallmarks.

It was the Emeralds’ bullpen that underpinned the offensive explosion, firing five scoreless innings in relief of Joe Whitman who had another strong outing in his second showing at the High-A level.

But it was Wishkoski and the rest of Eugene’s offense that led to the victory. After Wishkoski’s leg-churning infield-single, Gavello — who entered hitting just .229 in June — punctuated the victory, swatting a long homer off the development center in right.

In the Emeralds series-opening victory, Jeremiah Knackstedt, who was gone during the team’s last 1-5 homestand due to a team-mandated off-week, was pleased to see his team’s execution outlast their opponents — a trend that started early.

In the first, an attempted back-pick in the first by Zach Morgan followed by a successful pick-off by Joe Whitman began the top of the first in a positive — especially for Knackstedt who, of course, is an advocate for fundamentals — fashion.

Then, in the second, Tri-City’s Chad Stevens’ leadoff double was erased by him failing to touch first.

Everything was going well — but it wouldn't last long.

To lead for as long as they did, Tri-City rode Joel Hurtado for six scoreless innings of work. He blanked the Emeralds for as long as he could, even going 16 batters without allowing a hit between the first and sixth innings.

But for all of Hurtado’s greatness, the right-hander threw 98 pitches. Bringing Roman Phansalkar into the game in the seventh with Tri-City up a run.

Phansalkar’s night began innocently with the right-hander firing a scoreless seventh. But from there, the game went off the rails.

Eight different Ems came to the plate in the eighth, with Rodolfo Nolasco’s double scoring the tying run before Wishkoski’s knock and Gavello’s blast.

Trent Harris locked it down in the ninth, striking out two and highlighting his outing with a dominant K strut after every strikeout.

Making it all possible of course, was Wishkoski — and his outstretched leg. Yet another reason the Emeralds’ recipe for success looks a whole lot clearer after the reprieve of a victory.

Short hops

Cody Tucker kind of looks like Dylan Cumming, he threw like him too, firing two scoreless frames.