Emeralds fall on slimmest of margins, drop game to Vancouver

Baseball is a funny sport. In a three-hour spring of a game, it's often the smallest or most seemingly insignificant of swings that can turn the tide in one of 132 results amid a five-month sprint. Once again, it was a game of ones for the Emeralds — the same number separating the team’s wins (43) and losses (42).

One swing of the bat, Vancouver’s Robert Brooks looking for a pitch to drive with one of the Emeralds’ most experienced relievers throwing his best 3-1 offering.

One cushion of space between the two, seemingly dissipating in a second, the ball soaring through the Eugene air and far past the left-field fence.

One three-run homerun, all the goodwill and big plays and tireless execution gone, another otherwise spotless game gone, another loss on the slimmest of margins.

One run separating the two teams in Eugene’s 3-2 loss to Vancouver — the team will have a chance to earn a series split with a game-six win tomorrow.

To take a mid-game lead, the Emeralds capitalized off two Canadian’s throwing miscues in a two-run fifth.

But then Brooks struck, and the Emeralds never did.

After that fifth-inning rally, the Emeralds’ offense went cold, the team went down in order in the eighth and ninth innings, with its most dangerous chance coming with two runners in scoring position and two outs in the seventh inning.

But luck was Canadian tonight. Vancouver’s pitchers were excellent, keeping the Emeralds off balance throughout. Jonathan Lavalle earned the save, striking out the side in the ninth.

Indeed, there were bright spots in an unfortunate loss for the Emeralds.

Manuel Mercedes was terrific again, striking out eight and allowing just one run. He’s yet to allow more than three runs since an outing in early May.

The Emeralds’ top-of-the-order produced as well, putting together a combined seven hits through their first four batters. Unfortunately for Eugene, the team added just eight hits total.

And it was Williams’ blast that proved the most fatal, Matt Mikulski’s 3-1 offering was well located, but ultimately unlucky as the homer was a mammoth shot near the left-field scoreboard.

And ultimately for the Emeralds, it will likely be on the slimmest of margins that they fall short — Saturday’s game the most recent reminder of how small the difference can be between two titans of the NorthWest league.