AquaSox Walk Their Way to Victory
June 18, 2024 - EVERETT, WA: The AquaSox walked their way to victory over the Hillsboro Hops, drawing 15 walks to defeat Hillsboro 6-0 in front of 1,129 fans at Funko Field. Everett’s walk party began in the bottom of the first inning. After drawing two walks and being hit
June 18, 2024 - EVERETT, WA: The AquaSox walked their way to victory over the Hillsboro Hops, drawing 15 walks to defeat Hillsboro 6-0 in front of 1,129 fans at Funko Field.
Everett’s walk party began in the bottom of the first inning. After drawing two walks and being hit by a pitch, the Frogs loaded the bases. Bill Knight and Caleb Cali played a game of copycat, drawing consecutive bases-loaded walks to give the AquaSox a 2-0 lead.
The Frogs continued their evening stroll in the second inning, walking three more times in the bottom of the second inning. They drew a total of seven walks across the first two innings of the contest.
Right-hander Michael Morales held Hillsboro scoreless across the first five innings of the game, completing five innings in only 48 pitches. Assisting Morales was a strong team of fielders, highlighted by a ‘strike him out, throw him out’ double play consisting of Morales, Freuddy Batista, and Josh Hood to end the top of the fourth inning.
Strike 'em out, throw 'em out! Michael Morales, Freuddy Batista and Josh Hood combine for the last out of the top of the fourth inning. pic.twitter.com/EhCQV1Hqf7
— Everett AquaSox (@EverettAquaSox) June 19, 2024
Jared Sundstrom delivered the Frogs’ first hit of the contest in the bottom of the fifth inning, and his hit provided Everett a huge insurance run. Sundstrom smashed a 363-foot home run over the right center field wall, extending the Frogs’ advantage to 3-0. His home run was his sixth and had an exit velocity of 98 MPH while leaving the bat at a 32-degree launch angle.
Morales kept cruising through the Hops’ lineup, completing his evening of work after seven innings of shutout baseball. He allowed seven hits, walked zero, and struck out four Hillsboro batters while working very efficiently, requiring only 75 pitches to complete his outing. 56 of his pitches were strikes, giving him a 74.7% strike percentage on the night. He has yet to allow more than one earned run in a start since April 30, lowering his season ERA to 2.22.
The AquaSox continued their evening stroll along the basepaths as the sun set, drawing seven walks across between the fourth and eighth innings. They finished the evening with a grand total of 15 walks, totaling up to just over a quarter of a mile’s worth of distance.
Colin Davis and Batista extended Everett’s lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Both hitters knocked RBI singles, providing the Frogs a 5-0 advantage entering the final innings of the game. Davis added a final run in the bottom of the eighth inning as he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Locking down the final two innings of the game were Chris Jefferson and Jason Ruffcorn. Jefferson threw one shutout inning while striking out two batters swinging, and Ruffcorn threw a scoreless ninth inning to secure the 6-0 AquaSox victory.
Game Photos, 6-18-2024
— Everett AquaSox (@EverettAquaSox) June 19, 2024
Photos by @ShariSommerfeld pic.twitter.com/0W1C3XoUog
PICTURED ABOVE: Michael Morales
PHOTO CREDIT: Shari Sommerfeld
LOOKING AHEAD: Tomorrow is a festivity-filled night at Funko Field! The Frogs are hosting a doubleheader against the Hillsboro Hops, making up for a cancellation from May 5. Game One begins at 6:05 p.m., and Game Two will begin 30 minutes after the end of Game One. We will also be hosting a trio of promotions, including Silver Sluggers Night, HomeStreet Bank $5 Wednesday, and Baseball Bingo presented by Tulalip Bingo and Slots! Visit your local, participating HomeStreet bank location to receive a coupon for a $5.00 Upper Reserved ticket redeemable at the Funko Field Box Office. Bring your friends, pens, pencils, and scorecards for bingo and double the baseball action!
ABOUT THE EVERETT AQUASOX: The Everett AquaSox are the High-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. Everett is a member of the Northwest League and has been a Mariners affiliate since establishing the AquaSox moniker in 1995. For updates on the 2023 season, community initiatives, and Webbly appearances follow the Frogs on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, or visit our website, AquaSox.com. Flex tickets, ticket plans, group outings, and picnics outings can be purchased by calling (425) 258-3673 or visiting the AquaSox Front Office at 3802 Broadway.