Bohrofen's Big Night Powers C's To Victory

SPOKANE, WA – Jace Bohrofen slugged his second home run of the week and drove in a career-high four runs to back a strong start from Chris McElvain as the Canadians beat the Spokane Indians [Rockies] 7-3 Friday night at Avista Stadium.

After McElvain (W, 1-2) and #13 Rockies prospect Sean Sullivan (L, 1-1) traded zeroes for the first two innings, the C’s got to the southpaw for two runs in the third to take the lead for good. Jaden Rudd’s one-out single set the table for Bohrofen’s big fly two batters later, a no-doubter to right field that nearly left the ballpark and made it 2-0. It was the first home run Sullivan had allowed in 30 innings of work this year.

A four-run fifth put the game away. Jommer Hernandez sparked the big inning with a one-out double then consecutive two-out two-baggers from Dasan Brown and Bohrofen brought home two runs. Jackson Hornung followed and took Sullivan deep on a first pitch fast ball that sailed over a 40-foot-high net beyond the left field wall and landed in a parking lot outside the stadium to put Vancouver in front 6-0.

McElvain, meanwhile, turned in his finest outing as a Blue Jay farmhand since coming over in the trade with the Reds that sent Santiago Espinal to Cincinnati. The right-hander logged five scoreless innings in which he scattered two hits, walked two, hit a batter and struck out five. His lone high stress inning was the second, when a one-out double and those two free passes loaded the bases with two away before a fly out ended the threat.

Spokane spoiled the shutout with a solo homer from Braiden Ward in the sixth, but the C’s got that run back in the top of the seventh. Rudd bunted for a base hit, stole second then advanced to third on Brown’s second knock of the game. He scored when Bohrofen lifted a fly ball to deep left for a sacrifice fly to put the Canadians ahead 7-1.

Ward hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth, but Josh Mollerus came on to get the last out of that inning before striking out the side around a walk in the ninth to secure the 7-3 triumph.

Vancouver was averaging 9.9 runners left on base in their last eight games before they stranded just three tonight, tied for the fewest they have left behind this year. Bohrofen, Brown and Hornung combined to finish 5-for-11 with two doubles, two home runs, four runs scored and seven RBI while Rudd went 2-for3 with two runs scored and a walk.

With the win, the C’s have evened the series at two games apiece and are now only two games back of first place in the Northwest League first half standings. These two teams will play a doubleheader Saturday afternoon with game one set to begin at 2:05 p.m. Tune in to RE/MAX Canadians Baseball on the Sportsnet 650 alternate feed.