Bullpen Falters Late, C's Fall 7-6

VANCOUVER, BC – The normally lights-out Canadians bullpen had a rare off night Wednesday, as the C’s dropped game two of their series with the Everett AquaSox [SEA] 7-6 at The Nat.

Leading 5-2 after six, Vancouver looked poised to win their fifth consecutive game even after Chay Yeager (H, 9) surrendered a run on two hits in the seventh. The C’s entered tonight’s game a perfect 24-0 in the second half and 34-2 on the year when leading after seven stanzas, but the Frogs were undeterred. They used a hit batter and a walk to put two on with one away in the eighth, which set the stage for a go-ahead three-run homer from Gabriel Moncada. As it turned out, all was not well with reliever Bo Bonds (BS, 1/L, 3-1); the righty had to leave the game with an arm injury during the next at-bat.

The AquaSox would use a pair of two-out singles and a steal in the ninth to go up by two, which proved to be a crucial insurance run that was the difference in the game after a valiant Canadians rally in their last at-bat.

Jace Bohrofen – already the owner of three hits on the night – breathed some life into the offense with a one-out single to match a career best with four knocks. Pinch hitter Brennan Orf followed and launched the first pitch from Jason Ruffcorn (S, 4) deep to centre that sent Bill Knight to the warning track, where he dropped the fly ball for an error. Bohrofen raced around third but slipped in foul territory trying to put the brakes on and he was run down for the second out of the inning.

Instead of the tying runs in scoring position and one out, Peyton Williams came up as the potential tying run with two away. He muscled an RBI single into right that brought Orf home and cut the deficit to one, but a strikeout in the next at-bat doused the rally and ended the game with the ‘Sox on top 7-6.

Everett got the scoring started with back-to-back two-out solo shots in the first, but that would be all #20 Blue Jays prospect Juaron Watts-Brown would allow. The right-hander turned in a quality start of six innings in which he scattered six hits, one walk and seven Ks but had to settle for a no-decision.

Bohrofen’s second hit of the game was a two-run shot that tied things up in the third before a bases-clearing double from Jackson Hornung in the fifth put the C’s in front 5-3.

The Canadians go back to work Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. Connor O’Halloran will square-off against Ty Cummings. Catch RE/MAX Canadians Baseball Across the C’s Broadcast Network: Bally Live and Sportsnet 650.