C's Homer Their Way To 4-2 Triumph

VANCOUVER, BC – Three home runs powered the Canadians to a 4-2 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils [Angels] Wednesday night at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium to give them a 2-0 series lead in the six-game set.

Baffled by Tri-City starter Sammy Natera Jr. (L, 2-7) the first turn through the order and trailing 1-0, the C’s spoiled perfection in the fourth with a lead-off walk but still sent the minimum to the plate after the lefty induced an inning-ending double play two batters later. Natera Jr. struck out the first two batters of the fifth to keep his no-hitter intact until Peyton Williams uncorked a 403-foot solo homer to tie the game. Gabby Martinez followed with a double, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on an error to make it 2-1 Canadians.

Back-to-back jacks in the sixth proved to be the difference. With one out and the bases empty, Dasan Brown – who tied the game last night with a solo shot in the ninth – lofted a fly ball deep to centerfield that D’Shawn Knowles seemed to be tracking. The Dust Devils center fielder proceeded to lose it in the twilight and had to race back to play the carom after the ball ricocheted off the base of the wall. Brown never stopped running and scored standing up for the first inside-the-park home run by a C’s hitter this year.

Alex De Jesus followed up Brown’s homer with a big fly of his own three pitches later. The #21 Blue Jays prospect hit a high, arcing drive that left fielder Joe Stewart thought would end up in his glove shy of the wall, but he too misjudged it as it sailed over his head and into the Canadians’ bullpen to put Vancouver in front 4-2. It was the second time this season the C’s hit home runs in consecutive at-bats.

On the slope, #9 Blue Jays prospect Adam Macko delivered four strong innings that featured one run on four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts to match his single-game season high. Ryan Boyer (W, 3-0) went six up, six down in the fifth and the sixth to allow the offense time to get going while holding the Dust Devils at bay, Justin Kelly (H, 4) posted two innings of relief and Cooper Benson (S, 2) worked around a lead-off single in the ninth to secure the win.

Vancouver needed just four hits – all of them for extra bases – to come out on top. It was the first time this year where the C’s didn’t record a single in a game. Williams and Brown homered on consecutive days for the first time in High-A this season and De Jesus’ bomb gave him a team-high 59 RBI.

The Canadians return to action tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. Devereaux Harrison gets the nod for Vancouver opposite Tri-City’s Michael Darrell-Hicks as part of a BCLC PlayNow Thursday. Coverage is available via CanadiansBaseball.com, the MiLB First Pitch app, Bally Live and the Sportsnet Radio Network.