Harry's Heroics Lift C's To 6-4 Win

VANCOUVER, BC – A go-ahead double from Jay Harry with two outs in the bottom of the eighth was the decisive blow in Thursday night’s 6-4 Canadians win over the Everett AquaSox [SEA] in front of a sold-out crowd at The Nat.

Tied at four after the Frogs plated a run in the top of the eighth, the bottom of the inning began when Alex Stone was hit by the first pitch from Joseph Hernandez (L, 2-2). Consecutive outs followed before Grimsby, ON native Bryce Arnold flared a single down the line in right for the first High-A hit of his career. That brought on Everett closer Stefan Raeth, whose 1-1 pitch to Harry was laced the opposite way into the left field corner to plate a pair and make it 6-4 Vancouver.

Out came Grayson Thurman (S, 7) for the ninth. The righty retired the side in order to lock down the second C’s win in three games this week.

Harry’s efforts were made possible by three strong innings of relief from Irv Carter (W, 1-0). The converted starter continued his impressive High-A debut season, tossing three innings in which he retired the first seven batters. He faced just one over the minimum.

A flurry of runs between the two teams in the early innings gave the game a seesaw-type energy that kept everyone on the edge of their seat. Peyton Williams started the scoring in the bottom of the first with a two-run shot, his tenth homer of the year, but the Frogs got one in the second to spoil the shutout.

The C’s would score a run of their own in the home half after a one-out single for Brennan Orf, a walk to Arnold and Harry’s first hit of the night, an RBI single that made it 3-1. The lead lasted until the fourth, when the Frogs – who scored a run in the third without a hit – got a two-out game-tying single from Michael Arroyo that leveled the tally at three runs apiece.

Neither side scored in the fifth, but Vancouver would grab the lead for a second time after a lead-off walk to Orf in the sixth followed by two errors on one ground ball to the right side of the infield made it 4-3 Canadians.

With the win and Spokane’s loss in Hillsboro tonight, the C’s are tied for first place in the second half with 15 games remaining. They have a six-game cushion over the Hops for the second playoff seed should the Indians win both halves of the season.

It’s a quick turnaround for Friday afternoon’s FortisBC ‘Nooner at The Nat. MLB.com’s #12 Blue Jays prospect Kendry Rojas toes the slab opposite Everett’s Ryan Hawks at 1:05 p.m. Coverage of RE/MAX Canadians Baseball is available across the C’s Broadcast Network: Bally Live and Sportsnet 650.