Heartbreaker Puts C's On Brink Of Elimination

EUGENE, OR – A five-run bottom of the sixth and a missed opportunity in the ninth doomed the Canadians’ chances to even the Northwest League Championship Series in a 6-5 loss to the Eugene Emeralds (Giants) Tuesday night at PK Park. Vancouver will battle for their postseason lives Friday night in Game 3 at Nat Bailey Stadium.

Leading 3-1 after five, the C’s sent Matt Svanson (L, 0-1/BS, 1) to the hill to start the sixth. Eugene got him for a single and a double to put the tying runs in scoring position with nobody out then Svanson K’d the eight hitter before walking the nine man to load the bases. After punching out #4 Giants prospect Grant McCray, Svanson got #3 Giants farmhand Luis Matos to fall behind 1-2. After two foul balls with two strikes, Matos singled up the middle to tie the game at three. Top Giants prospect Marco Luciano followed with a three-run homer in the next at-bat to make it 6-3 Eugene.

Dasan Brown – who homered twice in the series opener last night – continued his playoff power surge with a two-run homer in the top of the seventh that was set up by a Garrett Spain walk, and he added a bunt single in the top of the ninth after Spain reached on an error to put men at first and second with nobody out. With the tying run in scoring position and the go-ahead run at first, Ems closer Juan Sanchez (S, 1) struck out Damiano Palmegiani, PK Morris and Rainer Nunez – batters two, three and four in the Canadians lineup – to strand both men on base and put Eugene one win away from repeating as league champs.

The Emeralds started the scoring with a run in the first on two walks, a steal, a fly out and a single, but that was all starter Michael Dominguez would allow. He went five frames, scattered three hits, walked five and struck out nine for the second consecutive start.

A two-run second gave the C’s the lead after singles from Gabby Martinez and Michael Turconi, a game-tying double from Alex De Jesus and a go-ahead sacrifice fly courtesy of Spain. Andres Sosa clubbed a one-out homer in the fourth to put Vancouver in front 3-1.

Naswell Paulino and Troy Watson combined on the last two and a third innings and allowed a combined three base runners over the last seven outs.

Vancouver has now lost six consecutive games – all of them to the Emeralds – since last Thursday, their longest losing streak of the year. Since taking five of seven in Spokane in the second to last week of the regular season, they are 1-7. They’ve lost eight of their last nine games.

Fighting to stay alive and one loss away from their season ending, the C’s will battle the Eugene on Friday, September 16 at The Nat for Game 3 of the NWLCS. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. and coverage is available on CanadiansBaseball.com, MiLB.TV and the Sportsnet Radio Network.