Penultimate Inning Powers C's To Victory
VANCOUVER, BC – A four-run bottom of the eighth was the difference in an 8-5 Canadians win over the Eugene Emeralds [SF] Tuesday night at The Nat. Vancouver’s magic number to clinch the second spot in the postseason is now down to two after Hillsboro’s loss at Tri-City tonight. Trailing
VANCOUVER, BC – A four-run bottom of the eighth was the difference in an 8-5 Canadians win over the Eugene Emeralds [SF] Tuesday night at The Nat. Vancouver’s magic number to clinch the second spot in the postseason is now down to two after Hillsboro’s loss at Tri-City tonight.
Trailing 5-4 after seven and a half innings, the C’s got a lead-off double from Brennan Orf to spark the rally. He advanced to third on a wild pitch before Jace Bohrofen walked to put runners at the corners with no outs. After a strikeout and a pitching change, Peyton Williams greeted the newly inserted reliever with a go-ahead two-RBI double to right field. Two more run-scoring doubles from Jackson Hornung and Je’Von Ward followed to bring in a pair of insurance runs and put the Canadians in front by three.
Bo Bonds (S, 1) retired the side in order in the top of the ninth to lock down the win and snap Vancouver’s four-game losing streak.
Eugene started the scoring with a run in the first, but the Canadians responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Williams and Hornung singled with two outs to bring Ward to the plate. The Long Beach, CA native turned in one of the finest at-bats of the season; he saw 11 pitches and filled the count before clubbing his sixth homer of the year the opposite way to left field to put the C’s on top 3-1.
The Emeralds clawed back immediately, scoring one in the second and two in the third to takes a 4-3 lead before adding their fifth and final run in the sixth. Adrian Pinto unleashed a mammoth homer in the bottom of that inning to cut the deficit to one.
Starter Ryan Watson went 5.1 frames, but it was reliver Alex Amalfi (W, 3-1) who turned in the finest pitching performance of the night. The Ashland, MA native went 2.2 scoreless stanzas and faced one batter over the minimum while scattering a hit and four strikeouts.
Hornung paced the offense with three hits and is 10 for his last 25. Williams, Ward and Pinto had two knocks apiece.
With the win, the C’s now have a four-game lead over the Hops for the final playoff spot with five to play. If they win tomorrow and Hillsboro loses, Vancouver will head to the Northwest League Championship Series for the third consecutive season.