Ems small ball their way to sweep of Everett
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EUGENE, OR - The Emeralds manufactured four runs on five hits to get by Everett 4-2 on Thursday night, earning a three-game series sweep of the AquaSox.
Juan Marcano extended the Ems pictching staff's scoreless streak to 20 innings by hurling six scoreless frames. Marcano allowed at least one runner in all six innings including the leadoff man four times but was able to get through unscathed scattering four hits and a walk. The Ems took the lead on a wild pitch in the second inning.
Maxx Tissenbaum scored when Dane Phillips swung and missed at strike three in the dirt, Phillips wound up at first and the Ems took a 1-0 lead. In the fourth inning a leadoff walk to Baltz followed by a single from catcher Rodney Daal setup runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. Dane Phillips came through with his fifth sacrifice fly of the season to make the score 2-0.
In the sixth inning, Everett brought in Eugene native Grady Wood to replace starter Rusty Shelton after he allowed leadoff singles to Jeremy Baltz and Maxx Tissenbaum. Wood ended up walking in a run as Chris Burke picked up an RBI. Eugene made it 4-0 when Tissenbaum came in to score on a groundout off the bat of Corey Adamson.
Wood would complete three innings of work without allowing a hit although he did walk three. Shellhorn put together a good effort but gets tagged with his second loss of the year after five innings, five hits and four runs (three earned).
Everett did score two runs off of reliever Joe Church in the top of the seventh. A throwing error on third baseman Chris Burke allowed one run to score and the another came in on a fielder's choice groundout. Tony Wieber and Matt Shepherd went the final two innings each allowing a one-out baserunner but nothing more.
Shepherd picked up his first save of the season as Eugene finished off its third sweep of the year. The Ems are now 6-3 against the Aquasox which would be their opponent in the first round of the playoffs should the Emeralds find a way in to the four-team tournament.
Eugene will try to continue their 3-game winning streak Friday night with a first pitch at 7:05pm against Salem-Keizer.
