Canadians beat Emeralds 13-9
Spencer Horwitz had a home run and three RBIs for the Vancouver Canadians on Thursday. Photo: Vancouver Canadians/Twitter
June 24, 2021
Official Vancouver Canadians News Release
EUGENE, OR – A go-ahead home run from Spencer Horwitz and a six-run seventh inning spurred the Vancouver Canadians to a 13-9 win over the Eugene Emeralds (Giants) Thursday night in what proved to be the Canadians’ longest game of 2021 at four hours and nine minutes.
Trailing 5-3 to start the fifth, the comeback began with Davis Schneider’s first double of the season. After consecutive batters were retired, Cameron Eden was hit by a pitch to bring Horwitz to the plate. The Timonium, Md., native launched a 1-0 pitch from Emeralds starter Seth Corry (L, 1-2) beyond the right field wall to put the C’s up 6-5.
Vancouver put the game away with six runs in the seventh. A Tanner Morris walk, Eden’s second hit by pitch and a Horwitz single loaded the bases for Sebastian Espino, who earned a four-pitch free pass to force a run home. Ryan Gold worked the count full in the next plate appearance before the second-straight bases loaded walk made it 8-5. Luis De Los Santos drove a sacrifice fly deep to centre field for the ninth run of the night before a wild pitch later in the inning put the C’s up 10-5. Rafael Lantigua added the icing on the inning with a two-out, two-RBI rule book double to give the C’s a 12-5 advantage.
Three Canadians singles brought home the 13th run of the game in the eighth before Eugene made it interesting in the bottom of the frame. The Emeralds sent all nine men to the plate and scored four runs on three hits and three walks, but Parker Caracci came on after eight batters and managed to retire the ninth man to bat while stranding the potential tying run in the on deck circle. The right-hander worked around a two-out double in the ninth to secure the win.
The Emeralds started the scoring with two runs in the first thanks to three consecutive extra base hits, but the C’s rallied to tie the game in the top of the second. Espino walked then scored on a Gold double before De Los Santos singled to make it 2-2.
Starter Adam Kloffenstein was tagged for another two runs in the bottom of the third in what was his shortest outing of the month. The right-hander went three innings and allowed four runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Both teams scored runs in the fourth to make it 5-3, but Brandon Eisert (W, 4-0) dialed it in after surrendering that score in the fourth and went on to work three innings in which he scattered four hits, didn’t walk a batter, and matched a career high with six strikeouts. Connor Law made his 2021 Canadians debut with a scoreless inning in which he walked one and K’ed one.
All nine starters reached base and eight of nine had at least one hit. It was the first time this season that three different C’s – Horwitz, Gold and De Los Santos – had three RBI apiece. Four players – Horwitz, Espino, Gold and De Los Santos – logged two hits each and Eden reached base in five of six plate appearances while setting a new single-game season high by scoring four times.
With the win, the Canadians avoid losing three games in a row for the first time this year and end the Emeralds’ eight-game winning streak, their longest since 2016.
Vancouver and Eugene square up again on Friday night. Right-handers Luis Quinones and Aaron Phillips were do battle with first pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.