Aquasox take series over Emeralds, looking to start second half strong
By Jason Fridge, edited by Charles Hamaker
Everett, WA - The Seattle Mariners High-A affiliate Everett AquaSox (40-35) returned home from a 12-game road trip to welcome the Eugene Emeralds (38-37) into town for a six-game series at Funko Field. The two teams met for the third time this season, with the AquaSox leading the series 6-3 entering game one on June 28th. Everett was able to pick up four solid wins over the Emeralds, including two shutouts to bolster their position near the top of the Northwest League.
Series Recap
The AquaSox started the series off hot with a 9-4 victory in game one. Despite Victor Bericoto smashing a two-run homer for the Emeralds in the top of the first, Everett had seven different scorers round home plate to comfortably take the series lead. Game two allowed the defense to shine, as Everett held the Emeralds to just two hits, with an Axel Sanches RBI-triple leading to the lone score of the afternoon and a 1-0 AquaSox win.
The very next day, Eugene bounced back and showed Everett couldn’t get too comfortable protecting their home field. The Emeralds jumped out to a 6-0 lead through three innings and cruised to a 9-2 victory due to a tremendous offensive output. They went from getting shutout in game two, to having nearly every batter log a run, led by Jared Dupere’s 3 hits and 2 RBIs.
Games four and five saw the AquaSox get back into their groove and take back control of the series.
Both squads left runners on base through the early portions of game four before Alberto Rodriguez broke the ice with a solo blast for his 11th home run of the season in the seventh inning. Eugene doubled up the Sox on the back of another Victor Bericoto two-run homer in the top of the eighth before Everett would answer in the bottom of the inning scoring the final three runs of the contest.
The AquaSox defense was back on full display for game five as they notched their second shutout of the series 5-0. Offensive production was consistent as they took advantage of two Eugene errors allowing Everett to build and hold on to a comfortable lead through the entire game.
The final matchup of this series would not disappoint fans in attendance, as the teams took turns trading blows throughout the first five innings. With the game tied at five in the top of the sixth, Jared Dupere came in clutch to knock in two runs on a line drive single giving control of the game to Eugene.
The game would remain at 6-4 going into the final inning of play, where a Harry Ford single with two outs on the board drove in Mike Salvatore to put Everett down, one having the tying run on first. The ninth inning rally would only be a tease, as the Emeralds forced a groundout to first that concluded the series with the AquaSox falling 6-5.
While the final game leaves Everett with a bit of a sour taste in their mouth, they quickly have to load the buses once again and shift their attention to the next portion of their Northwest League schedule.
Everett Aquasox outfielder Roberto Rodriguez (Photo by Shari Sommerfield)
Player of the series
A reliable source on offense for the AquaSox all season has been right-fielder Alberto Rodriguez. In his second full season with Everett, Rodriguez has taken a big jump in his production as he currently leads the team in hits, runs, and RBIs with his 11 home runs being tied with first baseman Tyler Locklear. On top of all of this, he has logged an astonishing seven triples as he bats .307 on the year.
Coming in as Northwest League player of the week, Rodriguez went 12-23 at the plate contributing seven runs, eight RBIs, two triples, and a home run during the series. His development is speaking for itself, as he has already surpassed his home run total from 2022 and is well on pace to set new career numbers in nearly all of his major statlines. The 23-year-old Dominican native is proving to be a quality prospect who may find himself rising through the organization if his strong play continues (must be something in the last name).
An honorable mention during this series was the performance of pitcher Raúl Alcantara in game two. In his six full innings pitched, Alcantara left a clean sheet with no hits or runs on the board to go along with seven strikeouts. Prior to this performance Alcantara was sitting on a 9.43 ERA and struggled throughout the month of May. He was credited with his third win of the season, all coming in the back half of June, which should give him confidence with a full calendar of baseball still on the horizon for Everett.
What’s next?
In true minor league baseball fashion, the AquaSox don’t have much time to recover before getting back on the road. They’ll celebrate the 4th of July on the plateau with an evening showdown against the Colorado Rockies affiliate Spokane Indians. Six more games in Spokane will give way to five much needed days off before returning home to Funko Field for a series against the Hillsboro Hops starting July 14.
Everett sits 4.5 games behind the first place Vancouver Canadians in the Northwest League standings, with a head-to-head matchup in Vancouver scheduled for the end of the month.
First pitch for game one against the Indians is scheduled for 7:05 PM from Avista Stadium in Spokane.