The Eugene Emeralds delivered a commanding performance Monday night, defeating the Boise Hawks 6-0 in a one-sided affair.

With the season approaching its end, the win was key for the Ems. The team has twelve more regular season games, sits two games back of first-place Hillsboro Hops and it is one game out of a playoff spot.

The Ems (32-32) offense was hot out of the gate. In the first inning, Jhonny Bethencourt sent a hard ground ball into left field, bringing Zach Davis home. After a single from Miguel Amaya, Bethencourt went home, giving the Ems a 2-0 lead.

Bailey Clark delivered a flawless performance, pitching five scoreless innings. It was one of his best outings of the season, and one that left Ems manager Jesus Feliciano impressed.

“We needed it,” Feliciano said. “This game was a must win.”

The Ems struck again in the third inning. With Bethencourt on third, Hawks pitcher Alec Byrd threw a wild pitch, so Bethencourt scored again and the Ems held a commanding 3-0 lead.

The Ems weren’t finished. With two outs, Austin Filiere ripped a line drive single into left field, bringing Bethencourt home for his third run of the game.

“The last couple of weeks, they had been pretty rough for me,” Bethencourt said. “To come out tonight and play well, it felt pretty great.”

With the Ems up 4-0, Rollie Lacy replaced Clark in the sixth inning. Fortunately for the Ems, he picked up right where Clark left off. The combination of lights-out pitching and strong defensive play continued to stifle the Hawks’ bats.

In the bottom of the eight the Ems reminded everyone present that despite their lead, the game was not over yet. Jose Gonzalez drove a line drive into left field to score two more runs.

Up 6-0, Rollie Lacy took the mound once again and shut down the Hawks for good.

“I think this is great timing, for us to play the way we played tonight,” Feliciano said. “Hopefully we can make a push for the playoffs.”

The Emeralds will look to continue their playoff push at PK Park on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m against Boise.

Follow Aaron Alter on Twitter @aaronalter95

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