There was no shortage of offense Sunday night for the Eugene Emeralds. They pounded out 11 hits which led to six runs, en route to a 6-1 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils. Three Ems players recorded multi-hit games, and five players contributed runs batted in.
Hunter Renfroe achieved both feats in the win, driving in the game’s first run in the fourth inning. Renfroe singled to left allowing Anthony Torres to score all the way from first. The RBI base knock was one of three hits on the night for the 13th overall pick of the MLB Draft.
Eugene added on in the fifth courtesy of Malquiel Brito’s second homer of the season, a solo shot to right field. The Ems DH added another hit in the sixth, Eugene’s biggest inning. Renfroe singled with one out and advanced to third on Northwest League All-Star Trae Santos’ double, putting runners on second and third with one out. Fernando Perez scored them both on a single to right, putting the Ems in front 4-1. Three batters later, the bases were loaded for Felipe Blanco, who drew a walk to increase the lead to 5-1. Santos’ double was the first of a pair of two-baggers, part of a three-hit night for the Ems first baseman.
Edwin Moreno added an insurance run in the eighth when he singled home Perez, who walked to lead off the inning.
Emeralds starting pitcher Coby Cowgill (1-0) was nearly un-hittable in his second start of the season. He allowed three hits over five innings, yielding one unearned run. He attacked Tri-City hitters with accuracy, totaling eight strikeouts against one walk. Tony Rizzotti and Tyler Hale combined to allow three hits over the final four innings, striking out five and walking none. Strikeouts continue to be a strong suit of the Ems this season — they rank second in the Northwest League with 443 K’s this season.
The Dust Devils scored their lone run of the ballgame in the fourth inning. Following Michael Tauchman’s single, he stole second and advanced to third on an error by Eugene catcher Michael Miller. Tri-City third baseman Michael Benjamin reached safely on an error by Blanco, allowing Tauchman to score.
The Ems finish their five-game series with Tri-City with two wins, putting them at 7-6 for the second half of the season, tied with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes for first place in the South Divison. The team will have three days off to observe the All-Star festivities in Everett, Washington, where four Ems will be representing the home-town team. Santos is an All-Star reserve and will participate in the Home Run Derby as well. He’ll be joined by fellow Emeralds Erik Schoenrock, Jimmy Brasoban and All-Star starter Ronnie Richardson.