Canadians clinch playoff spot on penultimate night of season

The Vancouver Canadians had an up-and-down August during the 2013 season, losing four straight games in Boise at the beginning of the month (August 8-11) and enduring another four-game losing streak in the latter half of the month (August 21-24, three in Everett and one against Spokane). For the month of August, the Canadians were 12-15.

However, when it came down to crunch time, the Canadians won the games when it mattered the most, including their final contest of August when they won 4-2 in Tri-City on the 31st to stay ahead of the Spokane Indians in the overall standings (first half and second half standings).

Then on the second-last day of the season, on Sunday September 1st, the Canadians clinched a playoff spot when the first-half winners of the North Division, the Everett AquaSox, defeated Spokane and Vancouver took care of business by once again beating Tri-City. Those two outcomes clinched the second-half pennant for Everett, meaning that by Northwest League rules the second playoff spot for the division goes to the team with the next best overall record.

That team: the Vancouver Canadians, whose victory improved their overall record to 39-36, eliminating Spokane and its 38-37 mark. Since the Canadians own the tie-breaker over the Indians, Spokane can no longer catch Vancouver in the standings with one game remaining, putting the C's in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

Second-Half Standings on September 1

North Division
Team            W-L     Pct   GB
*#Everett      20-17   .541   -
Spokane       18-19   .486    2
x-Vancouver  17-20   .459    3
Tri-City         14-23   .378   6

*denotes first-half division winner
#denotes second-half division winner
x denotes second-half playoff participant

Overall Standings, September 1

North Division
Team            W-L     Pct   GB
Everett         43-32    .573   -
Vancouver   39-36    .520   4
Spokane      38-37    .507   5
Tri-City       33-42    .440   10

And the drama continued on into the final innings in both games on Sunday.

In Everett, the AquaSox and the Spokane Indians were scoreless through the first six innings--with Spokane starter RHP Eric Brooks tossing six no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts and only two walks--before the visitors broke through with a run in the top of the seventh on Evan Van Hoosier's RBI double. The Indians then added a second run in the top of the eighth when Jordan Akins hit his fourth homer of the summer, and looked to win their 39th game of the season as they went into the bottom of the eighth with a 2-0 lead.

The AquaSox, however, refused to cooperate, plating three runs in the last half of the eighth inning to stun the Indians. After being no-hit for the first six innings by Brooks, the AquaSox had gotten two hits in the bottom of the seventh off reliever Abel De Los Santos but failed to score. In the eighth, they would not let De Los Santos off the hook.

Phillips Castillo doubled off De Los Santos to open Everett's half of the eighth inning. A wild pitch moved Castillo to third base before he scored on a groundout. 2-1 Spokane. De Los Santos' wildness, meanwhile, continued as he then proceeded to walk Ian Miller. Reliever John Straka took over for De Los Santos on the mound, but Chantz Mack homered to right-center for a two-run shot, and the Indians were suddenly behind 3-2.

In the top of the ninth, Spokane put two men on with two outs, but Joe Jackson struck out swinging to end the game, as the Indians went down to a stunning 3-2 defeat. With the loss, the Indians dropped to 38-37 overall on the season with one game remaining. If the Vancouver Canadians won one more game, then Spokane would be eliminated from playoff contention.

Meanwhile, in Tri-City, the Dust Devils led 1-0 over the Canadians going into the top of the eighth inning, with the only run of the game coming in the third on a wild pitch by C's starter LHP Alonzo Gonzalez. Dust Devils RHP Ryan Warner had shut down the C's offense throughout the evening, yielding only one hit over five shutout innings while surrendering only two walks.

However, in the top of the eighth inning, the C's struck for the tying and winning runs off reliever Johendi Jiminian. Ian Parmley singled to left to open the inning and stole his 23rd base of the season, putting himself in scoring position with none out. Chaz Frank followed with a triple, tying the score. David Harris then doubled home Frank, giving the Canadians a 2-1 lead and putting the dagger into the hearts of the Spokane Indians.

Though Andy Fermin lined into a double play to end the C's threat, the two runs were more than enough as Tri-City could not rally in their final two at-bats. Reliever RHP Drew Permison, who was a big part of the Canadians' 2011-2012 back-to-back championships, tossed 1.2 innings to earn his first win of the summer with Vancouver after rejoining the team in mid-August. C's won 2-1, officially eliminating the Indians and putting Vancouver back into the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

Two dramatic eighth-inning rallies in two different cities, and Vancouver is in, Spokane is out.

The Canadians will wrap up their regular season with one more game in Tri-City before heading home to Scotiabank Field for their playoff opener against Everett on Tuesday, September 3rd.

* * * * *

The Canadians went on to win their third consecutive Northwest League Championship in 2013. Congratulations to C's skipper Clayton McCullough for winning his second championship in his second season managing the ballclub.

I always enjoyed speaking with McCullough as he is not only an excellent manager but also a terrific person. As a tribute to his managing the team to the 2013 championship, here is a vintage video from the previous season where he and I talked baseball:

 

C's go 2-6 in Boise and against Everett, fall to 9-12

Boise Series, August 8-11, 2013 (including doubleheader on Aug. 11)

Following the Northwest League All-Star Game, the Canadians travelled to Boise, ID, for a five-game series, where they have historically struggled. It was no different in 2013, as the C's dropped four of five to the Hawks.

The series began with 7-5, 5-4, 9-2, and 3-1 victories for Boise, before Vancouver salvaged the finale with a 6-5 win.

In the 9-2 loss for the C's on August 10, LHP Kyle Anderson (4-2, 3.05) had a rare bad outing, as he gave up five runs in the second inning and Vancouver found itself in a deep hole early on, one which the Canadians weren't able to come back from. In the defeat, CF Ian Parmley went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Hawks DH Trevor Gretzky, the son of Wayne Gretzky, went 2-for-4 while SS Carlos Penalver was 3-for-4 with a double, home run, and four RBIs.

After the C's lost the first four contests of this series, they could have given up as Boise raced out to a 5-3 lead after four innings, battering RHP Jeremy Gabryszwski for five runs on 11 hits. Vancouver, however, came storming back with two runs in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game as 2B David Harris delivered an RBI double and RF Ian Parmley smacked a run-scoring single, before getting the go-ahead run on LF Brenden Kalfus' RBI single in the seventh. Closer RHP Chuck Ghysels pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close out the victory, getting two strikeouts, as Vancouver salvaged the finale with the 6-5 triumph.

Everett Series, August 13-15, 2013

The Everett AquaSox, who won the first-half pennant in the North Division, did no favours for the Canadians as they came into Scotiabank Field and took two of three from the C's, winning 5-3 and 4-3. Vancouver won the middle game of the series, 10-1 on August 14, with RHP Tom Robson improving to 2-0 on the summer. The Ladner, BC native allowed one run on two hits over five innings for the C's, while Vancouver exploded for six runs in the first three innings en route to the blowout win.

Still, the C's lost the two close games in the series, as in the opening contest the AquaSox got out to a 5-0 lead against LHP Colton Turner (4.2 innings, 8 hits, 5 runs) before the Canadians' late-inning rally fell just short in the 5-3 defeat. In the series finale, it was again Everett jumping out ahead early on, and held a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the sixth. The C's cut the deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth when Ian Parmley scored on a wild pitch by AquaSox starter LHP Steven Ewing, and then tied it at 3-3 an inning later on RF Melvin Garcia's RBI double. The AquaSox, though, went on to win the game in the 12th inning on a walk and a pair of errors, and the game finished 4-3 in favour of Everett. It was a slopping game all around for the C's, who committed four errors and collected only five hits (while Everett finished with 13 hits and three errors).

The series loss dropped Vancouver's record to 9-12 in the second half. The C's would go on to lose 7-2 in the opening game of a five-game set against Salem-Keizer at Scotiabank Field on August 16, and fall three games behind the suddenly red-hot Spokane Indians in the North standings. With the Indians' sixth straight win on August 16, Spokane (12-10) had taken over top spot in the North Division standings in the second half, two games ahead of second-place Everett (10-12), with exactly 16 games remaining in the schedule. If Everett, the first-half winner, goes on to win the second half, then it will be the team with the next best overall record that will win the North Division's second-half pennant.

Second-Half Standings on August 16

North Division
Team            W-L     Pct   GB
Spokane       12-10   .545    -
*Everett        10-12   .455    2
Vancouver     9-13    .409    3
Tri-City          7-15    .318    5

*denotes first-half winner

C's take three out of five from Hops

Hillsboro Series, July 31-August 4, 2013

The Canadians, with a 4-4 record to open the second half, returned home to take on the Hillsboro Hops expecting to return to form against a struggling team that had gone 11-27 in the first half (including 4-15 on the road).

Incredibly, the Hops took the first two games in Vancouver, winning 7-1 and 4-3, as the Canadians saw their second-half record drop to 4-6. The opening contest was particularly heart-breaking for Vancouver, as the C's committed four errors which led to three unearned runs, wasting a strong effort by LHP Alonzo Gonzalez (normally a reliever) in his first start for Vancouver. Gonzalez gave up a run on three walks but did not allow a hit. Three of the C's four errors on the night came in the fifth inning, as Hillsboro took advantage of all of the miscues and scored three runs to break open what had been a 3-1 game.

After dropping the first two contests, the C's looked to have an easy win on August 2, scoring four runs in the first inning off Braden Shipley. The C's increased the lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the third, knocking the right-hander out after just 2.2 innings. Though the Hops scored three runs off Jeremy Gabryszwski in his six innings of work, the C's still were in control as they added two more runs in the bottom half of the sixth to take a commanding 8-3 lead. The score stayed that way until the top of the ninth inning, and the C's were juts three outs away from victory. Alas, in the top of the ninth, Chuck Ghysels loaded the bases with none out on a walk, single, and error by 1B Justin Atkinson. A bases-loaded walk to SS Ryan Gebhardt (the Hops' No. 9 hitter) followed, cutting the deficit to 8-4.

Ghysels bounced back and struck out the next two batters, and the C's were one out away from winning. Alas, 1B George Roberts smacked a bases-clearing double, and it was suddenly 8-7. 3B Cesar Carrasco hit a groundball to shortstop that looked like it would end the game, but SS Christian Vazquez booted it, allowing Roberts to score to tie the game.

The game went into extra innings, where Vazquez went from goat to hero as he singled to left field with David Harris on second base, giving the C's a thrilling walk-off 9-8 victory. It was Vazquez's first hit of the afternoon after he'd gone 0-for-4 in his first four at-bats.

The Canadians would not be denied the rest of the series, winning 8-2 and 4-0 in the final two games to take the series 3-2. In the 8-2 contest, Ladner BC's Tom Robson (1-0, 0.77) made his second start for the C's and won his first game, allowing one run on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts in six innings. Then it was Drayton AB's Shane Dawson (1-0, 0.00) who got in the act, pitching five shutout innings with no walks and nine strikeouts, allowing four hits, in the series finale.

The 3-2 homestand allowed the C's to improve to 7-6 in the second half, with the Northwest League All-Star Game set to take place on August 6 in Everett.

Canadians go 4-4 on road trip to begin second half with three shutout wins

After falling short in their bid for the first-half pennant in the North Division, the Vancouver Canadians opened the second half with an eight-game road trip which saw them play three in Spokane followed by five in Eugene. Though the Canadians started well, winning three of their first three contests, they proceeded to drop three in a row before needing salvaging the finale to post a .500 record on the trip.

Spokane Series, July 23-25, 2013

The Canadians opened the second half with back-to-back 2-0 shutout wins over the Spokane Indians, with RHP Jeremy Gabryszwski and LHP Colton Turner tossing gems for Vancouver. First, it was Gabryszwski (4-1, 0.99) pitching six innings of one-hit ball with no walks and two strikeouts, along with 1B L.B. Dantzler's fourth home run of the summer, giving the C's the opening-game victory. RHP Chuck Ghysels also pitched in by tossing a scoreless ninth inning for his fifth save of the season. Next up, it was Turner (3-3, 2.22) with six shutout innings in the second game, allowing four hits with a walk and two strikeouts, leading the C's to a second straight 2-0 triumph. Though the Canadians hitters struck out 11 times on the night--including RF Ian Parmley and LF Brenden Kalfus with three apiece--Vancouver finally ended a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning on 2B Andy Fermin's sacrifice fly (scoring DH Dickie Thon from third base) and C Michael Reeves' RBI single (scoring L.B. Dantzler from third). RHP Matt Johnson worked the ninth inning for his first save. 

In the series finale, the C's pitching again came through, as staff ace RHP Eric Brown allowed only two runs (one earned) on five hits over six strong innings. However, the C's managed only one run on three hits off Indians starter Kyle Castro and were shut out over the final four innings by the Spokane bullpen, as Vancouver fell 2-1. It was Brown's first loss of the season, dropping him to 5-1 with a 1.37 ERA. It was also Brown's final appearance for the Canadians, as the Thunder Bay (ON) native and former UBC Thunderbirds ace was called up shortly after to Lansing of the Midwest League.

In honour of Brown's call-up to Lansing, here's a vintage video of him and Zack Breault (who had retired earlier this year) in a fun Trivia Tuesday segment.

Eugene Series, July 26-July 30, 2013

In Eugene, the Canadians opened the series with a 4-3 victory on Friday, July 26, improving their second-half record to 3-1. However, they proceeded to drop the next three games by scores of 5-2, 9-8, and 5-3, including the heart-breaking defeat on July 28 which saw Jeremy Gabryszwski get knocked around for six runs before Vancouver rallied to take the lead only to see Matt Johnson cough it up in the eighth inning.

In that contest, the Canadians took a 1-0 lead in the second inning before Eugene rallied for two runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth to take a commanding 6-1 advantage. Remarkably, the C's struck for seven runs in the top of the sixth inning--highlighted by L.B. Dantzler's sixth home run, Brenden Kalfus' two-run double, Ian Parmley's run-scoring single, and an RBI single by Dantzler (batting for the second time in the inning--and Vancouver had an 8-6 lead. The Emeralds, however, cut the deficit to 8-7 in the bottom half of the sixth before RF Hunter Renfroe smacked a two-run home run two innings later off Johnson (with 2B Michael Bass on first base via a one-out walk). In the loss, Dantzler went 2-for-5 to raise his batting average to .313, while 1B Dan Arcila also went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI, and run scored.

In the series finale on July 30, the C's scored seven runs but there was no comeback by the Emeralds this time around, as LHP Shane Dawson (from Drayton Valley, Alberta) made his Canadians debut and tossed four shutout innings of one-hit ball with two walks and six strikeouts in Vancouver's 7-0 victory. Matt Dermody (3-1) picked up the win in relief, pitching two innings of one-hit ball with no walks and four strikeouts. Though Eugene's Erik Cabrera pitched well (two earned runs on five hits over four innings with four strikeouts), he was still tagged with the loss to fall to 0-6 on the summer. Dan Arcilia (his first), Brenden Kalfus (his first), and L.B. Dantzler (his seventh) all homered for the C's. But the story of the game was Dawson, who gave the C's four spectacular innings after being promoted to Vancouver from Bluefield (Appalachian League).

With Everett having won the first-half pennant, Vancouver would need to either 1) outright win the second half or 2) finish with a better record than division rivals Spokane and Tri-City should Everett win the second half again, in order to make the playoffs. With the 7-0 victory in the finale against Eugene, the C's finished their road trip 4-4 and now head home to take on Hillsboro for five games at Scotiabank Field.

Everett vs Vancouver, Part II

Everett Series, July 15-17, 2013

From July 4 through July 14, Vancouver won six of 10 contests, going 3-2 in Hillsboro and 3-2 against Boise at home, improving its season record to 18-12 after 30 games. In that same stretch, the Everett AquaSox went 5-5 (including back-to-back 8-0 losses in Eugene July 12-13) and through 30 games had a 20-10 mark. 

The Canadians and AquaSox met for their second series beginning July 15, with Vancouver only two games back of Everett entering this three-game set. With the first half ending the following week (in Short-Season Single-A ball, each half has only 38 games), the Canadians still had a shot at overtaking the AquaSox. In fact, with a three-game sweep, Vancouver would move into sole possession of first place in the North Division. 

Things started well for the Canadians in the series opener, when they spanked Everett 13-1 with RHP Eric Brown improving to 5-0 and 2B David Harris going 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. For Brown, it was another gem, as he tossed seven innings of three-hit ball with no walks and nine strikeouts, lowing his ERA to 1.33. 

With the first-half division title on the line, Vancouver struck for a five-run second inning to break the game open, with Harris' second double of the season driving in DH Jordan Leyland for the first run. CF Chaz Frank then singled home two more runs. SS Dickie Thon followed with a run-scoring single, and the C's added a fifth run on an Everett error, and it was 5-0. Vancouver wouldn't let up, scoring six more runs over the next three innings and the AquaSox never recovered. The division lead for Everett was down to one game.

The Canadians' offense came alive in each of the next two games, as they scored six runs in the second and third contests of the series. However, the pitching didn't show up, and the AquaSox came away with 11-6 and 7-6 victories to put a dagger into the C's first-half pennant hopes.

In the second game of the series on July 16, it initially appeared as though the Canadians would win in a romp, as they plated three runs in the top of the first inning--with L.B. Dantzler hitting his third home run of the season--and chased starter RHP Stephen Pryor. The C's had a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the second inning but the AquaSox exploded against LHP Scott Silverstein for five runs, knocking the Vancouver left-hander out of the game. The big blow was 1B Reggie Lawson's three-run home run off Silverstein, a blast which gave Everett a 7-4 advantage. The AquaSox never looked back, and went on to finish off the 11-6 win.

In the series finale, LHP Kyle Anderson did his job, handing a 2-1 lead to the Canadians bullpen. On the night, Anderson gave up just three hits with no walks in his five innings of work, striking out three batters. The only run the left-hander allowed was a home run off the bat of 1B Justin Seager. Alas, the AquaSox rallied against the Canadians bullpen, scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 3-2 lead. Everett added four runs in the bottom of the seventh for a commanding 7-2 cushion, before the C's four-run ninth-inning rally fell just short with their leading hitter, LF Jordan Leyland (.347), flying out to right field with the potential tying run aboard to end the game. The hero offensively for the C's was 3B Andy Fermin, who went 4-for-4 to raise his batting average to .296, as he also hit his first home run of the season in the ninth inning. Unfortunately for the C's, it was the duo of RHP Garrett Pickens and RHP Matt Johnson (six runs on four hits and three walks over two innings) failing in relief that doomed Vancouver. 

The series loss to the AquaSox dropped the Canadians to 19-14. Everett, meanwhile, improved to 22-11, and increased its lead over Vancouver to three games for the first-half pennant in the North Division with only five games remaining in the half. 

Following the Everett series, the Canadians took on the Eugene Emeralds for a five-game set from July 18-22 at Scotiabank Field as they battled to overtake the AquaSox for the first-half pennant. Despite 10-2 and 4-0 victories over Eugene to open the series, though, Vancouver was officially eliminated on July 20 following its 2-1 defeat and Everett's 8-7 win in Boise.*

The Canadians would finish the first half with a 22-16 record, one game back of the AquaSox. All four teams in the North Division finished .500 or above in the first half, which should make for an intriguing race in the second half.

2013 Northwest League First-Half Standings

North Division
Team            W-L    Pct    GB
Everett         23-15   .605    -
Vancouver    22-16   .579    1
Spokane      20-18   .526    3
Tri-City         19-19   .500    4

*For me, the Eugene series brought back memories of the Derrick Chung walk-off sacrifice fly game back on July 26, 2012, when the Canadians beat the Emeralds 1-0 at Scotiabank Field. Here's a trip down memory lane to one year ago...
 

Canadians go 4-2 on homestand June 28-July 3; inch closer to first-place AquaSox

Tri-City Series, June 28-30, 2013

Following their eight-game road trip, the Canadians returned home to Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium and took two of three from the Tri-City Dust Devils, winning the final two contests by 5-2 and 7-3 scores on June 29 and 30.

The series victory over Tri-City improved the Canadians' season record to 10-7 after 17 games, within striking distance of the first-place Everett AquaSox (14-3) for the North Division's first-half pennant. It also set up an intriguing Canada Day series at Scotiabank Field against the AquaSox as the C's try to inch close to Everett.

But first things first; Vancouver first had to deal with Tri-City. In the opener of the three-game set versus the Dust Devils on June 28, Canadians starter LHP Colton Turner was outstanding through the first six innings as the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie entering the seventh. Alas, the Dust Devils banged out two singles, a double, and a triple in the top of the seventh, plating three runs, and Tri-City came out on top with a 4-1 victory. LF Michael Tauchman's two-run three-base hit proved to be the decisive blow, as the hard-luck Turner--who had a two-hitter through the first six innings--dropped to 0-2 on the summer. The C's Jordan Leyland went 2-for-4 in the loss, improving his batting average to a team-best .340.

The Canadians bounced back with back-to-back wins to close out the Tri-City series, with staff ace Eric Brown pitching Vancouver to a 5-2 victory on June 29. The C's scored five runs early, and Brown (3-0, 0.76) tossed five shutout innings allowing just five hits for his third win of the season. RHP Matt Johnson, meanwhile, continued to shine for the C's. Johnson, who began the 2012 season as the Canadians' Opening Day shortstop before converting to a relief pitcher mid-summer, struck out two Dust Devils in two hitless innings of work and through 9.2 innings in 2013 still had a 0.00 ERA. Offensively, it was a collective team effort; Vancouver banged out 11 hits in the game--all singles--and every C's position player except 2B Jorge Vega-Rosado had at least one hit.

The following afternoon on June 30, the C's defeated the Dust Devils 7-3, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit. Tri-City had scored three runs in the third inning and the game moved along into the fifth when C Daniel Klein smacked his first home run of the summer to put the C's on the scoreboard. Down 3-2 in the seventh, the C's erupted for five big runs, with SS Dickie Thon's two-run double the big blow. RHP Justin James was the hero on the mound, tossing four shutout innings of one-hit ball in relief of Scott Silverstein (who gave up three runs over three innings in his Canadians debut).

But the biggest comeback of the day didn't happen until hours after the C's contest was completed. In Everett, the first-place AquaSox led the Spokane Indians 6-0 after four innings and seemed destined to improve to 15-2 on the summer. Instead, Spokane struck for seven runs in the fifth inning and two more in the seventh to stun the AquaSox. Down 9-6 entering the bottom of the seventh, Everett managed to score three runs to tie it, before CF Ryan Cordell (who finished the night 3-for-5 with three runs scored) homered in the ninth inning to win it 10-9 for the Indians.

The loss dropped Everett to 14-3, with Vancouver only four games back at 10-7 entering a crucial series against those AquaSox from July 1-3. Though the AquaSox seemed certain to win the first-half pennant in the North Division (with 21 games remaining in the 38-game half), the C's could make things interesting if they could sweep Everett or take two of three in their upcoming series.

Everett Series, July 1-3, 2013

The Everett AquaSox ruined the Canada Day celebration at Scotiabank Field on July 1, as the sell-out crowd of 5,157 went home disappointed in the Canadians' 7-3 loss in the opening game of this three-game set.

Though LHP Kyle Anderson pitched five gutsy innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk with four strikeouts, and though the C's built and early 3-1 lead, it ultimately wasn't enough as the AquaSox rallied and won it against the Vancouver bullpen. The decisive run came in the seventh inning, when with the score tied 3-3 and CF James Zamarripa on third base, SS Jack Reinheimer bunted him home for what proved to be the game-winning run. Everett put the game away in the top of the ninth, scoring three insurance runs on three singles, a walk, and an error, making the final margin 7-3. LHP Matt Dermody, who was making his C's debut, took the loss in relief. AquaSox ace Rigoberto Garcia (3-0, 2.35), meanwhile, allowed only five hits and a walk in seven innings, improving to 3-0.

The win improved Everett's record to 15-3 as the AquaSox bounced back from that ugly 10-9 loss to Spokane the night before, and Vancouver dropped to 10-8, five games back of the division lead.

Still, the Canadians showed some resiliency, rallying to beat the AquaSox in the next two games, 11-1 and 7-3. With the two victories, Vancouver (12-8) trailed ended the series just three games behind Everett (15-5).

In the second game of the series on July 2, RHP Jeremy Gabryszwski tossed six shutout innings of two-hit ball with no walks for the C's before they broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh. Ahead 3-1, Vancouver broke open a tense ballgame with three runs, highlighted by CF Ian Parmley's two-run double off AquaSox reliever LHP Nick Valenza. The Canadians added five more runs in the next inning on five singles, two walks, and a hit batsman, putting the game out of reach. Final score, 11-1. AquaSox RHP Lars Huijer, born in the Netherlands and signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Seattle Mariners in 2011, didn't pitch a bad game in going five innings while allowing only two runs. However, Huijer still suffered his first loss with Everett, dropping to 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA.

The AquaSox didn't receive good starting pitching in the finale of the series against the Canadians, though, as LHP Tyler Olson, drafted by the Mariners in the seventh round in 2013, was roughed up for six runs over the first two innings. The Canadians would pound Olson for seven runs total on 11 hits and four walks over his 4.2 innings en route to a 7-3 romp. 1B L.B. Dantzler clubbed a two-run double and Surrey BC's 3B Justin Atkinson added an RBI double, helping LHP Colton Turner (1-2) register his first victory of the 2013 season. LF Jordon Leyland, meanwhile, went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, and two runs scored, and raised his batting average to .356.

With the victory, the Canadians wrapped up their homestand with a 4-2 mark and would embark on a five-game road trip to Hillsboro on July 4-8 to take on the Hops.

C's have successful eight-game road trip; go 5-3 in Salem-Keizer and Spokane

Salem-Keizer Series, June 20-24, 2013

I will always have fond memories of Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Oregon. Last August 20, I did a few innings of play-by-play in the visiting broadcast booth for RHP Taylor Cole's spectacular performance on his 23rd birthday and the Vancouver Canadians went on to take two of three against the Volcanoes.*

This year, with Salem-Keizer having moved to the South Division, the Canadians and Volcanoes are no longer division rivals. So, instead of playing four three-game series, the two teams will play only a pair of five-game sets, with the June 20-24 series taking place in Keizer.

Vancouver took the first three games of the series by scores of 6-4, 5-4, and 8-6, before losing the final two in heart-breaking fashion, 2-1 (called after five innings due to rain) and 1-0 (10 innings). 

The 6-4 victory on June 20 and the 8-6 thriller on June 22 remind me of why the Canadians are two-time defending Northwest League champions. Both wins featured amazing comebacks just when you thought the C's were out of it. 

In the first win, the Canadians trailed 4-1 after seven innings as they were unable to get anything against Volcanoes starter LHP Andrew Leenhouts (4.2 innings, 1 R) and reliever RHP Jake Shadle (2.1 innings, 0 hits, 0 R). In the top of the eighth inning, though, Vancouver struck against LHP Chris Fern. 

With one out, 2B Andy Fermin reached base when Volcanoes 2B Cristian Otero booted his ground ball, and DH Jordan Leyland singled him to second. After a groundout by RF Brenden Kalfus, Surrey B.C.'s 1B Justin Atkinson singled home Fermin, cutting the deficit to 4-2. A wild pitch by Fern put runners on second and third, before C Michael Reeves delivered a two-run double to tie the game at 4-4. 

Stunned by the Canadians' rally, Salem-Keizer went down quietly in the bottom half of the eighth inning before Vancouver erupted for the winning runs in the top of the ninth. And it was a pair of Canadians who had been struggling who made it happen.

CF Ronnie Melendez, who came into this game batting .077, led off with a single off RHP Raymundo Montero. With Guelph Ontario's 3B Shaun Valeriote batting, Melendez took off for second base. However, Salem-Keizer C Gabriel Cornier threw the ball into center field, allowing Melendez to reach third base. After Valeriote walked, Andy Fermin doubled home both runners to give the C's a 6-4 advantage. For Fermin, who came into the night batting .188, it was his first double of the season and his first hit of the contest, and it proved to be the game-winner. 

Though the Volcanoes loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth on a pair of walks and a single, RHP Jonathan Kountis struck out the side, including Salem-Keizer's best hitter SS Jeremy Sy (who was batting .450 going into the contest) swinging, to end the thriller. 

Though C's starter LHP Kyle Anderson gave up four runs, he still pitched effectively in his 5.2 innings of work, striking out six Volcanoes without issuing a walk. But it was the C's comeback--as well as the 3.1 innings of two-hit, shutout ball with seven strikeouts provided by the bullpen--that got him off the hook.

If that opening-game victory was exciting, then the C's certainly gave an encore performance two nights later. 

Down 6-1 after five innings, Vancouver came storming back with seven runs over the next three innings to pull out an incredible 8-6 victory. While the Canadians showed a lot of grit by coming back, they were actually helped out by a porous Volcanoes defense that committed seven errors (which led to three unearned runs). 

In the top of the sixth, C Daniel Klein reached base on a throwing error by Volcanoes counterpart Eugene Escalante, and 1B Justin Atkinson (who would finish the evening 2-for-4) made him pay by drilling an RBI double to make it 6-2. An inning later, SS Dickie Thon also delivered a run-scoring two-base hit as part of a three-run outburst which cut the deficit to 6-5.

The C's then put the dagger into the Volcanoes' hearts in the top of the eighth inning, scoring three runs to complete the comeback. After LF Ronnie Melendez and CF Ian Parmley both walked to open the inning, RF Brenden Kalfus stroke a one-out double to cash in both runners to give the C's their first lead all evening. One out later, Kalfus would score on a single by Daniel Klein for Vancouver's eighth run, and the Canadians would hang on to the 8-6 victory.

It was Vancouver's fifth straight win and the club improved to 6-3 after nine games. But that victory, as well as the 6-4 game that opened the Salem-Keizer series, served as a reminder as to why the Canadians have won the last two NWL Championships. They never seem to give up, and just when you think they're done, they show you otherwise.

The C's winning streak would be snapped the following afternoon on June 23, when Salem-Keizer won 2-1 in a game which was called after five innings. LHP Colton Turner (0-1) was the hard-luck loser in that contest, allowing only three hits (and three walks) in his four innings of work. SS Dickie Thon drove in the only run for Vancouver, slugging a fifth-inning double that cashed in CF Ian Parmley. 

Vancouver would close out the Salem-Keizer series by losing 1-0 in 10 innings, wasting a stellar performance by ace RHP Eric Brown. Brown, the native of Thunder Bay, ON, tossed seven shutout innings and allowed just two hits with eight strikeouts (and no walks), lowering his ERA to a minuscule 0.96. 

Alas, the C's couldn't get any runs off RHP Chris Johnson (6 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 6 SO), RHP Jake Shadle (2 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 SO), and RHP Raymundo Montero (2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 SO), either. 

The game wasn't decided until the bottom of the 10th, when Volcanoes 1B Jonathan Jones singled off RHP Markus Brisker with the bases loaded, allowing Salem-Keizer to salvage the series finale. 

The Canadians managed only five hits in the 1-0 loss, with 1B Jordan Leyland (2-for-4) collecting two of them, including a double. The two-hit game raised Leyland's average to .324, tops among all regular C's hitters.


Spokane Series, June 25-27, 2013

Following the Canadians' 3-2 series win in Salem-Keizer, they travelled to Avista Stadium in Spokane, Washington, for their second matchup of the 2013 summer with the Spokane Indians.

Vancouver had won two of three against the Indians back in its season-opening homestand at Scotiabank Field (June 17-19), and it was no different this time around in Spokane.

In the series opener on June 25, LHP Kyle Anderson was spectacular, tossing six innings of two-hit ball with no walks and three strikeouts, as the Canadians won 4-0. Anderson had to pitch a shutout, as the C's gave him just one run of support through the first six innings, with 2B David Harris' RBI single in the top of the second off Indians starter RHP Alex Gonzalez (driving in DH Jordan Leyland) the only run of the ballgame up to that point.

The C's would salt the game away in the final innings, with an Andy Fermin run-scoring double and Jordan Leyland RBI single cashing in two more runs.

The Canadians pitching staff did not issue a walk in the entire game, allowing only four hits to Spokane, as the right-handed trio of Alvido Jimenez, Tim Brechbuehler, and Chuck Ghysels shut down the Indians over the final three innings while allowing just two hits with four strikeouts.

Indians reliever RHP Eric Brooks gave up just one run on two hits over five innings in a losing effort for Spokane.

Despite 1B Justin Atkinson's game-tying home run in the ninth inning the following night on June 26, along with six innings of four-hit, one-run ball by RHP Jeremy Gabryszwski, the C's still lost 3-2 in 10 innings as the Indians earned a split in the series after the first two contests.

Atkinson, from Surrey, B.C., slugged a one-out homer to deep leftfield off reliever RHP Josh McElwee to tie the game 2-2 in the ninth, but the Canadians lost it in the bottom of the 10th inning on a throwing error by SS Dickie Thon with runners on second and third with two outs.

In the loss for the C's, there were still several standouts who came through on this night.

• Gabryszwski, who walked one batter and recorded three strikeouts, lowered his ERA to 1.59 on the summer. In each of his first three starts this year, he has gone at least five innings and given up no more than one earned run. He is 1-0 for the C's and has issued just one walk in his 17 innings of work. 
• Atkinson, who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 26th round in 2011, went 2-for-4. His ninth-inning home run was his first of the summer for Vancouver, and the second of his professional career. The 19-year-old first baseman's other home run came in 2012 in the Gulf Coast League.
• CF Ian Parmley went 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .261.

The Canadians would bounce back the series finale on June 27, beating the Indians 5-2 to complete a successful eight-game road trip where they went 5-3.

In the finale, 2B Andy Fermin banged out three hits in five at-bats and drove in a pair of runs, 3B L.B. Dantzler went 2-for-4 in his second game in a Canadians uniform, and C Michael Reeves was 3-for-4 with a run scored.

Reeves' three-hit game raised his batting average to .440 for the summer.

On the mound, LHP Bobby Brosnahan picked up his first win of the season with five shutout innings of three-hit ball. Brosnahan (1-1) did not allow a walk and recorded seven strikeouts.

With the win, the C's improved their record to 8-6 and return home for a six-game homestand beginning on June 28 against the Tri-City Dust Devils (three games) and the North Division-leading Everett AquaSox (three games).

*I began this post by reminiscing about the Taylor Cole/Salem-Keizer game from August 20, 2012. Here is the play-by-play of that memorable night: