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-5
Ems fight through win against AquaSox
The Eugene Emeralds stay atop
their division with a suspenseful
8-7 win over Everett Monday night
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Editor
It was your traditional cat-and-dog
baseball game Monday night as the
Eugene Emeralds faced off with the
Everett AquaSox in a back-and-forth
battle through four innings.
After trailing 5-3 in the fourth, the
Ems threw five runs on the board to
take the lead and secure a victory. It
was the first match-up of a three-game
series between the teams and gave the
Ems a 3-1 overall record against
Everett this season.
The Ems entered Monday night
coming from a five-game series
against Boise where they dropped
three games to remain barely above
.500 at 17-15.
They needed a win against die
AquaSox to remain atop of the North
west League West Division.
But the Ems got off to a rough start:
Everett's first batter, shortstop Oswaldo
Navarro, knocked one to the left wall
for a double and eventually scored on
a single by left fielder Nick Orlandos.
Navarro earned two runs for the
AquaSox and burnt the Ems with two
stolen bases in the top of the third.
"I've been working really hard and I
just saw the ball well," Navarro said.
"We lost tonight but there's going to
be another day."
The AquaSox put two runs on the
board in the first as Orlandos scored
on a double steal. Designated hitter Je
remy Dutton was stealing second, and
as Ems second baseman Peeter Ramos
realized he wouldn't make the play, he
immediately turned the ball home but
couldn't get Orlandos in time.
Eugene turned around and had one
of many answers. After center fielder
Brian Wahlbrink got a single, left field
er Ryan Johnson came to the plate and
ripped one over the right wall.
It was Johnson's second home run as
an Emerald. Johnson ended with two
Jessica Waters Emerald
Center fielder Brian Wahlbrink (36) congratulates Ryan Johson (27) on hitting a tvwnun homer in the bottom of the first to tie the game.
RBIs on the night, along with his one
out-of-the-park hit to tie the score 2-2.
After stalling in the second, Everett
got things going again in the third as
Navarro continued to hurt Eugene. Af
ter hitting one into center for a single,
Navarro eventually scored to give
Everett a one-run lead.
Thanks to AquaSox pitcher Felix
Hernandez, the Ems tied the game 3-3
off two wild pitches in the bottom of
the third. After shortstop Alex Garcia
got a single to first, he had an easy
move to second off the first wild pitch.
Garcia then ran to third off a single
and scored the tying run off another
wild pitch from Hernandez (5-1) who
got the loss on the night.
The AquaSox just kept bringing it to
the Ems as right fielder Samuel Brad
ford and first baseman Bryan LaHair
both scored in the top of the fourth.
Bradford earned the fourth stolen base
of the night for Everett uncontested.
But the Ems proved that Everett had
nothing they couldn't match. After
Johnson was walked to first, catcher
Colt Morton tied "the game up with a
two-run shot and the Ems' second
home run of the night over the right
field wall.
"The guy left me one up and out
and it just had enough to get out of
here," Morton said. "It felt great and
we've been working on staying
through balls a lot more."
The Ems went through their entire
batting lineup in the fourth while
managing to break out to a three run
lead. As the series continued, first
baseman Fernando Valenzuela was
walked to first and then advanced to
second off another wild pitch.
Right fielder Casey Baker hit a line
drive up the left field line for a double
that scored Valenzuela and advanced
third baseman Justin Smyres to third.
Smyres would eventually score along
with Baker.
The end of the fourth proved the
end of the dog fight between the
squads. The Ems maintained their
8-5 lead through six innings.
Everett gave a scare in the top of
the seventh when Bradford drove
one up center field to score Orlan
dos and Dutton.
Yet the AquaSox didn't have enough
in the end and couldn't put a run on
the board in the final two innings.
"That's an old fashion hardball
game right there," Manager Roy How
ell said. "Both sides were battling and
that is what makes it a great game. It
shows on both sides that they're play
ing the game well."
Contact the sports editor
at jessethomas@dailyemerald.coin.
Thomas
continued from page 5
good old days prior to the mid
1990s are now gone.
Depressing isn't it?
With last season's team antics,
you have to wonder whether any
thing or anybody can bring this
team out of the dark black hole
links this summer with our
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4
they7ve dug for themselves.
In 2002-03 alone, Damon
Stoudamire was caught twice carry
ing marijuana, once just this month.
Rasheed Wallace earned a seven
game suspension after an entangle
ment with a referee, and was also
caught with marijuana once with
Stoudamire. Ruben Patterson was
arrested on domestic assault charges
in November.
Portland's response to the horrific
team image was, as history shows, re
structure. Fire the president and gen
eral manager, send your future Hall
of Famer to Chicago and draft an 18
year-old high schooler that will not
contribute to your squad for at least
two years.
A job well-done? Not likely. The
Blazers are dealing with young kids
when they need someone who can
contribute now. They have a 38-year
old center with bad knees, along with
plenty of firecrackers with short fuses
in the starting lineup.
Portland's image, its team and its
performance are all in the dog house.
It's a roster full of stars who were giv
en a second chance and continued to
mess up. One can only hope that
Paul Allen and his billions know
what they're doing because, as of
now, it doesn't show.
But this new transition could
have an effect that reminds us of
1988-89, when after one season,
the Blazers went to the NBA Finals.
With an outcome that is as stable as
Wallace's temper, let's hope the
Blazers don't meet the Lakers again
in the first round.
But all in all, one thing is for
sure. The good old days will be
sorely missed.
Contact tiie sports editor
at jessethomas@daiiyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald.
Mac Court
continued from page 5
proximity to campus are located on
Franklin Boulevard in Glenwood
and right before crossing the bridge
into Springfield.
"Every single site has its advantages
and disadvantages, and it's just a
tradeoff when having to make a
choice," Williams said. "There's a lot
of speculation but there's always
speculation and we are trying to go
about this in a professional manner."
Several University officials were
hesitant to comment on the pros
and cons of the different sites in
identifying which one has an edge
over another.
The three remaining sites allow
for easy access by students and ac
cording to Williams the University
expects student to walk from cam
pus to the games: The new federal
courthouse location, located just off
the Ferry Street Bridge; the Williams'
Bakery site, located on East 13th
Avenue near the Hamilton com
plex; and the old Coca-Cola
bottling plant site located on River
front Parkway.
Williams' Bakery did not return
phone calls regarding the possibility
of their site being chosen.
CSL International, which was
hired by the University to file a report
regarding the capabilities of each site
location based upon the criteria,
should soon help administrators
make an educated decision.
"The bottom line is Mac Court is
outdated and it's 77 years old,"
Moos said. "And as much as we all
love it and have so many fond
memories, we've got to be looking
to the future and forming a vision
of where we're going to be 10, 20,
30, 50 years from now."
Contact the sports editor
at jessethomas@dailyemerald.com.
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