Photo Credit Mark Steffens
If you never had a chance to attend either Vancouver Canadians game over the weekend you clearly missed out on some exceptional ball by the Jays West Coast farm team.
Friday saw a three-run bottom of the eighth allowing the Canadians to set a franchise record-tying eighth consecutive win Saturday by grabbing a 7-4 takedown of Hillsboro, farm club for Arizona.
We should make mention that not only did the C’s win but the league continues to utilize two umpires but this was unique as the base umpire Isabella Robb was impressive to watch her make the calls.
In 2018 she attended an umpire camp in Houston that earned her a scholarship advancing to calling the Appalachian AllStar game in 2021.
While attending SouthWestern she studied Psychology which obviously can’t hurt when you are officiating in a Men’s League.
As a youngster she never really watched games but went with her Dad, Kenneth and Grandparents and when she’s told you can’t do this her comeback is simply “watch me.”
C’s broadcaster Tyler Zickle sent the following press release – Enjoy!!
Tied at four to begin the penultimate frame, Johnathan Lavallee (W, 1-2) stranded a one-out single to keep the game even going into the home half. Dasan Brown sparked the offense with an infield single, stole second then raced home for the go-ahead run on a Jace Bohrofen single to right field.
With Bohrofen at second after the throw to the plate went wide, Peyton Williams doubled him home then Je’Von Ward plated Williams from second with a base hit to make it 7-4.
Josh Mollerus (S, 5) needed just seven pitches – all of them strikes – to retire the side in order in the top of the ninth and lock down Vancouver’s eighth win in a row.
Brown started the scoring with an RBI double in the bottom of the second to give the C’s an early 1-0 lead, but Hillsboro responded with two in the third and two more in the fourth to go up 4-1 for their largest lead of the series.
The C’s were undeterred as they managed to load the bases with no outs in the fourth scoring their second run of the game on a double play before tying the game with a two-out rally in the fifth.
Ward beat the throw to first on a ground ball to third, Nick Goodwin was hit by a pitch and Robert Brooks walked for the third consecutive plate appearance to set the table for Jean Arnaez, who laced a two-RBI single to center that made it 4-4.
Rafael Ohashi logged two and a third scoreless innings of relief to keep the Hops at bay before Lavallee and Mollerus took care of the rest.
Brown and Williams paced the offense with three hits apiece while Ward and Estiven Machado each contributed two knocks.
Another sterling outing from starter Rafael Sanchez and multi-hit showings from Jace Bohrofen and Peyton Williams led the Canadians to a series sweep over the Hillsboro Hops [AZ] with a 4-2 win in front of a sellout crowd Sunday afternoon at The Nat.
After Sanchez (W, 4-1) kept the Hops scoreless through three, the C’s took the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the third. Jommer Hernandez led off with a single and Estiven Machado doubled to put two on with nobody out before Je’Von Ward delivered a sacrifice fly to start the scoring. Bohrofen continued the inning with a walk,
Williams cracked his second hit in as many at-bats then Jackson Hornung walked to load the bases. A pitching change followed, but Nick Goodwin practiced patience by watching four wide ones to force home a run and make it 2-0.
Vancouver added another run in the fifth. Bohrofen doubled with one out and raced home two pitches later on a Williams single to right field – his third hit of the game – to put the Canadians ahead 3-0.
Sanchez kept the Hops scoreless until the sixth. They loaded the bases with no outs and seemed poise for a big inning, but the righty doused the rally with a run-scoring fielder’s choice, a lineout and a strikeout to keep the C’s in front by a pair.
Hillsboro made it a one-run game in the seventh. With Sanchez still on the slope, a lead-off single and a one-out double put two men in scoring position and finished the starter’s afternoon.
On came Chay Yeager, who got a ground out that scored a run and a flyout to limit the damage and hold on to a one-score advantage.
Another Bohrofen double in the bottom of the seventh moved a lead-off walk to third, which made a Williams sacrifice fly possible to provide a big insurance run that put the Canadians back on top by two.
Naswell Paulino (S, 1) worked around a one-out walk in the ninth to retire the side and secure a franchise record-tying ninth consecutive win.
Earlier media releases erroneously reported the franchise record as eight, but after further research a nine-game winning streak for the C’s was established around the All-Star Break in July of 2022.
After sweeping the Hops, the Canadians welcome the Everett AquaSox [SEA] to The Nat for a three-game series that begins tomorrow on Canada Day. Lazaro Estrada goes for the C’s opposite Everett’s Shaddon Peavyhouse. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.
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