Harrison Freed gets waved around third and heads into score in Salem-Keizer’s 10-7 loss to Eugene on Sunday, Sept. 1 (KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings).
A team mostly of newcomers to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes fell to the visiting Eugene Emeralds 6-1 Monday, Sept. 2 in the regular season finale.
Nick Avila was the starting pitcher for the Volcanoes and Richard Gallardo for Eugene in this game, which was scoreless through the first four innings.
In the Emerald fifth, with Andy Rohloff taking the mound, Yovanny Cuevas reached first base by getting hit with a pitch. After getting the first out of the inning, Rohloff issued a pair of free passes to load up the bases.
Things went from bad to worse for Rohloff when Cuevas scored on a passed ball, which was followed by a two-run double by Jake Washer.
Trailing 3-0, Salem-Keizer threatened but did not score in the bottom of the fifth. Luis Toribio led off by striking out, but reached first on a third-strike wild pitch. Yorlis Rodriguez singled to center, moving Toribio to second.
Harrison Freed, however lined into a double play in the next at-bat. The Volcanoes kept the threat going when Matt Malkin singled to left and Beicker Mendoza reached first on an error to load the bases. But Kwan Adkins flew out to center to end the inning.
Fernando Kelli hit a two-run double off Volcanoes pitcher Abel Adames to put the Emeralds up 5-0.
In the Volcano sixth, Jairo Pomares doubled to right and scored Salem-Keizer’s only run as Martorano reached first on an error by Eugene second baseman Josue Huma.
With Israel Cruz on the mound for Salem-Keizer in the seventh, Alexander Guerra hit an infield single and later came in to score Eugene’s final run on a double to right center by Grayson Byrd.
The Volcanoes used eight pitchers and the Emeralds five. The winning pitcher was Yovanny Cruz with a 1-2 record. The loser was Rohloff at 0-1.
Acknowledging that he used mostly reserves and newcomers, acting Volcanoes manager Nestor Rojas said, “We have to stay sharp for the playoffs.”
The attendance, although only 2,004, moved the regular-season attendance total past 80,000.
Wednesday, Aug. 28: Volcanoes 6, Eugene 5
This road game, in which Salem-Keizer had a 5-1 lead after four innings, turned into a cliffhanger.
Eugene outhit the Volcanoes 7-5 but also committed three errors to one for the visitors. Eight Salem-Keizer walks and seven by the Emeralds contributed to the suspense.
Travis Perry started for the Volcanoes and became the winning pitcher at 5-2 with six strikeouts in five innings. Clay Helvey, who relieved him, pitched out of several bases-loaded jams. Deiyerbert Bolivar back from a brief rehab in the Arizona Summer League, got his second save as a member of the Volcanoes.
The game eliminated the Emeralds from postseason contention.
Thursday, Aug. 29: Volcanoes 10, Eugene 5
The Volcanoes broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the third inning and stayed ahead the rest of the way.
Two of the home runs in the game were by Salem-Keizer: a two-run shot by Alex Canario in the third inning and a three-run homer by Carter Aldrete in the seventh. Eugene’s homer was a solo shot by Jake Washer in the fourth.
For the Volcanoes, Canario had four hits, Matt Malkin three and Adrete two. Two Emeralds, Yovanny Cuevas and Jacob Olson had two hits apiece.
Ben Madison was the winning pitcher in relief with a 2-0 record, and Israel Cruz had his fifth save. The losing pitcher in relief was Brad Deppermann at 0-1.
Friday, Aug. 30: Volcanoes 4, Eugene 3 (11 innings)
First the no-hitter disappeared, then the shutout, then the lead, but Salem-Keizer still came out on top.
The first three runs of the game were scored in the top of the fifth. Abdiel Layer doubled Luis Toribio home, moving Tyler Flores to third base. Layer and Flores then scored on a single by Kwan Adkins.
The Emeralds got their first hit in the bottom of the fifth. Salem-Keizer still held the three-run advantage in the top of the ninth, but Eugene scored three times in the inning to tie the game.
Jacob Olson tripled, driving in Josue Huma for the Emeralds first run. Olson scored as Jonathan Soto singled, and an error by second baseman Yorlis Rodriguez let Fernando Kelli score to tie the game.
The game went into extra innings, but the Volcanoes scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th when Jairo Pomares scored on a wild pitch by Maikel Aguiar.
Jordan Scott was the winning pitcher in relief at 3-1, throwing two scoreless innings without giving up a hit.
Saturday, Aug. 31: Volcanoes 4, Eugene 3 (10 innings)
This repetition of history, minus one inning, gave the Volcanoes a sweep of this road series.
Salem-Keizer scored the first two runs of the game in the top of the seventh as a single by Brandon Mortarono drove in Armani Smith and Luis Toribio.
It was a 2-0 game until Eugene’s Alex Guerra tied the game by homering with Yovanny Cuevas on base.
In the Volcano 10th, a double by Kwan Adkins scored Abdiel Layer. Adkins reached third on a wild pitch and then scored on a sacrifice fly Alex Canario.
The Emeralds did not stop fighting. With two out in the bottom of the 10th, a double by Ryan Reynolds drove in Jacob Olson to cut the lead to one.
But Deiyerbert Bolivar struck out the next batter to get his third save. Bolivar had relieved Conner Nurse, who won his second game against four losses. Jake Reindl took the loss at 0-1.
Sunday, Sept. 1: Eugene 10, Volcanoes 7 (10 innings)
The Volcanoes followed their four-game road sweep of Eugene with a home loss to the Emeralds in the first of the last two regular-season games.
Salem-Keizer scored the first two runs of the game in the second inning as Beicker Mendoza doubled Tyler Wyatt and Harrison Freed home.
Eugene’s first run came in the third, and in the fourth Alex Guerra hit a two-run homer that gave the Emeralds a 3-2 lead. Chris Corbett singled Kwan Adkins home in the Volcano fourth to tie the score.
In the sixth, a sacrifice fly put Eugene ahead one run. A two-run homer by
Edmond Americaan in the eighth then put the visitors ahead 6-3. In the Volcano eighth, three straight solo homers, courtesy of Adkins, Harrison Freed and Mendoza, made the score 6-6.
It remained 6-6 until the top of the 10th, when two walks, two singles and a wild pitch gave the Emeralds four more runs. All Salem-Keizer could manage in that inning was another run by Adkins, driven in by Corbett.
Maikel Aguiar was the winning pitcher, evening his record at 2-2. The loss went to Clay Helvey, 1-2.
