Canadians sunk by 11th inning walk-off homer
September 4, 2021
Official Vancouver Canadians News Release
EVERETT, WA – The Vancouver Canadians ran out of gas late in a 10-9 walk-off loss in 11 innings to the Everett AquaSox (Mariners) Saturday night at Funko Field.
With the C’s leading 9-8 after scoring a run on an error in the top of the eleventh inning, Everett’s Victor Labrada hit the fourth pitch from Davis Schneider (L, 0-1) – a position player forced into action by a depleted bullpen – to shock Vancouver and win it for the AquaSox.
A back-and-forth battle saw the score tied at eight through eight innings. The ‘Sox struck for two in the first before the C’s plated three in the second with four hits and a pair of RBI ground outs to go ahead 3-2. Everett went up 5-3 with a run in the third and two in the fourth, but the Canadians blasted two home runs – Zac Cook’s two-run shot and a Tanner Morris solo bomb that extended his hitting streak to 22 games – to score three in the sixth and added two more in the seventh when Phil Clarke homered and Cook drove in Eric Rivera – who had worked a two-out walk – with a double off the wall that had Vancouver in front 8-5.
Everett rallied to tie the game by scoring three runs on one hit, two walks, an error, a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth, but Thomas Ruwe came on to start the ninth and was lights out. He set down the side to force extra innings then struck out the side in the tenth to strand the winning run at second base. He finished with a season-high five strikeouts.
Morris and Spencer Horwitz each had a hit to extend their hitting streaks to 22 and 23 games, respectively. Rivera matched a season high with three hits and scored three runs. The C’s have now homered in 10 of their last 11 games.
Vancouver can still win the series if they take the finale on Sunday. Paxton Schultz climbs the hill for the C’s and will be opposed by Everett’s Stephen Kolek.