July 4, 2026 — EVERETT, Wash.: Playing in front of a crowd of 3,797 fans at Everett Memorial Stadium on Independence Day, the Everett AquaSox defeated the Tri-City Dust Devils 6-3 courtesy of a 12-hit night offensively and a strong pitching performance all-around.
Each team’s starting pitcher excelled to begin the evening, keeping the game tied scoreless across the first three innings. Tri-City broke scoring ground first in the top of the fourth courtesy of Aaron Graeber, who hit a two-run home run after David Mershon drew a leadoff walk.
Everett later found the board in the bottom of the fifth, cutting their deficit in half as Jonny Farmelo and Luke Stevenson hit consecutive doubles. Stevenson’s double banged off of the manual scoreboard, scoring Farmelo to make the score 2-1. AquaSox starting pitcher Evan Truitt departed at the end of the frame, hurling five innings of two-run baseball while striking out a season-high seven batters.
The AquaSox took the lead for good during the bottom of the sixth, scoring two runs to take a 3-2 advantage. Austin St. Laurent singled for his third hit of the game and Anthony Donofrio singled to place runners on the corners, positioning Axel Sanchez to hit a game-tying RBI double. Setting the Frogs ahead was Carter Dorighi, whose RBI groundout scored Donofrio.
Furthering the Frogs’ lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the seventh were Brandon Eike and Sanchez. Eike crushed a two-run home run that traveled 388 feet for his 14th long ball of the season, and Sanchez drew a bases-loaded walk. Additionally, Eike extended his career best tally for home runs in a single season.
The Dust Devils’ Harold Coll added a solo home run in the top of the eighth to wrap up the night’s scoring efforts, but it ultimately was not enough as Tri-City fell 6-3.
Pitching the rest of the game for Everett after Truitt’s departure were left-hander Calvin Schapira and the duo of right-handers Lucas Kelly and Christian Little. Kelly struck out six in two innings of work, and Little secured the save by striking out two in one scoreless inning.
From the batter’s box, St. Laurent led the AquaSox with four base hits, and Eike and Stevenson each also collected multi-hit nights. Eike and Sanchez also finished with multi-RBI nights as Everett secured their fifth consecutive win during the six-game series.
PICTURED ABOVE: Austin St. Laurent
PHOTO BY: Evan Morud
LOOKING AHEAD: The AquaSox finish their six-game against the Tri-City Dust Devils at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday, July 5! Promotions for the game include Sunday Fun Day featuring Signature Sunday and Postgame Kids Run The Bases presented by Imagine Children’s Museum. Additionally, ticket promotions for the game include the AquaSox Student Discount and the Gesa Credit Union Military Pride ticket offer!
ABOUT THE EVERETT AQUASOX: The Everett AquaSox are the defending 2025 Northwest League Champions and serve as the High-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. Established in 1984, the club has been affiliated with the Mariners since adopting the AquaSox name in 1995. For the latest updates on the 2026 season — including community initiatives and appearances by Webbly — follow the Frogs on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, or visit AquaSox.com. Season ticket packages, group outings, and picnic experiences are available now by calling (425) 258-3673 or by visiting the AquaSox Front Office at 3802 Broadway.
ABOUT MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: Minor League Baseball consists of 120 teams across four classification levels (Single-A, High-A, Double-A and Triple-A) that are affiliated with Major League Baseball’s 30 teams. Fans flock to MiLB games to see baseball’s future stars and experience the affordable family-friendly entertainment that has been a staple of MiLB since 1901. For more information, visit MiLB.com and follow MiLB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.