EUGENE – A four-run top of the 6th inning gave the Tri-City Dust Devils (14-17 2H, 49-48) an opportunity to grab a series-opening win Tuesday night, but the Eugene Emeralds (17-14 2H, 59-38) scored seven unanswered runs over their last three innings to take a 10-5 win at PK Park.
The game sat at 3-1 in favor of Eugene going into the 6th, which began with back-to-back singles from RF Randy De Jesus and C Peter Burns. 2B Kevin Bruggeman then grounded a ball to second that Emeralds 2B Zander Darby booted in the midst of trying to turn a double play, getting an RBI with De Jesus scoring from third to make it 3-2. A groundout by 3B David Mershon allowed both Burns and Bruggeman to advance, and SS Johan Macias singled them home to give the Dust Devils a 4-3 lead.
Later in the inning CF Capri Ortiz would strike out on a pitch in the dirt and race toward first. Eugene C Daniel Rogers then hit Ortiz with the throw and the ball bounced away, allowing Macias to score for a 5-3 lead. Ortiz was ruled out on interference because first base was occupied at the time, but the ball stayed live throughout the strange play which meant the run counted.
Starter Zach Redner then began the 6th inning, in his longest outing as a professional, allowing two hits before getting relieved by Francis Texido. An RBI single and a bases loaded walk made the game a 5-5 tie going to the 7th. The bottom of the 7th saw the Ems grab a go-ahead run on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch out of the hand of Luke Schafer (2-2) but the home nine scoring only one run due to a full extension diving catch by Ortiz to end the inning.
A four-run 8th inning involving an error and a later two-run home run took a 6-5 game to the 10-5 final, giving Eugene reliever Liam Simon (2-2) the victory.
DUST DEVILS NOTES
-DH Harold Coll walked three times to extend his on-base streak to 26 games in a row, passing Juan Flores for the longest on-base streak for a Dust Devil in 2026. The streak stands as the second-longes of the High-A era, with 1B Gabe Matthews reaching base in 31 straight games in the 2022 season. Ty France, now back with the San Diego Padres, holds the longest on-base streak since 2005, reaching in 38 games in a row in the 2015 season.
-Tri-City now sits at 5-8 against Eugene in the regular season, with just the five games remaining in this week’s set. The Dust Devils make only this visit to PK Park in the 2026 season, and the Emeralds have already made their two trips to the Tri-Cities.
-The Everett AquaSox retook solo first place in the Second Half playoff race with a 3-2 win over the Hillsboro Hops at Hops Ballpark, moving a game ahead of the Spokane Indians after the Vancouver Canadians beat them 8-1 at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium. Tri-City comes into the night four games back of Everett in the standings.
HEAT TWO IN TRACK TOWN
Tri-City and Eugene get set for game two of their six-game series at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday night at PK Park. Right-hander Yeferson Vargas (3-7, 6.37 ERA) gets the start for the Dust Devils, with righty Hunter Dryden (2-5, 5.63 ERA) going for the Emeralds.
Free broadcast coverage on the MiLB app and dustdevilsbaseball.com will begin with the Dust Devils Pregame Show at 6:15 p.m. Fans can also watch the games for free on Bally Sports Live (Eugene broadcast), and via subscription on MLB.tv and the MiLB app.
The Dust Devils then return Tuesday, August 4, for a six-game series with the Hillsboro Hops. For tickets to the set with the Hops, as well as all 2026 Dust Devils home games, visit the official ticket site, dustdevilsbaseball.com.