PASCO – 3B Jake Munroe’s 6th inning home run served as enough offense for the Tri-City Dust Devils (34-31) Wednesday night, with five pitchers combining for a 2-0 shutout of the Eugene Emeralds (42-23) at Gesa Stadium to even the team’s series at a game apiece.
Munroe took a pitch from Eugene starter Tyler Switalski (2-4) over the wall in left to lead off the 6th, with his 11th homer on the year breaking the ice for a 1-0 lead. The Louisville baseball alum started his day with a 1st inning double, going 2-for-4 on the night with a pair of extra-base hits.
Tri-City starter Chase Shores made his return to the rotation for the first time since April 29, throwing 1.1 innings and striking out three. Four more came from the bullpen, with both Max Gieg and Luke Schafer (2-0) covering 2.2 innings. Lefty Luke Cooper got all three outs by strikeout, and closer Sam Tookoian got the final four outs for his ninth save of the year.
The Dust Devils’ second run of the night came as insurance in the bottom of the 8th. SS Capri Ortiz kicked off a four-hit inning with a line drive single to left, and C Juan Flores added a one-out hit to move Ortiz to third. DH Matt Coutney then scorched a liner up the middle that deflected off a glove into center field for an RBI single and a 2-0 lead that would hold as the final score.
The team’s 34th win of the First Half matched Tri-City’s best win total for a season half in the High-A/full-season era. The Dust Devils, under then-manager “Cactus” Jack Howell, went 34-32 in the First Half of the 2023 season.
SPRINT THROUGH THE LINE
Tri-City and Eugene play game three of their six-game set at 7:05 p.m. Thursday night at Gesa Stadium, serving also as the final game of the First Half for both sides. It will be Breast Cancer Awareness Night at the ballpark, presented by Inland Imaging, with fans encouraged to wear pink in support. It’s also another Family Feast Night ($2.50 hot dogs, 16 oz. Coca-Cola products, bags of chips, and ice cream sandwiches) as well as a Thirsty Thursday ($3.50 domestic and $4.50 premium 12 oz. draft beers) for fans to enjoy.
A duel of southpaws will unfold with left-hander Lucas Knowles (4-1, 2.72 ERA) going to the hill for the Dust Devils and lefty Luis De La Torre (1-4, 3.83 ERA) taking the mound for the Emeralds.
Free broadcast coverage on the MiLB app and dustdevilsbaseball.com will begin with the Dust Devils Pregame Show at 6:45 p.m. Fans can also watch the games for free on Bally Sports Live, and via subscription on MLB.tv and the MiLB app.
Promotions still to come in the six-game set include a drone show on Friday, June 19, as well as both a 25th Season Hat Giveaway on Saturday, June 20, and a Father’s Day celebration with postgame fireworks on Sunday, June 21. For tickets to the Eugene series, as well as all 2026 Dust Devils home games, visit the official ticket site, dustdevilsbaseball.com.