VANCOUVER, BC – The Canadians took home a 16-3 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils (LAA) on a rainy Tuesday night at The Nat. After being swept by the Dust Devils in their first series of the season, the C’s made up for it with contributions from the entire of the lineup.
Landen Maroudis took out the first three batters of the game before the Canadians took the lead for good in the bottom of the first. Carter Cunningham was the first Canadian to reach base when he walked with one out, Arjun Nimmala singled and Peyton Williams drove in Cunningham with a sacrifice fly. Alexis Hernandez singled and Tucker Toman walked before a hit from Jacob Sharp gave the Canadians their next two runs of the inning to put up a 3-0 lead.
Maroudis kept the Dust Devils scoreless over his first three frames before Vancouver plated two more in the third. Nimmala hit a double and Williams singled to begin the inning then Matt Scannell’s base hit later in the frame gave both Nimmala and Williams the opportunity to race home and make it 5-0.
The top of the fourth was scoreless again for the Dust Devils. Maroudis got two outs and was removed after a total of 58 pitches over 14 hitters. He allowed three hits, no walks and struck out four in 3.2 innings.
A seven-run fourth put the game away. With runners at second and third and one out, an error by Tri-City’s shortstop allowed the first run to score then Toman singled on a line drive to center that plated a run. Sharp, Scannell and Brennan Orf all followed with run-scoring hits, with Orf driving in a pair on a double. Cunningham came to the plate for a second time in the frame and singled home the seventh run of the inning to put the C’s ahead 12-0.
Tri-City spoiled the shutout with an unearned run in the fifth, but the Canadians would score three more in the sixth to extend their lead when Nimmala came up with the bases loaded and ripped a three-RBI double to the wall in left.
Two more unearned runs scored for the Dust Devils in the top of the seventh before the C’s got one back in the bottom of the inning. Toman legged out his first triple of the season and a series of walks followed, the last of which came with the bases loaded to bring Toman home and make it 16-3.
Gilberto Batista (W, 2-0) did not allow an earned run over 3.1 innings of relief in which he scattered five hits, three walks and a strikeout. Juanmi Vasquez put up a pair of zeroes over the final two stanzas to secure the win.
All nine starters had a hit and scored at least once, eight drove in a run and six had multiple hits. Nimmala and Williams led the way with three knocks apiece, Nimmala, Sharp and Scannell each had three RBI and Scannell reached base all six times he came to the plate.
The C’s have now won three in a row for the first time this season to improve to 7-9. They take on the Dust Devils tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. when reigning Northwest League Pitcher of the Week Daniel Guerra opposes Tri-City’s Nate Snead.
For tickets and more information throughout the 75th anniversary season of The Nat, visit CanadiansBaseball.com, call 604-872-5232 and follow the C’s on social via @vancanadians.