VANCOUVER, BC – The Canadians stretched their winning streak to five games with a 5-3 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils (LAA) on Thursday night at The Nat.
After going scoreless in the first three innings, the Canadians drew first blood with three runs in the fourth. Carter Cunningham started off the bottom of the frame with a triple to the right field corner. Next at the plate, Arjun Nimmala got on with a walk then Peyton Williams hit an RBI single to score Cunningham. Alexis Hernandez was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Jacob Sharp’s sacrifice fly plated Nimmala. Williams would race home for the third run of the inning on a single from Dub Gleed.
The Dust Devils capitalized on a home run in the top of the fifth that put two runs on the scoreboard. But the C’s would get their eventual winning run in the bottom of that inning. Maddox Latta reached with a lead-off walk, raced to third on a Cunningham base hit and scored on a Nimmala sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.
Tri-City got that run back in the sixth to pull within a run before Vancouver scored an insurance run in the eighth. Hernandez increased his hitting streak to seven games with a single, stole second then ran home when Sharp singled up the middle.
Eminen Flores (S, 2) worked around a lead-off double and a two-out walk in the ninth to lock down a 5-3 win and earn a six-out save.
Danny Thompson Jr. made his second C’s start in which he pitched 3.2 innings, gave up one hit, struck out five and walked two. The New Bern, NC native threw 57 pitches (33 strikes) before he was replaced by Jonathan Todd with two outs in the fourth. Carson Pierce (W, 2-0) worked the sixth and the seventh, faced eight batters, allowed one run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout over 39 pitches.
With Thursday night’s win, the C’s are now 9-9 and are back at .500 for the first time this season. The Canadians will take on the Dust Devils in the fourth game of the series as part of Friday’s FortisBC ‘Nooner at The Nat, with the first pitch set for 1:05 p.m. MLB Pipeline’s #4 Blue Jays prospect Johnny King goes against #12 Angels prospect Chris Cortez.
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.