VANCOUVER, BC – The Canadians secured a 5-4 victory over the Eugene Emeralds (SF) in Game 2 of the Northwest League Championship Series Wednesday night. In the final game at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium this year, the C’s were able to walk it off with a sacrifice fly to deep right field from Gable Mitchell in the bottom of the tenth. After the C’s scored first, Eugene soon took the lead. The Canadians would score three unanswered runs to go back in front; however, the Emeralds would plate two in the seventh to tie it up once more before Mitchell’s heroics.
After Carson Myers kept the top of the tenth inning scoreless, the C’s stepped up to bat with Dariel Ramon as a pinch placed runner at second. David Calabrese opened the frame with a fly ball to the warning track in center field; Ramon used it to make his way to third. Mitchell came up next and sent a 2-2 pitch in the air to right, which would allow Ramon to score the winning run for the C’s.
In the second, Austin Smith reached base on a walk and worked his way to third on consecutive singles. The C’s would score first when Mitchell’s first of what would be two sac flies in the game put Vancouver in front 1-0.
Eugene used a two-run homer in the fourth to lead 2-1, but the C’s would tie it up in the fifth. Jaxson West doubled, reached third on a fielder's choice and Maddox Latta hit a single to send him home. In the sixth, the Canadians plated one run on a wild pitch before Ryan Sprock would drive in the second with an RBI single to make it 4-2.
In the seventh, the Emeralds scored two runs (one earned) to tie it at four. The C’s couldn’t rally for runs in their final three innings of regulation, sending the game into extras.
Troy Guthrie got the start and retired the first five batters he faced before giving up a single then retired the next five. In the fourth, Guthrie gave up a single then a two-run home run but finished his night with the following line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K.
Brandon Barriera entered in the sixth, where he retired the side in order before he gave up two walks and a single in the seventh. He left the game with the bases loaded and no outs; he’d eventually have two runs charged to him. Reece Wissinger got nine huge outs in which he faced just one batter over the minimum to keep the game tied.
With the win, the Canadians are now 2-0 in the best-of-five NWLCS and will head to Eugene for Game 3 on Friday at 6:35 p.m. Follow the action on the Canadians Broadcast Network.