Canadians Blast Volcanoes on Opening Night, 11-2

The Volcanoes return to the field on Saturday night for game two of their five game series against the Canadians.

The Volcanoes managed only four hits, and surrendered two errors and seven wild pitches, as Vancouver defeated Salem-Keizer 11-2 on opening night. Photo Courtesy: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes

(KEIZER, Ore. ) - The last time the Vancouver Canadians were on a baseball field, they were celebrating their third consecutive Northwest League title in 2013. There was no title involved on Friday, but they still had plenty of reason to celebrate.

The Volcanoes managed only four hits, and surrendered two errors and seven wild pitches, as Vancouver defeated Salem-Keizer 11-2 on opening night.

"You always want to start off on a better foot, but then maybe sometimes it's better to get that stuff out of the way," Volcanoes manager Gary Davenport said. "Season's haven't been won or lost in the first game and I'm pretty confident in the team I got. It was a good little wake up call."

Vancouver scored immediately, utilizing an infield single and an RBI triple to help produce a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first.

The Volcanoes cut into the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Tyler Hollick walked and advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt by Alberto Tirado.

Christian Arroyo drove Hollick in a few pitches later, when his line drive to right field dropped in just out of the reach of a diving Boomer Collins.

The Canadians crossed the plate again in the second inning, but Drew Leenhouts was able to minimize the damage to just one run.

With runners on first and third and nobody out, Leenhouts induced a key double play, thanks in part to some slick defensive play by Ryan Jones and Arroyo.

Leenhouts settled into a groove after that, retiring 10 of the final 14 batters he faced, while recording three consecutive scoreless innings. He finished the night with three earned runs in five innings pitched.

"He was kind of pitching away from his strengths earlier. I think he was trusting the fingers that [the catcher] put down, which is fine, but if you don't know the guy that well then he needs to take a little more initiative on his own," Davenport said. He figured it out and there was some positive stuff at the end."

The Volcanoes crept back in, cutting the deficit to 3-2 after Hollick tripled and scored in the third inning. But after being held scoreless for three consecutive innings, Vancouver provided itself with a comfy cushion in the sixth inning against the Volcanoes' bullpen.

Taking advantage of two walks, three wild pitches and two defensive errors by the Volcanoes, Vancouver scored five runs off of Eury Sanchez to move ahead 8-2.

The Canadians scored five of their 11 runs on wild pitches, as the Volcanoes marked a new franchise record with seven.

"That's the problem of these guys not playing with each other all the time. There's going to be mistakes, you don't know what their best pitches are and it takes a little time to figure it out. These guys are smart and they'll figure it out," Davenport said.

The Canadians pushed across two more runs in the seventh and an additional run in the ninth to cement their 11-2 victory.

Tirado pitched four innings for Vancouver, allowing just one earned run while striking out three. Starlin Suriel pitched a scoreless inning of relief in the fifth to record the win.

Up next: The Volcanoes return to the field on Saturday night for game two of their five game series against the Canadians. Jose Reyes will take the mound for Salem-Keizer. The 23-year-old went 2-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings last season for the Volcanoes before hitting the disabled list with an injury. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. The gates at Volcanoes Stadium open up at 5:30 p.m.

Source: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes