Mariners come from behind in 8th inning to beat Canada

Mariners 5, Canada 3 at Peoria Stadium

Notable

Down 3-2 after Canada’s Owen Caissie hit a two-run homer off Prelander Berroa in the seventh inning, the Mariners rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth for the win. Jonatan Clase tied the game with a ground ball to the right side, scoring Zach DeLoach from third base. The next hitter, Kaden Polcovich, provided the game-winning hit.

A switch-hitter batting from the left side, Polcovich smashed a ball over the fence in right field for his first Cactus League homer.

“He’s got a lot of confidence,” manager Scott Servais said. “He’s a little guy with a big swing and he ran into one today. It’s good to see.”

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Marco Gonzales made his third start of the spring and looked solid. He pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits with no walks and two strikeouts. The outing could’ve been better for Gonzales had Servais let him finish the fourth inning. He retired Freddie Freeman to start the inning and then gave up a single to Tyler O’Neill, who was the player sent to St. Louis when the Mariners acquired Gonzales in 2017. A ground ball off the bat of Edouard Julien resulted in a force out at second, but couldn’t be turned into an inning-ending double play.

Gonzales didn’t get the chance to finish the inning, reaching his pitch limit. His replacement, Justus Sheffield, gave up an RBI triple to former Mariner Abraham Toro.  

Player of the game

Cal Raleigh might not have been getting a ton of at-bats in Cactus League games, but he’s been amassing plenty on the backfields during live batting practice sessions. The Mariners catcher came to the plate three times and tallied three hits — two singles and a double.

Quotable

“Cal had a good day. His timing is really good right now. He looks great at the plate.” — Servais

On tap

The Mariners will be back at Peoria Stadium for a second straight day, hosting a split squad from the Cincinnati Reds. Right-hander George Kirby will be making his second start of the spring and is expected to pitch three innings. Also scheduled to pitch are right-handers Darren McCaughan, Justin Top and Ryder Ryan. Lefties Gabe Speier and Tayler Saucedo are also listed as probable pitchers. The Reds will start right-hander Connor Overton. The game will be televised on Root Sports while a live radio broadcast will be available on Seattle Sports 710 and mariners.com.

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