Brandon Eike Cracked His Fifth Homer of 2026, but the AquaSox Couldn’t Climb Out: Tri-City Wins 6-4

The Everett AquaSox saw their three-game road winning streak end Thursday night at Gesa Stadium, falling to the Tri-City Dust Devils 6-4 on April 30 in the third game of a six-game series in Pasco. Brandon Eike kept the Frogs in it with a fourth-inning, two-run shot — his fifth long ball of the season — but the Dust Devils answered immediately with a bases-clearing triple from Capri Ortiz, and Tri-City’s bullpen held the line the rest of the way.

The result drops Everett to 2-1 on the road trip and to a series lead of 2-1 with three games still to play. The Frogs sit just under .500 overall and head into Friday night’s 6:30 p.m. first pitch knowing they let one slip — but also knowing they’ve still won two of three on Tri-City’s turf, which is no small thing given how the Dust Devils have hit at home this year.

How the Game Got Away

Tri-City jumped Everett early. In the bottom of the first, Matt Coutney doubled, Ryan Nicholson doubled behind him to put runners at the corners, and Randy De Jesus drove in the first run with a double of his own. In the second, the Dust Devils added another when Jorge Ruiz scored on a fielding error after Gage Harrelson singled. 2-0 Tri-City through two.

Everett answered in the top of the fourth. Matthew Ellis worked a walk, and Eike crushed his fifth bomb of 2026 — a two-run shot that pushed his RBI total to 12 on the season and tied the game at 2-2. That tie lasted exactly half an inning. Tri-City strung together hits in the bottom half, and Capri Ortiz cleared the bases with a triple to make it 5-2.

The teams traded runs in the sixth: Axel Sanchez hit a sacrifice fly to bring Felnin Celesten home for Everett, and Ortiz answered with another RBI single off a Caleb Bartolero two-out triple to make it 6-3. The Frogs cut it back to 6-4 in the seventh — Curtis Washington Jr. and Carter Dorighi knocked back-to-back one-out singles, and Carlos Jimenez drove Washington in on a groundout — but Tri-City’s pen worked around the rest of the threat.

The Eike Watch Is Real

Eike’s fifth homer of 2026 puts him on a quiet but serious early-season pace. The fan-voice take: this kid is starting to look like a name to remember.

His long ball Thursday was the type that doesn’t show up in highlight clips on national feeds — solo-ball-ish-with-a-runner-on, in a road park, with the team trailing by two — but it’s the second time this homestand he’s put a charge into one when the Frogs needed it. He’s now homered in two of the last six games, his slugging line is among the better marks on the team in this still-young season, and he’s quietly become the AquaSox’s most dependable power threat behind Luis Suisbel, who lit up Tri-City for 5 RBIs on Tuesday.

For Mariners fans tracking the High-A pipeline: Eike is a 2024 draftee out of Cal who was assigned to Everett to start 2026. He’s older for the level relative to international signees like Felnin Celesten, but he’s also showing he can do damage right now, and that matters in a system that’s been hungry for left-handed power.

The Top of the Order Is Working

Even in a loss, the AquaSox table-setters did their jobs. Felnin Celesten singled and scored in the sixth. Curtis Washington Jr. and Carter Dorighi put back-to-back hits together in the seventh to spark the late rally. Matthew Ellis worked the walk that set up Eike’s homer.

That trio — Celesten, Washington Jr., and Dorighi — is doing exactly what you want from your young High-A guys: getting on, making contact, putting pressure on opposing infields. The Frogs are 3-for-3 in road series wins so far when those guys go a combined 5-for-something on the night, and the team’s third game of this Tri-City series broke that pattern only because Capri Ortiz hit a baseball harder than anyone the AquaSox put on the mound could survive.

What Friday Looks Like

The series continues Friday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m. at Gesa Stadium. Tri-City is celebrating Cinco de Mayo Weekend by playing as the Vineros de Tri-City — a copa designed to honor the migrant workers behind the region’s wine industry — Friday through Sunday.

After Friday and Saturday’s road games, Everett returns to Funko Field for a six-game homestand against the Hillsboro Hops May 5-10. That homestand is loaded: Silver Sluggers Night, Star Wars Night with postgame fireworks, the Mother’s Day Pre-Game Picnic, and — biggest of all from a Mariners-fan standpoint — Bryce Miller’s second AquaSox rehab start on Wednesday, May 6.

What This Game Tells Us

Three takes from a team that’s still figuring out who it is six weeks in:

1. **The bullpen had a rough night.** Tri-City got 6 runs on the way to its first win of the week. The Frogs need length from the rotation back home next week — fortunately, Bryce Miller is up Wednesday.

2. **Eike is real.** Five homers in April is no fluke for a High-A bat, especially one slugging at this level on the road.

3. **Two of three in Pasco is fine.** The road trip isn’t a disaster. Friday and Saturday are the games that decide whether this turns into a statement series or a split.

The Frogs are still in good shape. They’re still winning more series than they’re losing. And they’ve got a homecoming homestand and a Mariners rehab start on the calendar. Everett baseball is in a good place — Thursday night just wasn’t a good night.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the final score of the AquaSox vs. Tri-City game on April 30, 2026?

The Tri-City Dust Devils beat the Everett AquaSox 6-4 on Thursday night at Gesa Stadium in Pasco. It was the third game of a six-game series.

Who hit the home run for the AquaSox?

Brandon Eike hit a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning — his fifth long ball of the 2026 season. The homer pushed his RBI total to 12 on the year.

What’s the next AquaSox game?

Friday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m. at Gesa Stadium against the Tri-City Dust Devils, who are playing as the Vineros de Tri-City for Cinco de Mayo weekend.

When do the AquaSox come back home?

Tuesday, May 5 at 7:05 p.m. at Funko Field for the start of a six-game homestand against the Hillsboro Hops, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ High-A affiliate.