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Paiva gives gold medal performance for Quebec

4 min read
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With the opening ceremonies for the Summer Games scheduled for today, let’s start this story with an Olympics theme.

Quebec did more damage with fewer hits Thursday night than former Canadian Olympic boxing gold medalist and world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.

Quebec made the most of only six hits, got a much-needed complete game from pitcher Codie Paiva and a key stolen base from an unlikely source to defeat the Wild Things, 2-1.

Paiva (2-4) was masterful, throwing a four-hitter and allowing only one walk.

“(Paiva) did a really good job,” Washington manager Tom Vaeth said. “He threw strike one with every pitch he had. He threw fastballs for first-pitch strikes, he threw curveballs and even mixed in first-pitch changeups for strike one. I tip my hat to the kid.”

The complete game could not have come at a better time for Quebec, which plays a doubelehader at Tri-City tonight and will play five games in three days against the ValleyCats. Tri-City entered Thursday’s action in first place in the Atlantic Division, 1½ games ahead of Quebec.

“What a start,” Quebec manager Pat Scalabrini said. “It was the best performance we’ve had from a starting pitcher all year, by far. When you have doubleheaders coming up for two straight days, against a team you have to beat, you need a fresh bullpen.”

Paiva, who entered the game with the league hitting .307 against him, took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth and Scalbrini admitted he thought about going to his bullpen to finish the game.

“It was a very tough decision,” Scalabrini said. “I’m a guy who has a quick trigger but Cody has been our most consistent guy, so he deserved to stay in. But if we didn’t have two doubelehaders coming up, then he probably doesn’t finish the game.”

Paiva gave up a leadoff single to second baseman Scotty Dubrule (2-for-3) to begin the ninth. He was erased when Bralin Jackson bounced into a fielder’s choice. Designated hitter Grant Heyman hit a deep drive to right field but it only went for a loud out, the second of the inning. Hector Roa bounced back to Paiva, ending the game.

Quebec won the final two games in the series after Washington had taken the opener to climb to the .500 mark for the first time all season. Washington fell 8½ games behind first-place Sussex County in the Northeast Division.

“It doesn’t matter what Sussex does if you can’t take care of your own business,” Vaeth said. “We didn’t do anything to help ourselves. We have to get the leadoff guy on base. You can’t try anything if you don’t have anybody on base.”

Quebec scored its first two runs with the benefit of Washington errors. The Wild Things committed three errors in the first four innings.

In the top of the first, David Glaude hit a one-out single. He broke for second base when Washington starter McKenzie Mills (2-4) made a pickoff throw to first. The throw eluded first baseman Andrew Czech and Glaude moved all the way to third base. He scored the game’s first run on a wild pitch.

Washington also scored in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Nick Ward dropped a fly ball just inside the left-field line and it took a high bounce on the turf, which allowed the Washington shortstop to end up with a double. Andrew Sohn bunted Ward to third base and the sacrifice paid off when Dubrele bounced out to second base as Ward scored to make it 1-1.

Quebec took the lead in the fourth. Catcher Jeffry Parra led off with a double to the gap in left centerfield. He then got a good jump off second base and stole third. He scored when the throw from catcher Trevor Casanova was wide and went into left field. It was Parra’s first stolen base attempt of the season.

“It wasn’t like he was getting looked at hard,” Vaeth said. “We have to do a better job of holding runners.”

Notes

Both teams play a doubleheader today. Washington is at New York. … Wild Things relief pitcher James Meeker threw 1 1/3 innings and extended his scoreless streak to 26 2/3 for the season and 29 dating back to 2019. … Mills gave up only four hits and two runs (one earned) in 6 2/3 innings.

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