Mariners High-A affiliate wins first league title since 2010
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For the first time since 2010, the Northwest League Championship trophy is resides in Everett.
The High-A AquaSox clinched the franchise's third title on Saturday night with a 6-3 win over Eugene in Game 4 of the NWL Championship Series at Funko Field.
Everett wasted no time setting the tone. On the second pitch of the bottom of the first, Charlie Pagliarini launched a leadoff homer, part of a three-hit night that capped a strong postseason in which he led the club in average (.308) and OPS (1.267).
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It was Pagliarini's second leadoff jack of the series, after he launched the very first pitch of Game 1 over the fence on Wednesday.
Luis Suisbel (SEA No. 20) also went deep, bookending his 23 regular-season homers that topped the circuit. Everett piled up 10 hits and three homers in the decisive game -- a fitting finish for a lineup that led the league with 166 roundtrippers this year.
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Starter Nick Payero worked four frames before the bullpen locked it down. Gabriel Sosa, William Fleming, Ben Hernandez and Lucas Kelly combined for five scoreless innings of one-hit relief to secure the title.
The championship concludes a season defined by star power at Funko Field.
Seven of Seattle’s nine Top 100 prospects suited up for Everett at some point in 2025, fueling a first-half title run that saw the AquaSox go 37-29.
Even after a tough second half (23-43), the club found another gear when it mattered most. That turnaround was all the more impressive given their regular-season struggles against Eugene, against whom Everett went 10-19 entering the Championship.
But after an 11-inning win in Game 1 and a loss in Game 2 on the road, the AquaSox won the final two to celebrate a championship in front of their home fans.