Ty France hit a solo home run in the eighth inning, helping the Seattle Mariners secure a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.
The home run brought excitement to the crowd of 40,001, especially after Jo Adell’s pinch-hit grand slam for the Angels in the seventh inning, which tied the game.
Starting pitcher Trent Thornton struggled in relief of Bryan Woo, who had a strong outing, allowing only three hits over six innings. Woo, who had some arm concerns earlier in the week, has been performing well since returning from the injured list in May.
After Thornton loaded the bases in the seventh, reliever Tayler Saucedo gave up the grand slam to Adell, leveling the score at 4-4.
Seattle scored their first run with a sacrifice fly by Cal Raleigh in the first inning, followed by Ty France driving in two more runs with a double in the same inning. Raleigh added another run with an RBI single in the fifth inning.
France’s decisive home run in the eighth inning, off Angels reliever Matt Moore, secured the win for the Mariners.
France has been in excellent form lately, batting .450 over his last six games, which Manager Scott Servais acknowledged as crucial for the team.