Rain holds off long enough for Mariners to get an 8-1 win over the A’s

Mariners 8, Athletics 1 at Peoria Stadium

Notable

This time the Mariners early offensive explosion counted in the semi-meaningless statistics of spring training. Shortly after Seattle wrapped up an 8-1 win over the A’s, the foreboding gray skies on an unseasonably cold day finally opened up with a mixture of heavy rain and hail.

The Mariners jumped on Oakland starter Daniel Mengden in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Dee Gordon worked a walk and Mitch Haniger started his spring off in impressive fashion, smashing a two-run homer to left-center for a 2-0 lead. Seattle continued to add to its lead, loading the bases in the third inning for Ichiro, who blooped a single into right field to score…