Due to the accumulation of snow in the Wenatchee Valley and surrounding areas, the AppleSox Hot Stove Party, originally scheduled for Feb. 10 at Abby’s West, has been POSTPONED.
Stay tuned as any more information will be posted on the AppleSox website.
Continue to follow the AppleSox on social media by “liking” them on Facebook and following them on Instagram and Twitter.
With the football season ending this coming weekend, baseball is now visible on the horizon.
The AppleSox' 2019 season-opener against the Victoria HarbourCats at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium is nearly four months away. While the team is still being assembled, the anticipation of Opening Day only grows with each sunrise.
However, seats continue to quickly fill up for the big 20th-season in team history. Lock in yours today by purchasing an AppleSox MVP Card, sponsored by PAK-it-RITE.
MVP Cards give you four tickets to any 2019 AppleSox game for just $20 (a savings of $8). As an extra perk, the MVP Cards include a $5 discount on the back for your next shipment at PAK-it-RITE.
AppleSox MVP Cards are also a very popular way for youth groups, service clubs and non-profits to raise money. Your group gets to keep half of the retail sale price for every MVP Card sold. The best part is that the AppleSox will buy back any MVP cards that you don’t sell!
Purchase yours today at PAK-it-RITE today on 36 N. Chelan Ave. in Wenatchee. They are open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
Season tickets are flying off the shelves but still on sale as well. Secure seats to Opening Night, Fireworks Night and other great promotional nights with seats to all 31 home games. Season-ticket plans run as low as $115 and can be purchased at the AppleSox team office on 610 N. Mission St. #204 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.
While you're purchasing tickets, be sure to suit yourself up in the hottest AppleSox gear. Whether it's a cap or socks, we've got the Sox swag for you! We've partnered with prominent brands like New Era and Strideline and we know that we've got the perfect product to help you rep the Sox.
If you have any questions, email info@applesox.com or call 509-665-6900.
APPLESOX 2019 WEST COAST LEAGUE SCHEDULE
A fan-favorite event is once again returning to Wenatchee.
On Tuesday, Jan. 15, the Seattle Mariners will be stopping in Wenatchee for one of the nine stops on their “Mariners Caravan.” Fans are encouraged to come down to Pybus Public Market for the free event from 4:00-5:15 p.m.
Mariners pitchers Shawn Armstrong and Marco Gonzales (a 2010 AppleSox alum), broadcaster Dave Simms and the Mariner Moose will all be on hand to sign autographs and take pictures with fans.
Gonzales is fresh off a breakout season with the Mariners in which he set career-highs in wins, ERA, innings-pitched and strikeouts as well as many other categories. After having his first healthy season since debuting in 2014, Gonzales will look to buoy that success into becoming a top-of-the-rotation starter in 2019.
He was a part of the AppleSox 2010 West Coast League Championship team and set the single-season record for strikeouts that year with 26 punchouts. This will be the second straight year in which Gonzales will help represent the Mariners for their Caravan stop in Wenatchee.
Armstrong only appeared in 14 games with the Mariners this season and didn’t make his season debut until late August. Nonetheless, he made his presence felt, posting a 1.23 ERA. Armstrong did not allow any runs in his first 10 appearances (a span of 11.1 innings-pitched) and struck out at least one batter in all but two of his 14 appearances.
Armstrong figures to have an opportunity to pitch in prominent, high-leverage situations in 2019 thanks to several trades of workhorse relievers from the 2018 season.
The AppleSox will be sponsoring the event and team mascot Coyote will be on hand to take part in the festivities and greet fans.
For more information on the Mariners Caravan, visit mlb.com/mariners/community/mariners-caravan
The Wenatchee AppleSox unveiled a new logo to mark their 20th season on Thursday night at a sponsor appreciation event at Highlander Golf Course in East Wenatchee.
“Next summer will be a fantastic season in Wenatchee yet again,” team owner Jose Oglesby said. “We’re thrilled to be a part of the rich tradition of baseball in the Valley and look forward to continuing it.”
“I hope in another 20 years we will have another commemorative logo to unveil,” Oglesby said.
The logo was designed by Tom Roche with feedback from the AppleSox front office. This is the third commemorative logo in team history along with 10th and 15th anniversary logos.
Merchandise with the teams’ new 20th anniversary logo will soon be on sale ahead of the landmark season.
“We already have a variety of new items on sale this offseason, from knit hats to holiday ornaments,” AppleSox assistant general manager Allie Schank said. “We’re excited to get the 20th anniversary gear in ahead of another memorable summer.”
It’s not too early to purchase season tickets either. Opening Day is 175 days away but season tickets can be yours today. Visit the team office at 610 N. Mission St. #204 or call 509-665-6900 today to purchase merchandise or season tickets today.
2019 WEST COAST LEAGUE SCHEDULE
Thursday, the West Coast League announced its 2019 schedule for league play ahead of its 15th season.
While the AppleSox’ 2019 league schedule has been released, the full team schedule has not been announced yet. There are open dates on the schedule that the team hopes to fill with non-league opponents.
“We are still looking to add some games against non-league opponents,” AppleSox general manager Ken Osborne said. “As we do every year, we look forward to adding other opponents to our schedule to give our fans as many home games as possible and our players more time on the field.”
The 20th season in AppleSox history begins on June 4 with a three-game series against the Victoria HarbourCats. This will be the third straight season where the AppleSox either begin the season and/or their home schedule with a series against the HarbourCats.
After a three-game series in Yakima immediately following the season-opening set, the Sox return to Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium for a six-game homestand beginning on June 6. The homestand kicks off with three games against the Port Angeles and then, following an off-day, three against the Walla Walla Sweets.
Once the AppleSox play three in Port Angeles on June 18-20, there are four open dates on the schedule before the team’s second-longest road trip of the season. June 25-30 has the Sox first crossing the border and traveling to Victoria for three games before returning to the States and playing the Cowlitz Black Bears for three more.
For the second straight year, the AppleSox will be home on the Fourth of July as they host the Kelowna Falcons from July 2-4.
Afterwards, the Sox battle the Bend Elks in a home-and-home series. The battle begins with three games in Bend from July 5-7 and then three more in Wenatchee from July 9-11.
The final three against the Elks in Wenatchee represent the beginning of a six-game homestand, which concludes with three against the Bellingham Bells from July 12-15.
Following an off-day on July 15, the AppleSox embark on their longest road trip of the season. The nine-games-in-11-days grind begins on July 16 with three games in Kelowna and then three more at Bellingham prior to the two-day All-Star Break on July 22 and 23. The Sox play three games in Walla Walla immediately after the Break to conclude the arduous road trip.
The first home games in the post-All-Star Break schedule are July 27-29 against the Portland Pickles. The Sox have three consecutive open dates after that series, followed by back-to-back home league series against the Yakima Valley Pippins (Aug. 2-4) and the newest members of the WCL, the Ridgefield Raptors (Aug. 6-8), to wrap up the home schedule.
The regular season concludes on the road against the three-time defending champion Corvallis Knights from Aug. 9-11. The WCL playoffs begin on Aug. 13 and the latest possible date for a Championship Series game to be played is Aug. 20.
Follow the AppleSox on Twitter and like them on Facebook for the latest information regarding the release of the full schedule.
With the 2018 season in the rear view window, preparations have already begun for the 2019 season.
If you thought that the AppleSox front office spent mid-August until May on vacation, then you were gravely mistaken.
While no baseball games are played from the fall until next summer, that doesn’t mean that the AppleSox aren’t still hard at work.
With the AppleSox’ season finished and the Seattle Mariners wrapping up their season soon, baseball may not currently be on everyone’s mind in Wenatchee. However, it is never too early to begin thinking about next season.
“The work in the offseason is really what pays the bills,” General Manager Ken Osborne said. “The sponsorship sales, the season ticket sales, all of those things make sure that we can put a team on the field in the summertime.”
While everyone at the teams’ office on 610 North Mission Street Suite 204 is counting down the days until the 2019 season begins, we’re sure that many fans are doing the same. With many exciting nights planned for next summer, ensure that you won’t miss a moment by purchasing season tickets today.
If you are a business looking to expand your advertising reach, then look no further. The AppleSox have a strong history of successful partnerships with a variety of businesses and are always looking to add more to the team. Our sponsors are truly the foundation of our organization.
Whether it’s a sponsored night at the ballpark, an outfield billboard, a radio advertisement or something else, the AppleSox have the advertising abilities to properly showcase your business’s selling points. Reach out today to achieve the perfect advertising plan for you!
To learn more about season tickets or how to become a sponsor, contact us now! Call 509-665-6900 or email info@applesox.com.
Wenatchee AppleSox head coach Kyle Krustangel recently got some well-deserved time off.
After working with little time off for the better part of the last nine months, Krustangel recently got time to do something that most people take for granted during the summer: going on a vacation.
"I took my wife to Disneyland!" Krustangel said. "I wish the trip had been after a WCL dogpile but it was nice to get away with Katie and have some fun! We also went to Dodgers and Angels games. It just wouldn’t be right if baseball wasn’t included somehow."
Krustangel understandably enjoyed the downtime, no matter how short it was.
While also coaching at Yakima Valley College, Krustangel's coaching season doesn't begin in February when the first pitch of the season is thrown. Instead, he's hitting the fields in mid-September for early-season practices.
While this may seem early to most, it's crucial that Krustangel gets started as early as possible to lay down the fundamentals that could decide a game in May.
"The previous nine months were an absolute grind," Krustangel said, "so it is needed to turn the phone off and spend some quality time with family and friends. Being a college baseball coach and summer coach is extremely demanding with the amount of time spent recruiting and all the practices and games."
Whether it was working at Yakima Valley or with the AppleSox, Krustangel had his hands full.
After concluding the long stretch of work by just missing out on a West Coast League playoff berth for the second consecutive year, Krustangel has finally had some time to sit back and reflect on the past season.
Even after finishing short of the ultimate goal in 2018, Krustangel still took a lot away from this season’s team. Not every season ends with a championship, so it’s important to take a look at the positives and negatives from each campaign.
Krustangel knows this and will use what he saw this summer to help him prepare to assemble next season’s team.
"We made every league game count, we were in the playoff hunt till the bitter end," Krustangel said. "Most people thought with 20 games to go we had no shot of even being in the playoff talks, but we rattled of series win after series win and put ourselves in a spot to clinch.
"I loved the guys and they truly competed and played hard day in and day out and I was extremely proud of how they played and represented themselves and the Applesox community."
Krustangel has kept the AppleSox in playoff contention until the final weekend of the season in each of the last two summers. This year, he nearly did qualify for his first postseason spot by going 12-5 to conclude the season.
Whether it has been disagreement or confusion over the league’s playoff qualifications, the AppleSox have been kicking but have been unable to knock down the door.
Another issue that plagued the AppleSox in 2018 was the eventual roster was not full of players that Krustangel initially expected to have.
"Fans don’t realize that we lost 15 full contract players in the month of May this year," Krustangel said. "Most were due to injuries in the month of May or 5 that were hurt in NCAA regionals. Also, a bunch of those were pitchers that were banged up or pulled from their contracts to protect them. We were scrambling to find quality replacements to still be able to compete."
Krustangel looks back at that as almost a fluky incident and believes his third season at the helm will be different.
"We had good talent last year," Krustangel said, "but I want championship type of talent which to me means proven D1 players as the nucleus of our team. I am targeting the going to be seniors and juniors from big D1 programs with a great amount of playing time under their belt."
The goal is to be an older team. The Corvallis Knights, the 2018 and back-to-back-to-back WCL Champions, had a league-high nine incoming seniors on their championship roster.
While they were only three off that number, the AppleSox want to have even more experience on the 2019 squad. Krustangel is making that the focus of his recruiting.
"I am so fired up with the guys we already have committed for next summer!" Krustangel said. "It is already a clear upgrade across the board in terms of quality arms and bats."
Wenatchee AppleSox pitcher Curtis Bafus has been named the West Coast League’s Co-Pitcher of the Year for his work in the 2018 season.
The announcement came along with the WCL’s end-of-the-season All-WCL teams and awards announcements on Wednesday morning.
Along with sharing the award with Corvallis’ Landen Bourassa, Bafus also appeared with first baseman Connor McCord on the All-WCL First Team.
Additionally, outfielder Johnny Sage and pitcher Hunter Boyd appeared on the Second Team. Infielders Joey Magro, Jake Taylor, Mason Marenco, catcher Cory Meyer, utilitymen Jacob Prater, Michael Spellacy and Jeremy Yelland were all honorable mentions.
Bafus, an incoming senior at Virginia Commonwealth University, went 4-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 11 games, 10 starts, this past summer with the AppleSox.
This is the third time that Bafus was honored for his work in the 2018 season. Bafus won the WCL Pitcher of the Week award for July 2-8 and represented the AppleSox as the starting pitcher in the WCL All-Star Game.
He joins Owen Jones (2011) as AppleSox pitchers to earn WCL Pitcher of the Year.
The right-hander proved himself early on as the AppleSox’ ace. Seven of Bafus’s first eight starts of the year were quality starts. He led the league in strikeouts (72) and innings-pitched (65.2) and tied for the league-lead with 10 starts.
In his only relief appearance of the season, Bafus was still a workhorse, tossing the final six innings of an 8-7 victory over Port Angeles on June 24 to pick up his second win of the season at the time. Bafus retired 13 of the final 16 batters that he faced and seven of those 13 went down via strikeouts.
McCord, an incoming junior at Western Oregon, finished third in the WCL in both batting average (.346) and RBIs (37). He led the AppleSox in those categories as well as home runs (six), hits (56), extra-base hits (16) and runs (27).
McCord reached base via at least one walk or base-hit in 35 of his 42 games played. He reached base in 18 consecutive games from June 22 to July 19 for the longest streak on the team.
In addition to his work at the plate, McCord also was a force on the mound. The southpaw went 3-5 with a 4.00 ERA and only allowed four earned runs over his final 18 innings-pitched in the season.
Second-team members Sage and Boyd also proved their worth in 2018. Sage tied for the league-lead with 28 walks, finished third with a .442 on-base percentage and hit a seventh-best .326 at the plate. His 10 doubles were tied for second-most on the AppleSox.
The incoming junior to Purdue reached base in 17 of his final 18 games of the season. Sage never went more than a game without reaching base in 2018.
Boyd tied Bafus and several others for the most starts (10) in the WCL this summer. His five wins, 57 strikeouts and 63.2 innings-pitched finished tied for first, tied for fourth and third, respectively, in the WCL.
The right hander and Moses Lake native also tossed one of two complete games in the West Coast League this season. He entered the ninth inning on July 18 in line for a shutout and, though he didn’t get it, still went to the distance. Boyd struck out eight in that game, one of four times this summer in which he matched his season-high in punchouts.
Voting for the All-WCL teams and award-winners was done by each team with one vote coming from each of the 11 franchises. The full list of West Coast League 2018 season award-winners and all-league teams can be found here: http://www.westcoastleague.com/news/?article_id=495
Photo via Columbia Basin Herald
College-baseball careers do not typically come to an end in the summer.
Players competing in associations such as the West Coast League are meant to sharpen their skills with a summer-ball team, then return to their university a better player.
For Hunter Boyd, this summer was the end of his playing career.
Boyd, a right-handed pitcher from nearby Moses Lake, is finished playing baseball and will instead pursue a career in law enforcement.
“Just not a big school guy,” Boyd said. “The classes were a lot harder than they needed to be for my career choice for the police. I don’t necessarily need a bachelor’s degree, so I just wanted to call it done and start my career with the police.”
Boyd would have been entering his senior year at the College of Idaho, but has opted to go a different route. It’s not the atypical route for a college athlete, rather, it’s the route Boyd has chosen.
That he chose to spend one last summer competing speaks to both his love of the game and his love of the Wenatchee AppleSox.
“I love Wenatchee, I’ve got a lot of friends here, a lot of family around,” Boyd said. “It’s nice to play in front of friends and family for a coach who I’ve had for three years.”
After graduating from Moses Lake High School in 2015, Boyd went to Yakima Valley College and experienced early success with his collegiate career. The Yaks won the 2016 NWAC Championship and Boyd went 4-5 with a 3.05 ERA as a freshman.
The next season, Boyd and the Yaks finished runner-up at the NWAC Championship. Boyd punched out 77 batters, 31 more than the previous season. He also tossed seven quality starts, two of which were complete-game shutouts.
Boyd left Yakima Valley to play for the College of Idaho in 2018. Though he put up strong numbers, Boyd did not find the same passion for baseball that he had previously.
“A big part of it was my last school I came from,” Boyd said. “Just kind of lost the love of the game.”
Boyd’s enthusiasm for pitching had been high after spending the 2017 summer with the AppleSox. He said he enjoyed continuing to play for head coach Kyle Krustangel, who was also his head coach with the Yaks.
“He doesn’t play favorites,” Boyd said. “He’s not necessarily a friend, but a coach who is a good idol for me. I love playing for him. He plays the game the right way and he always wants to win, so that’s nice to play under.”
Between juggling classes and baseball, Boyd realized as a junior that baseball was not in the cards for his future. He knew that the spring semester in 2018 would be his last in the classroom.
However, it wouldn’t be the end on the mound.
Instead of getting out of baseball as fast as he could Boyd wanted to return to a place that he loved to pitch at. That made returning to the AppleSox an easy decision.
“As soon as the season ended last summer,” Boyd said, “I think the last day of the season, Krustangel said ‘we’d love to have you back here.’ I said I’d love to come back and here I am.”
Boyd threw five quality starts this summer, including one of two complete games thrown in the West Coast League. In that effort against Portland on July 18, Boyd took a shutout into the ninth inning and matched his season-high with eight strikeouts.
Now that his baseball career is over, Boyd is looking to the future. He’s focusing on his law enforcement career right now, but is open to potentially getting back into coaching.
Regardless of where Boyd ends up, this much is certain: he rediscovered his love of the game in 2018 and ended his career the way he wanted. How many players simply take the field for pure love of the game?
“I came here and have one more fun summer and end it on a good note,” Boyd said.
It’s safe to say that he did.
KELOWNA, B.C. - The Wenatchee AppleSox (26-28, 15-13 second half) concluded their 2018 season with an 11-3 loss to the Kelowna Falcons on Wednesday night at Elks Stadium.
The Sox dropped their first series of the season in nearly a month and wrapped up their season north of the border.
Evan Williams went 3-for-5 with several stellar catches in center, Kody Darcy reached base three times to score two of the Sox’ runs and J.T. Schwartz hit his fourth home run of the season in the loss.
The Sox led 2-1 entering the bottom of the third thanks to a sacrifice fly by Connor McCord in the first inning and an RBI groundout by McCord in the third. However, the Falcons scored eight runs to take a lead that they would not relinquish.
Despite a late push, the AppleSox finished two games out of first place in the North division for the second half. Wenatchee won 12 of its final 16 games and five consecutive series until this season-ending set.
Full boxscore: http://pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=444998
KELOWNA, B.C. – The Wenatchee AppleSox (26-27, 15-12 second half) dropped the second game of their season-ending three-game series with the Kelowna Falcons, 15-1, on Tuesday night at Elks Stadium.
J.T. Schwartz recorded his second multi-hit game in his last three games by going 3-for-4 with a double and two singles. He also scored the AppleSox lone run thanks to a Dawson Day sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.
Curtis Bafus (4-5), who has been the AppleSox most consistent starter this season, did not toss a quality start for the first time since June 2. All eight of his starts in between were stellar efforts that gave the Sox a chance to win each night.
The right-hander from VCU allowed six runs over 4.2 innings and suffered the loss. The AppleSox scored an average of 3.36 runs in the 11 games that Bafus pitched this season.
Despite suffering the loss, Bafus struck out eight batters and now leads the West Coast League with 72 punchouts this season.
When the Sox scored in the sixth, the deficit had been cut to five runs, but the Flacons piled on, scoring nine times in the final three innings to pick up a 14-run victory.
The Sox can finish the season series against the Falcons with a tie by winning the series finale tonight. A win would also put the AppleSox at a .500 record overall. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m.
Full boxscore: http://westcoast.wttbaseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=444997
KELOWNA, B.C. – The Wenatchee AppleSox moved to half-a-game out of first place with a 7-4 victory over the Kelowna Falcons on Monday night at Elks Stadium.
Thanks to Yakima Valley’s fourth loss in the last five games and the Sox’ fourth consecutive win, Wenatchee is now less than a game out of a playoff spot.
Michael Spellacy (3-1) won his second consecutive start by allowing three runs over seven innings. The right-hander from Gonzaga did not walk any batters for the first time this season.
Offensively, the Sox used two multi-run innings to plate all seven of their runs. The AppleSox collected five of their seven base-hits in the three-run third and a four-run seventh inning. The Sox drew more walks (eight) than base-hits (seven) in the victory.
After the first three batters of the second reached to give Kelowna a 1-0 lead, the Sox took and retained the lead for the rest of the game with a strong third inning. With two outs, Evan Williams walked and Mason Marenco reached on an error to put runners at first and third. Connor McCord singled in Williams and then Jacob Prater found the left-center gap with a 2-RBI double.
A Kelowna solo homer in the fourth cut the deficit to one and then neither team scored again for the next two innings.
Seven Sox batters came to the plate in the seventh inning to plate four runs. Brayden Hamilton led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Kody Darcy. A pair of wild pitches scored Hamilton and then Williams and Marenco went to third and second on a walk and an error, respectively. McCord singled again to plate a run and then Joey Magro hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-2.
The Falcons scored singular runs in the seventh and eighth innings to cut the deficit to two, but for the second straight night, the Sox turned a double play to end the ballgame.
The series continues tonight in the penultimate game of the regular season for both squads. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m.
Full boxscore: http://westcoast.wttbaseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=444996
APPLESOX (25-26, 14-11 second half)
v.s.
Kelowna Falcons (26-25, 12-13 second half)
August 6-8
Elks Stadium
The Wenatchee AppleSox wrap up their 2018 regular season with three games against the Kelowna Falcons to start this week. The Sox are a game-and-a-half out of first place and still in the hunt.
They last played the Falcons on June 16-18 in Wenatchee. Kelowna won the final two games of the series to take the AppleSox’ first West Coast League home series of the season.
Probable Pitchers
Monday
AppleSox: Michael Spellacy (2-1, 3.51 ERA)
Falcons: Stone Churby (1-3, 5.65 ERA)
Tuesday
AppleSox: Curtis Bafus (4-4, 2.21 ERA)
Falcons: Trevor Brigden (3-4, 3.11 ERA)
Wednesday
AppleSox: Hunter Boyd (5-2, 4.07 ERA)
Falcons: James Brooks (4-0, 4.66 ERA)
Scouting the Opponent
Like the AppleSox, the Kelowna Falcons’ playoff hopes hang by a thread. However, they enter the final series of the season with much to play for.
The Falcons are fresh off a four-games-in-three-days set with Bellingham. Kelowna split the series and has lost nine of its last 12 games.
Despite the struggles, the Falcons are still fourth in the West Coast League in batting average (.278). However, their 5.21 team ERA is the worst in the league.
Playoff Chances
The AppleSox enter the final series of the regular season still in the hunt for a playoff spot, but they need some help. The Sox are currently a game-and-a-half out of first in the North division with three games remaining.
If the Yakima Valley Pippins lose twice this weekend to the Corvallis Knights and the Sox win all three games against Kelowna, the Sox move into a tie with Bellingham for the best record in the second half.
Bellingham would win the second half since they beat the Sox four out of six games. However, the AppleSox would win the second half playoff spot because they would have the second-best overall record in the North division for the 2018 season.
The Sox would not technically win the second half since they would have the same record as Bellingham and the Bells defeated the Sox four times in six games. However, the Bells won the first half and cannot also win the second half. The second-half playoff berth for the North division would then go to the team with the second-best overall record, first and second half combined.
With a sweep of the Falcons, the Sox would have the second-best overall record from the North division. However, that won't meant anything if the Pippins win two of their final three games, at the least. They would finish 17-10 and thus a half-a-game ahead of the Bells to win the second-half playoff spot.
Other teams can still qualify for the playoffs. Victoria gets in with a sweep of Portland, two Kelowna losses and two Yakima Valley losses. Kelowna gets in with two Yakima Valley losses and two wins over the AppleSox. Everyone in the North division is alive except for Port Angeles.
WENATCHEE, Wash. – In their final home regular season game of the 2018 season, the Wenatchee AppleSox (25-26, 14-11 second half) wrapped up their first sweep of the season with an 11-4 victory over the Victoria HarbourCats on Sunday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.
Connor McCord (3-5) allowed one earned run over seven innings to pick up the win. He also batted cleanup for himself and drove in three runs, all in two plate appearances with the bases loaded.
Mason Marenco and Evan Williams both reached base four times apiece as the AppleSox kept pace and remained a game-and-a-half behind the Yakima Valley Pippins for first in the North division.
After the HarbourCats opened the scoring with a run thanks to an error in the second, the Sox tied it up in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Jordan Rathbone singled to extend his hitting streak to a season-high six games. Jake Taylor’s first triple of the season plated Rathbone and made it 1-1.
The next inning, the Sox took the lead. After Marenco and McCord to put runners at first and third. Schwartz grounded out to score Marenco and give the AppleSox a 2-1 edge after three innings.
Victoria tied the game up in the fourth thanks to two more errors. The Sox again responded with a run of their own when Rathbone and Williams singled then Marenco walked to load the bases and McCord was hit by a pitch for a painful RBI.
For the second straight night, the sixth inning proved to be another great inning for the AppleSox. After scoring four runs the night before, Wenatchee plated three this time around.
With one out out, Marenco drove in two runs after Isaac Barrera singled and Williams walked. Then, Jacob Prater singled in Marenco to make it 6-2, AppleSox.
In the eighth, the HarbourCats cut the deficit to two. Each inning the HarbourCats scored in on Saturday night, the AppleSox either matched or better that total in the bottom of the same inning. That held true in the eighth as the Sox scored five runs.
Taylor and Williams singled and then Marenco walked to load the bases. McCord plated two with an RBI single and Prater reached on an error to score McCord. Schwartz followed with a two-RBI single of his own to cap the scoring.
The Sox now hit the road for their final series of the season with a three-game set against the Kelowna Falcons starting on Monday night at 6:35 p.m.
WENATCHEE, Wash. – Behind a 3-for-4 night from J.T. Schwartz and stellar pitching by Alec Gomez, the Wenatchee AppleSox (24-26, 13-11 second half) won their fifth consecutive series with a 5-2 triumph over the Victoria HarbourCats on Saturday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.
Schwartz reached in all four plate appearances and his three-run homer in the sixth was the difference as the Sox won for the 10th time in their last 13 games. Gomez (2-0) set two season highs with seven innings pitched and seven strikeouts.
Yakima Valley lost for the fourth consecutive time on Saturday night, meaning that the AppleSox are now a game-and-a-half out of first place in the North division for the second half.
After the HarbourCats got the game’s first run in the second thanks to an error and two wild pitches, the Sox answered in the fifth. Schwartz led off with a single and moved to third thanks to a wild pitch and a deep fly out. Brayden Hamilton picked up his first RBI of the season by reaching on an infield single to plate Schwartz.
The next inning, the Sox scored four runs to take the lead. With one out, Mason Marenco reached on a two-base throwing error by the pitcher. Connor McCord singled to center to score Marenco and give the AppleSox the lead. After Jacob Prater walked, Schwartz connected on his third home run of the season, a three-run shot to right.
The Sox have now scored 44 runs in the sixth inning this season. That is their most of any inning this summer.
The HarbourCats got a run back in the seventh, but Brian Marquez faced the minimum, in part thanks to a pair of double plays, and picked up the two-inning save.
The Sox will go for their first sweep of the season when they face the HarbourCats in the home finale on Sunday at 6:05 p.m.
Full boxscore: http://westcoast.wttbaseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=445051
WENATCHEE, Wash. - Thanks to a seven-run third inning, the Wenatchee AppleSox (23-26, 12-11 second half) defeated the Victoria HarbourCats on Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.
The AppleSox hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the third to plate six of the seven runs in the inning and moved to 2.5 games out of a playoff spot with the victory. Connor McCord, Jacob Prater and Dawson Day all consecutively homered in a span of six pitches.
Hunter Boyd won his team-high fifth game of the season by only allowing one unearned run over five innings and Grady Miller tossed four scoreless innings afterwards to pick up his second save of the season.
With the game scoreless entering the third inning, the AppleSox busted out by sending 12 men to the plate. Remarkably, the Sox drew more walks in the inning than they collected base hits.
Nick Seamons, Michael Spellacy and Mason Marenco all drew walks to load the bases with one out. McCord, after just barely missing a grand slam with a long fly ball down the right-field line, plated all three runners with a homer over the fence in right-center. McCord’s blast, his team-high sixth of the season, proved to be the difference in the game.
Prater followed up with an opposite field home run that carried over the wall in right field for his third home run of the season.
After Prater waited three pitches before connecting on the first back-to-back shots of the season for the AppleSox, Day would not wait as long. He slugged a no-doubter on the first pitch of his at-bat to make it 6-0, AppleSox.
The inning wouldn’t end there. Jordan Rathbone singled to left and Seamons reached on a fielder’s choice. After Seamons stole second base, an errant throw allowed him to advance to third and Rathbone to score the final run of the inning.
The HarbourCats would score two in the fourth and another in the fifth, but were held scoreless after that.
The Sox hope to continue climbing the standings and pick up a fifth consecutive series victory when they face the HarbourCats again on Saturday night at 7:05.
Full boxscore: http://westcoast.wttbaseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=445050
APPLESOX (22-26, 11-11 second half)
v.s.
Victoria HarbourCats (25-23, 11-10 second half)
August 3-5, 2018
Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium
The Wenatchee AppleSox conclude their 2018 home schedule with a three-game set against the Victoria HarbourCats.
Victoria and Wenatchee opened the season against each other in British Columbia. The Sox took two-of-three by winning the first and final game of the series.
Probable Pitchers
Friday
AppleSox: Hunter Boyd (4-2, 4.28 ERA)
HarbourCats: Mason Shaw (3-1, 3.46 ERA)
Saturday
AppleSox: Alec Gomez (2-0, 3.15 ERA)
HarbourCats: TBD
Sunday
AppleSox: Connor McCord (2-5, 4.50 ERA)
HarbourCats: Aidan Goicovich (1-1, 9.00 ERA)
Promotions
Friday: Wenatchee Valley College Night
Saturday: Pepsi Night
Sunday: Final regular season home game, sponsored by Jiffy Lube
Scouting the Opponent
Offensively, home runs and stolen bases have been the names of the game for the HarbourCats. Victoria is second in home runs with 37 longballs and leads the West Coast League with 114 stolen bases.
The HarbourCats have 26 more stolen bases than the next-closest team. They have nine players with five-or-more stolen bases already this summer.
Like the AppleSox, the HarbourCats are on a bit of a roll lately. They have won five-of-their-last-six games and are also trying to use a late run to buoy themselves into a postseason berth.
Postseason Hopes Still Alive
It’s slim, but the AppleSox still have a chance at making the postseason. With six games remaining, they are 3.5 games behind first place Yakima Valley.
The HarbourCats did the AppleSox a favor by taking two-of-three from the Pippins. However, the HarbourCats also leap-frogged the AppleSox in the standings while doing so. Victoria is now third in the North division, half a game ahead of Wenatchee.
A series victory over Victoria would be preferred, but the Sox may need a sweep to stay alive in the postseason hunt. They will definitely need at least a couple more Yakima Valley losses as well.
Marenco Keeps Hitting
With a 3-for-4 performance on Thursday night, Mason Marenco extended his team-best hitting streak to eight games.
Marenco is batting .382 (13-for-34) during his longest hitting streak of the season. The streak began on July 15 and has now stretched into the final month of the season.
He’s recorded three consecutive multi-hit games in the last three contests and has raised his average from .284 before the streak started to .307 entering the weekend.
Spellacy Does It All Against Port Angeles
Whether it was at the plate or on the mound, Michael Spellacy had a huge impact on the past series with the Lefties.
In the series-opener, Spellacy tossed six scoreless innings to pick up his second win of the summer. In the next two games, he went a combined 6-for-8 at the plate and drove in three runs.
Both games were Spellacy’s first back-to-back three-hit games and marked the second time that he’d strung together consecutive multi-hit games this season.
WENATCHEE, Wash. – In a testy series finale with the Port Angeles Lefties, the Wenatchee AppleSox (22-26, 11-1 second half) lost 5-3 on Thursday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.
The AppleSox could not finish off the Lefties with a sweep as Port Angeles rallied to score three times in the eighth to win by two runs over the Sox.
Two Port Angeles coaches were ejected and the benches cleared in the sixth inning, but it was the Lefties who seized the momentum to take the series finale.
Mason Marenco extended his season-best hitting streak to eight games with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate and Michael Spellacy also went three-for-four to record his second straight three-hit game.
An RBI knock with the bases loaded plated two Lefties runs in the second inning. It was the first time this series in which the Lefties scored first and the first time that they held the AppleSox off the scoreboard in both the first and second innings.
However, Marenco’s second single of the game plated Michael Spellacy to cut the deficit to one in the third inning. Spellacy led off with a single, went to second on a passed ball and moved to third on a wild pitch. He scored on the second single of the game by Marenco to put the Sox on the scoreboard.
In the fourth, Kody Darcy hit a two-out single and went to third on a single by Brayden Hamilton. Hamilton took off from first during Spellacy’s at-bat and was tagged out, but Darcy stole home before the out was recorded and tied up the game.
The game would remain tied until the sixth, when the Sox struck in an unusual way. After Joey Magro reached on a fielder’s choice and J.T. Schwartz singled to put runners at first and third, a balk was issued and Magro scored.
Right after the run came in and Schwartz went to second, Kody Darcy hit a comebacker that Thomas Ruwe fielded. Ruwe ran towards Schwartz, who was caught in between second and third base. Ruwe flipped the ball to third baseman Tristan Hanoian, who applied what looked to be a physical tag of Schwartz for the out.
The AppleSox dugout, seated adjacent to third base, voiced its displeasure and the two benches briefly emptied. No ejections were issued and the inning concluded a batter later.
After a scoreless seventh inning, Port Angeles struck three times in the eighth to rally to take the lead. The Lefties used a walk, an error, a wild pitch and two RBI singles to score three runs in the inning.
The Sox are now four games out of a playoff spot and will welcome the Victoria HarbourCats to Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium on Friday night for the final home series of the 2018 season. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.
Full boxscore: http://westcoast.wttbaseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=445049
WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee AppleSox (22-25, 11-10 second half) picked up their fourth consecutive series victory with a 12-3 win over the Port Angeles Lefties on Wednesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.
Connor McCord finished a double short of the cycle, Michael Spellacy drove in three runs and Tyler Chipman (1-0) tossed six strong innings to pick up his first victory of the season.
The right-hander from Cashmere struck out four before giving way to McCord, who struck out four in the final three innings to pick up his first save of the season.
With the win, the Sox won for the eighth time in their last 10 games and moved above .500 in the second half. They are now 3.5 games out of a playoff spot after Yakima Valley lost to Victoria.
The AppleSox began the first inning with three of their first four batters reaching base. Isaac Barrera led off with a walk and then Evan Williams and McCord both singled. Kody Darcy hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded to plate the first run and Spellacy followed with an infield RBI single.
The next inning, the Sox kept the runs coming. Jordan Rathbone singled to lead off the inning and went to third after a two-base error allowed Isaac Barrera to reach second base with one out. Williams second single in as many innings plated Rathbone, but he was thrown out at second for the second out.
However, the Sox weren’t finished and scored three more runs all with two outs. Barrera scored on a wild pitch and Jacob Prater drew a walk with two outs. McCord homered to right-center for his fifth long ball of the summer.
In the fourth, Trey Morgan homered in a two-strike count with two outs to plate the Lefties first run of the game. He would hit an RBI single in the sixth inning to cut the deficit to four.
The AppleSox responded with their second four-run inning of the game in the bottom half of the inning. Jake Taylor led off with a single and Barrera hit one of his own, but was erased after Williams reached on a fielder’s choice. McCord walked to load the bases and Kody Darcy plated the first two runners with an RBI single and Spellacy followed with a sacrifice fly.
In the eighth, McCord tripled and scored on an infield single by Spellacy, who then scored on an RBI double by Dawson Day to conclude the scoring.
Now, the AppleSox can collect their first sweep of the season when they face the Lefties on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m.
WENATCHEE, Wash. – Michael Spellacy tossed six scoreless inning and Evan Williams and Jordan Rathbone homered to lead the Wenatchee AppleSox (21-25, 10-10 second half) to a 7-1 victory over the Port Angeles Lefties on Tuesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.
Spellacy (2-1) tossed his second quality start of the season to lead the AppleSox to their seventh win in their last nine games. Karver Pate tossed the final three innings to pick up his second save of the season, both of which have come in the last two games that he has pitched. Pate recorded eight of his nine outs via strikeouts.
Offensively, the Sox recorded their seventh multi-home run game of the season on the way to victory.
The AppleSox struck first with three runs in the first inning. Williams walked with one out and moved to second a single by Mason Marenco. Though Connor McCord hit into a fielder’s choice to erase Marenco, Jacob Prater was hit by a pitch to load up the bases.
Joey Magro lifted a bloop single into right field to plate two runs. Magro took off from first in a double-steal attempt and was tagged out but not before Prater took home to score the third run of the inning.
In the second inning, Rathbone was hit by a pitch and went to second on a wild pitch before scoring on a Nick Seamons RBI single.
With one out in the fifth inning, Williams blasted a no-doubter over the left-field fence for his second home run of the season.
The Lefties loaded up the bases and used a wild pitch to get their only run in the top of the seventh.
Rathbone led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run, his second of the season. He has two home runs this season and both have come against Port Angeles. The Sox would then load up the bases thanks to three walks with one out. A wild pitch scored Isaac Barrera to give the AppleSox their second run of the inning.
The Sox improved to 16-6 when collecting multiple extra-base hits and 18-4 when scoring five or more runs. Despite the win, the Sox are still 4.5 games out of a playoff spot because first-place Yakima Valley defeated Victoria, 10-9.
The AppleSox will go for their fourth consecutive series victory when they face the Lefties again on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.
Home of the Wenatchee Applesox Baseball Club
June 4, 2019
v.s. Victoria HarbourCats
Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium
