Gettman Goes Distance in AppleSox Opening Night Win
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AppleSox set a franchise-best mark, with a fourth-consecutive Opening Night win, Thursday.
WENATCHEE, Wash. – CJ Gettman offered up a complete game, as the Wenatchee AppleSox (1-0, 0-0) took down the San Francisco Seals (3-8), 8-2 on Opening Night at Paul Thomas Sr. Field.
AJ Proszek collected the first win of his AppleSox head coaching career in his first try at the top step of the dugout.
After surrendering a run in the top half of the first, Chase Lewallen offered up a poetic moment to start the 2015 season. Lewallen laced a 2-RBI double into the left center field gap, to give Wenatchee its first lead of the season.
Lewallen’s grandfather, Gary, was the skipper of the inaugural AppleSox team in 2000. Wenatchee is now 3-0 in coaches’ inaugural games, as Gary Lewallen, Ed Knaggs, and AJ Proszek all coached their clubs to wins in their career-openers.
Gettman settled in during the second, third and fourth innings. He retired ten-consecutive and struck out the side in the second inning.
The AppleSox were stifled a bit in the second and third innings, but Tyler Thorson got things started for Wenatchee in the fourth. Andrew Helmstadter was then hit by a pitch, and Sheldon Liikala singled to score the AppleSox third run of the night. Kyle Vanderkin brought home Helmstadter and Liikala later in the inning, with a 2-RBI single off the glove of Seals second baseman Pedro Hidalgo.
The Seals scored their second run in the top of the fifth on a Michael Bradley groundout.
Wenatchee added its final three runs in the home half of the fifth, with Hunter Hanson, Thorson, and Liikala, all coming around to score in an inning in which the AppleSox batted around.
Kyle Vanderkin got his third RBI on a bases loaded walk to cap the AppleSox scoring.
Gettman cruised to the finish, sprinting to the end of his marathon. He earned the complete game in just two hours and one minute. Gettman gave up two runs on three hits. He struck out 11 and walked four.
Wenatchee completes the short two-game nonleague set with San Francisco, Friday night at 7:05 p.m. Reign Letkeman will get the starting nod for the AppleSox.
WP: CJ Gettman (1-0)
LP: Eli Alcantar
