APPLESOX VISIT JOE MARTIN FIELD, SATURDAY
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The AppleSox have game faces on and are in Bellingham for game one against the Bells, Saturday.
WENATCHEE APPLESOX at Bellingham Bells
Joe Martin Field | 7:05 p.m.
L- Grady Miller (2-2) vs. L- Connor Johnson (2-2)
GAME NOTES | APPLESOX STATS | LISTEN LIVE
The Wenatchee AppleSox (14-28, 4-11, 4-8 North), fifth place in the North Division are visiting the Bellingham Bells (22-17, 7-5, 7-5) for their first meeting of the season with the North second-half leaders...Wenatchee lost a three game series to the Bells last year 2-1 at Joe Martin Field in the teams’ only meeting...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (42-59) (.416), who is in his 4th season with the Sox...Proszek is assisted by Kyle Hunt and Colton Loomis, both in their first seasons.
LAST NIGHT - APPLESOX 6, KITSAP 3
WENATCHEE – The Wenatchee AppleSox (14-28, 4-11 Second Half), used two big innings to beat the Kitsap BlueJackets (12-30, 4-11), 6-3, Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium...despite falling behind 3-0, early, the AppleSox had all the answers in the third game of the series...Mac Lardner was making his first start of 2016, and did give up a first-inning two-RBI double to Marten Pauwels, and a second-inning run to Luke Stampfl on a sacrifice fly, but that was all the BlueJackets would get...Lardner finished a five-inning start retiring 12 of the final 13 batters to face him, including seven-in-a-row, to help out an AppleSox offense that connected on a big inning in the fourth to tie the game at three...Wenatchee was patient at the plate, waiting out Kitsap miscues, which included a bases-loaded balk by starter Jake Prizina...the play brought home Sheldon Liikala, and Haydan Hastings and Otis Statum followed with RBI in the frame on a fielder’s choice groundout and sacrifice fly...Prizina held things scoreless into the seventh, while Taylor Borchers (1-2) also threw two scoreless innings for Wenatchee...in the seventh, again, Kitsap was in trouble when reliever Garrett Smith (0-1) allowed the bases loaded and started a 1-0 count to Michael Toglia...Kitsap called on Jordan Knoll to try to end the jam, but Knoll completed a four-pitch walk to bring home the go-ahead run for Wenatchee...Sheldon Liikala singled a 3-2 pitch over the second base bag in the next at bat to give the AppleSox their final 6-3 score...the cushion worked out beautifully for Borchers and Nick Hoefling, who picked up his team-leading third save.
TONIGHT'S NOTES
PERFECT
Last night, the AppleSox played an error-free game for the seventh time this season...Wenatchee is 5-2 when they do not commit an error.
STREAKS AND SAVES
Nick Hoefling stretched his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 6 1/3 on the mound last night, and also picked up his team-leading third save of the season...Hoefling’s streak started July 10.
COMING FROM BEHIND
Wenatchee came back from a 3-0 deficit last night in their sixth come-from-behind win on the season.
AS LONG AS IT’S NOT YAKIMA
Grady Miller should be fine tonight in the win-loss column...of his 2-2 record in 2016, the only two losses came to the Yakima Valley Pippins (in his first start of the summer, and his most recent start of the summer).
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
Bet you didn’t know that when the AppleSox began their season 17 years back, it was in Bellingham at Joe Martin Field...June 2, 2000...a 2-1 AppleSox win.
CLOSE CALLS
Since the WCL series between Bellingham and Wenatchee began in 2005, the teams have played over a third of their games to a one-run finishes...23-of-63...36.5 percent...last season the AppleSox lost two games of a three-game set to Bellingham 5-3 and 5-4...Wenatchee won the third game 5-1.
HEADED NORTH
Wenatchee is done playing opponents from the WCL South in the 2016 regular season...after last night’s win, the AppleSox wrapped up their record vs. the South at 10-20.
GET FAMILIAR
Bellingham and Wenatchee will see each other plenty of times to finish the 2016 season...six of the AppleSox final 12 regular season league games this year will be against the boys from Whatcom County.
A TALE OF TWO TIMES
Wenatchee was 16-4 in the first 20 meetings between the two franchises...Bellingham is 14-6 in the last 20 meetings.
ODD...ERRR...EVEN
Last night marked the first time the AppleSox and an opponent finished even in the hit column in 44 2016 games...both sides collected 6 hits...Wenatchee has been out-hit in 27 games (3-24) and out-hit its opponent in 14 games (10-4).
GETTIN ‘EM AHEAD
Michael Toglia walked with the bases loaded in the seventh inning to put the Sox up 4-3 in the win...it was Toglia’s 4th go-ahead RBI of the season...good for the AppleSox team lead...Toglia also leads the WCL North in total runs batted in with 26...he is returning to Joe Martin Field after his Gig Harbor Tides played there in the WIAA 4A State Championships, May, 2015...his junior season...Gig Harbor was upended a game shy of the State Championship.
