APPLESOX LOOK TO CONTINUE SURGE, FACE ELKS

APPLESOX (18-24, 7-9 second half)

v.s.

Bend Elks (11-37, 4-17 second half)

July 27-29

Vince Genna Stadium

The AppleSox hit the road for the second-to-last time this season as they wrap up the season series with the Bend Elks this weekend. The Elks came to Wenatchee in late June and took two of three from the Sox on the 26-28th.

Probable Pitchers

Friday

AppleSox: Curtis Bafus (3-4, 2.34 ERA)

Elks: Daniel Naughton (0-5, 6.66 ERA)

Saturday

AppleSox: Alec Gomez (1-0, 2.45 ERA)

Elks: Mikey Hooper (1-3, 5.45 ERA)

Sunday

AppleSox: Hunter Boyd (4-1, 3.62 ERA)

Elks: A.J. Atherton (0-4, 8.05 ERA)

Last Game

Thursday night, the AppleSox picked up their second walk-off of the season in as many games when they defeated Cowlitz Black Bears, 6-5, at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium

Jacob Prater hit a walk-off single to center field with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Prater’s RBI, his third of the game, gave the AppleSox the series victory.

Scouting the Opponent

The Elks enter Friday’s series-opener with not only the worst record in the South division in the second half at 4-17, but also the worst overall mark in the entire West Coast League at 11-37.

Their team .310 on-base percentage and .319 slugging percentage are both worst in the WCL. Despite playing four more games than any other team in the league, Bend has still scored the fewest runs (167).

Defensively, the Elks have been sloppy, committing a league-worst 70 errors. They are also tied for the second-most stolen bases allowed with 94.

The Elks’ 5.90 team ERA is worst in the WCL and is 0.53 higher than the next-closest team. All three of their starters this weekend post losing records and ERA’s over 5.00.

#SoxAreHot

Winners of four of their last five and back-to-back series, the AppleSox are in the middle of their best stretch of play this season. The Sox have scored at least six or more runs in all of their victories and have won consecutive series for the first time this season.

The Sox are now 4.5 games out of a playoff spot with 12 games left in the season.

Streaking Sage

Over the last five games, Johnny Sage has been an on-base machine. He has reached base 19 times in his last 25 plate appearances. Sage is raking at the plate, batting .647 (11-for-17), but his eight walks in that span are equally as impressive.

Sage’s patient eye at the plate has paid off. He leads the West Coast League with 27 bases-on-balls and is third in on-base percentage with a .443 mark.

League Leaders

Two AppleSox starters this weekend, Curtis Bafus and Hunter Boyd, are near the top of the West Coast League in a couple of pitching categories.

Boyd and Bafus are third and fourth in the league in strikeouts, with 52 and 51 punchouts, respectively. Bafus is second in innings-pitched with 50.0 and Boyd is right beneath him with 49.2.  

SOX WALK OFF AGAIN, TAKE SERIES FROM BLACK BEARS

WENATCHEE, Wash. - For the second straight night, the Wenatchee AppleSox (18-24, 7-9 second half) picked up a walk-off victory over the Cowlitz Black Bears, this time with a series-clinching 6-5 triumph on Thursday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.  

With the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning of a 5-5 ballgame, Jacob Prater, first-pitch swinging, singled to left field to drive in the game-winning run.

The AppleSox never lead until driving in the game-winning run and rallied to tie the game back up four different times. They have now won back-to-back series for the first time this season and have also won four of their last five games.

Prater went 2-for-5 at the plate and drove in three runs. Johnny Sage reached base four times, finishing 2-for-3 with a couple walks. Isaac Barrera went 3-for-5 and score three times, including the game-winning run in the ninth.

On the mound, Nick Seamons tossed the final 3.1 innings in relief and picked up the victory, striking out four.

Things got off to an ominous start when a leadoff solo homer on the fifth pitch of the game made it 1-0, Black Bears in the first. However, the Sox rallied in the bottom half of the inning. They loaded up the bases and though Connor McCord hit into a double play, he drove in the tying run.

After a scoreless second inning, the two teams traded runs again in the third inning. A walk, a stolen base and then an RBI single made it 2-1, Cowlitz, in the top of the inning before McCord drove in Sage, who doubled with two outs, with an RBI single to right field.

Things picked up significantly in the fourth and fifth innings. Another solo homer and an RBI double in the top of the fourth gave the Black Bears a 4-2 lead.

The Sox did not answer in the fourth but scored two in the fifth. Barrera and Joey Magro hit back-to-back single and Sage walked to load the bases. Prater singled up the middle to plate the first two runners for his first of two base-hits in the game with the bases-loaded.

In the seventh, the Black Bears took their final lead of the game, but the AppleSox once again tied it up. Magro reached on an error and Sage singled to put runners at the corners with one out. A wild pitch during McCord’s at-bat scored Magro and made it 5-5.

The Sox now head to Bend for three straight with the Elks starting on Friday night at 6:35 p.m.

Full boxscore: http://pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=445046

APPLESOX WALK OFF BLACK BEARS ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT

WENATCHEE, Wash. – Using an improbable comeback and terrific performances from a couple relievers, the Wenatchee AppleSox (17-24, 6-9 second half) defeated the Cowlitz Black Bears, 8-7, in 11 innings.

The AppleSox trailed by five runs entering the eighth inning but rallied back to tie it up by sending nine men to the plate. In the 11th, a throwing error with runners at first and second scored the game-winning run and gave the Sox their third extra-innings victory of the season and first at home.

With the game tied 7-7 after a scoreless ninth and 10th innings, J.T. Schwartz led off the 11th with a single to center. It was the fourth consecutive plate appearance in which Schwartz reached base and his third single of the game.

Isaac Barrera put down a bunt to the right side, but the infield could not handle it and fire to first in time. With runners at first and second and no outs, Jordan Rathbone put down a bunt to the third-base side that was fielded and thrown low and away. Rathbone reached and Schwartz scored to pick up the first walk-off victory of the season for the AppleSox.

Connor McCord (2-5) picked up the victory by tossing three scoreless, hitless innings. The southpaw struck out five and retired all nine batters that he faced. As the designated hitter, McCord drove in a pair of runs with two sacrifice flys. He’s driven in nine runs in the last five games.

Grady Miller did not figure into the decision but kept the AppleSox in the ballgame by only allowing one run over four innings. The Wenatchee native struck out three and allowed one hit in relief of Michael Spellacy.

The scoring began in the second when the Black Bears sent 10 men to the plate and scored six runs to take a commanding lead. The Sox got one back in the third inning when Evan Williams singled and McCord’s first sacrifice fly of the game made it 6-1, Black Bears.

In the fifth, a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded re-established the Black Bears’ six-run lead. However, they would get their last hit of the game in that inning. McCord and Miller combined to keep the Black Bears hitless over their final 21 at-bats of the game.

The Sox got another run back in the sixth. After three consecutive singles loaded the bases, Kody Darcy hit a sacrifice fly to center to make it 7-2, Black Bears.

Darcy again came through with an RBI knock in the eighth, when the Sox rallied to tie the game. Schwartz singled to lead off the inning and, after reaching second on a ground out, scored an RBI single by Darcy.

Joey Magro singled and Kody Darcy was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Johnny Sage drew an RBI walk to force a pitching change and McCord followed with another sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to two. Jacob Prater tied the game on a two-RBI single to right-center field.

The AppleSox can win back-to-back series for the first time this season when they take on the Black Bears again on Thursday night in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

Full boxscore: http://westcoast.wttbaseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=445045

MCCORD CONTINUES TO RAKE, BUT SOX FALL TO BLACK BEARS

WENATCHEE, Wash. – Despite leading 3-0 after five innings, the Wenatchee AppleSox (16-24, 5-9 second half) lost to the Cowlitz Black Bears, 6-3, on Tuesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Connor McCord continued his torrid stretch at the plate with a 3-for-5 day. The incoming junior at Western Oregon hit his fourth home run in the last seven days and his third in the last four days. McCord is now hitting .478 (11-for-23) in his last four games with four consecutive multi-hit games.

Johnny Sage also had a productive day at the plate, reaching base four times, going 3-for-4 with three singles and a walk.

In the bottom of the first, Sage singled with two outs, swiped second and scored a single by McCord. The first baseman’s sixth RBI in the last four days made it 1-0, Sox. His seventh run-driven-in came in the fifth when McCord led off with a solo shot just inside the right-field foul pole.

Before that home run made it 3-0, Sox, Jake Taylor blasted his fourth of the season over the right-field fence for the Sox’ second run of the game.

In the top of the sixth, a two-base error with one out put a runner at third. An RBI single by Cole Jones put the Black Bears on the board and two batters later, a two-run homer tied it up.

The next inning, the Black Bears took the lead when eight men came to the plate and three scored on a two-RBI single by Jones made it 5-3 and a sixth run came across on a wild pitch.

The loss puts an end to the Sox’ two-game winning streak. They’ll look to even the series up on Wednesday night when they face Cowlitz again at 7:05 p.m.

Full boxscore: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=445044

SOX LOOK FOR BACK-TO-BACK SERIES WINS, FACE BLACK BEARS

APPLESOX (16-23, 6-8 second half)

v.s.

Cowlitz Black Bears (15-24, 5-7 second half)

July 24-26

Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium

The Wenatchee AppleSox return home for their penultimate homestand of the season. It begins tonight with a three-game set against the Cowlitz Black Bears at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. All three games start at 7:05 p.m.
 
Probable Pitchers

Tuesday
Black Bears: Zach Heaton (2-2, 2.62 ERA)
AppleSox: Hunter Boyd (4-1, 4.12 ERA)

Wednesday
Black Bears: Mitch Lines (1-1, 5.68 ERA)
AppleSox: Michael Spellacy (1-1, 2.90 ERA)

Thursday
Black Bears: Ryan Kaser (1-1, 5.95 ERA)
AppleSox: Tyler Chipman (0-0, 5.65 ERA)

Promotions

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday

Enjoy a plate of three tacos with delicious toppings for just $6.75! Tacos go on sale starting at 6 p.m., when the gates open and are on sale until they run out.

Last Game

For the first time this season, the AppleSox won the final two games of a three-game series to pick up a series victory. It was capped off with an 8-3 victory over the Yakima Valley Pippins on Monday night at Yakima County Stadium.

For the fourth time this season, the AppleSox recorded a multi-homer effort with home runs by Connor McCord and Nick Seamons, their third and first of the season, respectively.

Scouting the Opponent

The Black Bears enter tonight’s game second-to-last in the South division. They’ve lost two of their last nine and have been held to less than five runs five times during that span.

Cowlitz has the worst batting average (.228), second-worst on-base percentage (.327) and third-worst ERA (5.03) in the West Coast League. The Black Bears also enter tonight’s game with the second-worst road record in the WCL at 7-14.

Outfielder Ryan Kim leads the league in stolen bases (16), is tied for first in triples (3) and is fifth in total bases (69). The incoming junior at the University of Portland leads the Black Bears with a .321 batting average and is on an eight-game hitting streak in which he has recorded multi-hit efforts in all but one of the games. Kim is batting .441 (15-for-34) during his streak.

Offensive Outburst

In the series victory over the Pippins, the AppleSox the Sox collected 11 or more hits picked up their second consecutive victory over the Pippins. It was the 14th time this season that the AppleSox recorded double-digit hits in 39 games.

The Sox also homered in all three games to do so for the first time in a series this season. Twice in the series, players picked up their first home runs of the season as Evan Williams homered on Sunday and Nick Seamons went deep on Monday.

With back-to-back games of scoring eight runs on Sunday and Monday, the AppleSox are now 13-4 when scoring five-or-more runs in a game this season. The Sox have now won each of their last six games when scoring at least five runs in a game.

Boyd Hopes to Continue Consistency

In his last three starts, Hunter Boyd has given the AppleSox three consecutive quality outings. After identical six-inning performances in which he allowed a single earned run in both outings on July 4 and 10 to lead to two victories, Boyd stepped it up in his next start.

Last Tuesday against Bellingham, who won the North division in the first half, Boyd tossed a complete game to lead the Sox to a 10-1 victory. Boyd took a shutout into the ninth inning and tossed the first complete game by an AppleSox pitcher this season.

Tonight, the Moses Lake right-hander looks to make it four straight starts with one earned run or fewer allowed in a start of at least six innings.

McCord a Machine at the Plate

The three-game series in Yakima Valley was a particularly strong one for the AppleSox and perhaps no player had a finer weekend than Connor McCord.

The incoming junior to Western Oregon hit .500 (8-for-16) at the plate and recorded multi-hit efforts in all three games. It was the first time that McCord recorded a trio of consecutive multi-hit games since his first three games of the season on June 12-14 against Corvallis.

This monster weekend came after McCord went hitless in consecutive games for the first time this season in the final two games against Portland last week. Through 28 games, McCord has still yet to have back-to-back games in which he hasn’t reached base.

McCord also blasted two home runs, one in the series-opener and the other in the rubber match. He has now blasted all three of his home runs this season in the last seven games.

By leading the team in batting average (.352), on-base percentage (.432) and slugging percentage (.509), McCord has proven himself as the Sox most complete and well-rounded hitter.  

SEVEN EXTRA-BASE HITS BUOY SOX PAST PIPPINS

YAKIMA, Wash. – Behind a season-high seven extra-base hits, the Wenatchee AppleSox (16-23, 5-8 second half) defeated the Yakima Valley Pippins, 8-3, to take the season series, four-games-to-two.

A night after hitting six extra-base hits to set a single-game high in the 2018 season, the AppleSox topped it on the next night. They also recorded their fourth multi-homer game of the season with home runs from Connor McCord and Nick Seamons.

The Sox picked up the series win against the Pippins thanks to another stellar offensive output. For the third straight game, the Sox collected 11 or more hits picked up their second consecutive victory over the Pippins.

In the first inning, McCord blasted his second home run in the last three days and third of the season to plate himself and Joey Magro, who was hit by a pitch with one out. McCord moved into the team lead in RBIs with 19.

The Sox pushed their lead to 4-0 the next inning. Michael Spellacy lead off with a walk and Isaac Barrera doubled to left with one out to put runners at second and third. Magro reached on an infield single to plate Spellacy and Johnny Sage lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to make it 4-0, AppleSox.

After the Pippins scored three times in the bottom of that inning, the Sox scored three more runs of their own to re-establish a four-run lead. Cory Meyer led off with a double and scored after a pair of groundouts. With the bases empty, Spellacy singled and Seamons blasted his first home run of the season to left field.

The next inning, the Sox concluded the scoring when they loaded up the bases and J.T. Schwartz lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.

The AppleSox took four of the six games against the Pippins this season and outscored them 38-21. In the two losses, the Sox’ margin of defeat was only two runs in two tight games decided in the eighth inning or later.

Tuesday night, the Sox face the Cowlitz Black Bears at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium at 7:05 p.m. for the first of three games.

SOX SNAP STREAKS, STYMIE PIPPINS

YAKIMA, Wash. – Thanks to a season-high six extra-base hits, the AppleSox (15-23, 4-8 second half) defeated the Yakima Valley Pippins, 8-1, on Sunday night at Yakima County Stadium.

The Sox got a number of strong offensive performances to snap their four-game losing streak and the Pippins’ nine-game winning streak. Johnny Sage recorded his first four-hit game of the season, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored. J.T. Schwartz went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a triple and 4 RBI. Evan Williams reached base twice, including via his first home run of the season.

Connor McCord provided an offensive punch as well as stymying performance on the mound. The incoming junior to Western Oregon singled three times, drove in a run and tossed scoreless eighth and ninth innings to seal the victory.

Sam Wong (2-0), making his first start in a month, allowed one run over five innings to pick up the victory. Dawson Day tossed two scoreless innings before handing the ball to McCord to wrap up the game.

After the Pippins scored a run in the first inning, they took a 1-0 lead into the fourth, but the Sox tied and took the lead that inning. Sage led off with his first double of the game and scored three batters later on a double by Schwartz. Spellacy singled to center to give the Sox a 2-1 lead, a lead they would hang on to for the rest of the game.

It was “déjà vu all over again,” as Yogi Berra would say, in the sixth inning. Schwartz again doubled in a run, this time McCord after he singled with one out. Spellacy again drove in Schwartz with a single and it was 4-1, AppleSox after five-and-a-half innings.

Williams led off the eighth first-pitch swinging with a home run off the scoreboard in left to pad the lead. In the ninth, McCord drove in Sage after he double with two outs. Williams walked, then he and McCord scored on an RBI triple by Schwartz off the right-field wall.

All but one of the AppleSox nine runs came across with two outs in the inning. Dating back to Thursday against Portland, 10 of the Sox’ last 13 runs scored have all come with two outs.

The rubber match between the Sox and the Pippins takes place tonight at 6:35 p.m. in Yakima.

Full boxscore: http://pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=476955

BAFUS STELLAR AGAIN, BUT SOX FALL TO PIPPINS

YAKIMA, Wash. – A late rally carried the Yakima Valley Pippins to a 5-4 victory over the Wenatchee AppleSox (14-23, 3-8 second half) on Saturday night at Yakima County Stadium.

The Pippins scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to go from a run down to up three runs and take the series-opener with the AppleSox and win their eighth straight game.

Curtis Bafus turned in his sixth consecutive quality start, but picked up a no decision for the first time this season. The right-hander from Virginia Commonwealth University struck out eight and only allowed one unearned run on three hits over seven innings. However, the Sox could not rally to get him a victory.

The AppleSox opened the scoring in the top of the first inning by striking first for the first time in their last four games. Isaac Barrera began the game with a walk and Evan Williams singled to put runners at first and second.

With one out, Connor McCord hit a bloop single to center that put runners at first and third with one out because Williams was thrown out at second. Mason Marenco, first-pitch-swinging, singled to left field to plate Barrera and give the Sox the early lead.

Neither team scored again for the next four innings until the Pippins tied it up in the bottom of the fifth. The deadlocked game would last until the top of the eighth when Marenco reached on an error and score four batters later on an RBI single to right by Dawson Day.

With the score 2-1 going into the bottom of the eighth, the Pippins sent nine men to the plate and rallied to take the lead by drawing three walks and using an error.

In the top of the ninth, McCord drilled a two-run homer to right to cut the deficit to one, but it was as close as the Sox would get.

Game Two of the weekend set takes place at 6:05 p.m. on Sunday night.

Full boxscore: http://pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=445020

APPLESOX TAKE ON PIPPINS IN YAKIMA VALLEY

APPLESOX (14-22, 3-7 second half)

v.s.

Yakima Valley Pippins (21-18, 10-2 second half)

July 21-23

Yakima County Stadium

Probable Pitchers

Friday

AppleSox: Curtis Bafus (3-4, 2.72 ERA)

Pippins:

Saturday

AppleSox: Sam Wong (1-0, 2.38 ERA)

Pippins: Hunter French (4-2, 3.44 ERA)

Sunday

AppleSox: Alec Gomez (1-0, 3.72 ERA)

Pippins: TBD

Last Game

The AppleSox dropped the series finale with the Portland Pickles, 9-3, on Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Scouting the Opponent

The Pippins are red-hot since the start of the second half. After an 11-16 record led to a last-place finish in the six-team North Division, the Pippins are 9-2 in the second half and have won eight in a row.

Yakima Valley has racked up the wins by improving offensively. They’ve scored five or more runs in nine of their last 12 games.

Kyle Dean has led the way offensively for the Pippins. He’s batting .489 (23-for-47) and has 13 RBI since July 6. The Pippins outfielder has eight multi-hit efforts in his last 12 games and has reached base safely at least once in 22 of the 23 games that he has played.

Snap the Streak

The Sox enter Saturday’s game losers of three straight. They dropped both games of the doubleheader with the Pickles on Thursday before falling last night.

This is the second time this season that the AppleSox have lost a trio of games and they look to stop the bleeding tonight. 

Tough Luck

Curtis Bafus, one of the Sox’ four All-Star representatives, has been stellar in his last two outings but has picked up losses both times.

The right-hander from Virginia Commonwealth University has tossed back-to-back outings of six-plus innings and has allowed a combined two earned runs, but the AppleSox have lost both times because they were shut out both times.

Bafus, who is second on the AppleSox in strikeouts (43) and innings-pitched (43.0) will look to buck the trend tonight.

Familiar Territory for Gomez

Sunday’s probable pitcher, Alec Gomez, will toe the rubber in familiar territory on Monday. Gomez goes to nearby Yakima Valley College, where the AppleSox coaching staff also coaches at.

Gomez went 2-1 with a 1.62 ERA this past season with the Yaks. He will make his fifth appearance of the summer on Monday.

SEAMONS STELLAR IN RELIEF, BUT SOX LOSE TO PICKLES

WENATCHEE, Wash. - Despite 5.2 innings of scoreless relief from Nick Seamons, the Wenatchee AppleSox (14-22, 3-7 second half) dropped the series finale. 9-3, to the Portland Pickles on Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

The Pickles scored seven runs in the third inning while sending 11 men to the plate, then tacked on two more the next inning. Gio Diaz led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

Seamons came on in relief of Grady Miller (1-4) with one out in the fourth and tossed zeros the rest of the way. He struck out six and didn’t allow a hit until the ninth inning in his longest outing of the season.   

The Sox scored their three runs in the final three innings of the game. In the seventh, Joey Magro led off with an infield single and Michael Spellacy doubled to runners at second and third. Kody Darcy grounded out to score Magro and move Spellacy to third. A wild pitch plated Spellacy and Sox used a multi-run inning to cut the deficit to seven.

In the ninth, Spellacy walked and took second on defensive indifference. Two batters later, Isaac Barrera singled to center and Spellacy scored for the second time in three innings.

The Sox now travel to face the Yakima Valley Pippins on Saturday for the first of three games starting at 6:35 p.m.

Full boxscore: http://pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=445043

APPLESOX FALL TO PICKLES IN DOUBLEHEADER

WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee AppleSox (14-21, 3-6 second half) dropped both games of their doubleheader with the Portland Pickles on Thursday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

The Sox and Pickles were making up a game from their postponed June 8-10 series in Portland in addition to the regularly scheduled second game of a three-game set in Wenatchee.

The Pickles scored first both games, starting with a three-run second inning in Game One. Two AppleSox errors allowed the Pickles to score a trio of runs despite not collecting any base hits.

In the third, an Evan Williams ground out cut the deficit in half. With one out, Jordan Rathbone walked and then advanced to second after Nick Seamons reached on an error. A wild pitch moved both runners up 90 feet and then Williams delivered with a grounder to the left side to score Rathbone.

Johnny Sage walked to lead off the third inning and McCord singled to put runners at the corners. As McCord dashed toward second base for a steal, the throw went over everyone’s heads and into center field allowing Sage to score. Cory Meyer singled to left to drive in McCord and tie the game.

In Game Two, the two teams combined for three home runs, but it was two by the Pickles that proved to be the difference.

Noah Cardenas opened the scoring with a two-run shot to put the Pickles up 2-0 in the second inning. In the top of the seventh, with the game tied 2-2, Mikey Perez belted a leadoff solo shot to right-center field to score the eventual game-winning run.

Before that, the Sox worked to tie it up. Kody Darcy led off the bottom of the third inning with a solo shot over the fence in dead center.

The AppleSox tied the game up with an RBI single by Joey Magro in the fifth. After Isaac Barrera reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second base, Magro plated him with a single to right.

The series wraps up on Friday night with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Full boxscores...

Game 1: http://pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=476631

Game 2: http://pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=445042

BOYD'S COMPLETE GAME LEADS SOX PAST PICKLES

WENATCHEE, Wash. – Behind Hunter Boyd’s complete-game effort, the Wenatchee AppleSox defeated the Portland Pickles, 10-1, on Wednesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

 Boyd matched a season-high with eight strikeouts and took a shutout into the ninth inning to toss his longest outing of the season and the first complete game of the year for the AppleSox. The right-hander and Moses Lake native faced the minimum in six of his nine innings to pick up his fourth win of the season.

Offensively, the AppleSox posted their third-double digit effort of the season. Connor McCord went 2-for-4 with a home run and a walk and Evan Williams also went 2-for-4 while singling twice, walking and driving in a run. Jordan Rathbone went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored and Jacob Prater reached base in four of his five plate appearances.

The scoring began in the fourth inning when the Sox got two runs thanks to an error. Prater led off with a walk and with two outs Rathbone doubled to put runners at second and third. Kody Darcy hit a ball to short that was thrown away and into the visiting dugout to allow both runs to score.

The next inning, the Sox loaded the bases and cashed in. Williams and McCord singled and Prater was hit by a pitch to load up the bases. A wild pitch drove in Williams to make it 3-0.

The scoring didn’t stop there. In fact, the AppleSox had their best inning of the game in the sixth. Rathbone led off the sixth with a double and Darcy reached on an error. Isaac Barrera singled to center to plate Rathbone and then Barrera and Darcy both came home on a three-run home run by McCord, his first of the season.

The next inning similarly started with Rathbone reaching base, this time via a single. Darcy followed with a walk and Barrera singled again to load up the bases. Williams drew an RBI walk to plate Rathbone and make it 8-0, AppleSox.

After a pitching change, Darcy scored on a wild pitch during McCord’s at-bat. Prater reached on an error and that allowed Barrera to score to bring in the AppleSox’ 10th run of the game.

Boyd looked poised to toss the AppleSox’ first shutout of the season, but allowed a leadoff home run in the ninth. However, he recovered to toss the complete game and save the AppleSox bullpen from any usage prior to Thursday’s doubleheader.

The Sox and Pickles will meet for a twin bill at 5:05 p.m. on Thursday evening at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. The second game of the doubleheader will begin approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game. Tickets for the originally-scheduled 7:05 p.m. game will be valid for both games of Thursday’s doubleheader.

Full boxscore: http://pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=445041

APPLESOX FACE PICKLES IN PORTLAND'S FIRST VISIT TO WENATCHEE

APPLESOX (13-19, 2-4 second half)

v.s.

Portland Pickles (23-12, 6-3 second half)

Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium

July 18-20

The AppleSox start their post-All-Star Break schedule at home against the Portland Pickles for four games in three days starting tonight.

After facing the first-half North division champions, the Bellingham Bells, for six games prior to the All-Star Break, the AppleSox now prepare to face the first-half South division champions, the Pickles.

The two teams last faced each other in a doubleheader on June 11. Portland won both games by scores of 3-0 and 9-0 at Walker Stadium. The three originally-scheduled games from June 8-10 were all postponed due to rain. The third and final game of that series will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Thursday.

Probable Pitchers

Wednesday

Pickles: Colin Suter (2-1, 2.14 ERA)

AppleSox: Hunter Boyd (3-1, 4.93 ERA)

Thursday (Game 1)

Pickles: Michael Newstrom (2-3, 2.66 ERA)

AppleSox: Michael Spellacy (1-1, 3.46 ERA)

Thursday (Game 2)

Pickles: TBD

AppleSox: Tyler Chipman (0-0, 7.56 ERA)

Friday

Pickles: Daniel Copeland (0-1, 2.45 ERA)

AppleSox: Grady Miller (1-3, 5.08 ERA)

Promotions

Thursday: Horan Estates Winery Night. Enjoy wine tasting on the third-base side of the ballpark.

Friday: Foster Family Night sponsored by Sunny FM.

Scouting the Opponent

The Pickles enter Wednesday’s game hot as winners of four straight and five of their last six.

Portland may be the most well-rounded team in the West Coast League. The Pickles are tied for the league lead in batting average (.287) and are second in ERA (2.62)

There is an abundance of league-leaders across the Pickles roster. Brad Bonnefant leads the league in saves (6) Gio Diaz is second in batting average (.362) and first in stolen bases (15) and Joey Cooper is tied for first in extra-base hits (16), just to name a few league-leaders.

Last Game

The AppleSox picked up their second extra-inning victory of the season with a 6-3 win over the Bellingham Bells on Sunday at Joe Martin Field. Jake Taylor blasted a pinch-hit three-run homer in the top of the 11th to give the AppleSox the lead for good. J.T. Schwartz went 3-for-4 at the plate and hit his first home run of the season in the second inning.

Home Runs = Victory

Sunday’s victory was the second time this season in which the AppleSox hit multiple home runs in a game. Along with an 8-7 victory over the Port Angeles Lefties on June 24, the Sox are now 2-0 in games in which they hit multiple home runs. Overall, the Sox are 6-2 in games when homering.

DOUBLEHEADER WITH PICKLES SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY

Due to rain postponing the original dates for all three games of the AppleSox' series with the Portland Pickles from June 8-10, the two teams will play a doubleheader on Thursday at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. The second game of the twin bill will take place approximately a half hour following the conclusion of Game 1. Both games will be seven innings instead of nine.

Tickets for Thursday's originally scheduled 7:05 p.m. game are valid for both games.

This will be the second doubleheader of the season between the AppleSox and the Pickles this season. As a makeup of the first two games of the series, the Pickles took both games on June 11 at Walker Stadium.

The AppleSox begin their post-All-Star Break schedule on Wednesday night with a 7:05 p.m. game against the Pickles for the series-opener. Tickets are available for purchase on applesox.com.

Before the game, AppleSox players and coaches will be appearing at Pybus Market from noon until 1 p.m. to sign team posters. Fans are encouraged to come out to meet the team and get their own free poster as a keepsake of the 2018 season. There is no cost to attend or get a poster.

BAFUS USES MEDITATION TO HELP EARN ALL-STAR START

"Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical."

Though his math was off, Yogi Berra's main message was simple and understandable: if you aren't mentally locked in, you can't hope to succeed in baseball. Physical ability is extremely important, but an unfocused athlete can only perform so well.

For AppleSox right-hander Curtis Bafus, getting properly prepared mentally is key to his gameday routine. It's also a big reason why the right-hander from VCU is the starting pitcher for the North division in the West Coast League All-Star Game.

Bafus has been a workhorse for the AppleSox this season. Through seven appearances, six starts, Bafus is 3-4 with a 2.72 ERA. His 43 strikeouts and 43 innings-pitched are both second in the West Coast League in their respective categories. 

Since allowing six runs in 4.2 innings in his first start of the year on June 2, Bafus has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his six other appearances and has tossed at least six innings in all of them. 

“I’m just trying to be more consistent and work hard every day," Bafus said.

Fans may only see Bafus warming up on the bullpen or shagging fly balls in batting practice, but it's what the fans don't see that is a pivotal element of his gameday pre-start rehearsal. 

About two hours before first pitch, Bafus likes to find a quiet place to sit and meditate. He likes to picture success in hope that it will build a confidence that he can take onto the mound with him.

"I’ll just sit down and visualize me throwing strikes in the zone," Bafus said. "I feel like that helps a lot.”

Despite winning the West Coast League Pitcher of the Week honors for his work from July 2-8, Bafus has picked up consecutive tough-luck losses. Bafus has only allowed a combined two earned runs over 13.1 innings in his last two starts, but the Sox fell to Walla Walla, 2-0, on July 8 and again to Bellingham, 2-0, on July 14. 

The most recent outing was one of Bafus's finest this season. He struck out nine in 6.1 innings and did not walk any batters in an appearance for the second time this season.

In that performance, pitching coach Riley Drongesen said that Bafus's fastball wasn't even at its peak potential. Typically, his fastball is between 89-to-91 miles per hour, but Bafus was averaging upper 80's this past Saturday. 

"He used that to his advantage," Drongesen said. "Stuff-wise, not his most electric, but man, did he pitch his butt off as far as competitiveness." 

The ability to still perform well even without your best stuff can be contributed back to Bafus's meditation before the game. By picturing himself succeeding and ingraining that positive outlook in his mind, Bafus feels that he can overcome whatever adversity comes his way.

"It’s very important in this sport," Bafus said, "because you’ve got to deal with a lot of failures, so overcoming that is huge.”

Meditation has worked very well for Bafus. It has provided him with the proper mindset entering starts and has translated into a successful summer. Over the last couple weeks, Bafus has reaped the rewards of his work and that will continue on Tuesday night in Port Angeles.

TAYLOR PINCH-HIT HOMER LEADS SOX TO VICTORY

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Jake Taylor blasted a three-run pinch-hit home run in the top of the 11th inning to buoy the Wenatchee AppleSox () past the Bellingham Bells, 6-3, on Sunday afternoon at Joe Martin Field.

The AppleSox salvaged the three game-set with the Bells by winning their second extra-innings contest of the season.

Taylor, the third pinch hitter of the inning, blasted his third home run of the season over the left-center  field with one out to lead the AppleSox to a victory in their final game before the All-Star Break. Before Taylor played hero, Evan Williams led off the inning with a single and J.T. Schwartz walked to set the stage.

Grady Miller tossed a scoreless 11th inning to pick up his first save of the season.

Prior to the AppleSox’ breakthrough in extras, neither team had scored since the seventh. The scoring began in the first inning when the Bells scored first for the sixth consecutive game in the series on an RBI groundout.

The Sox didn’t take long to respond, scoring twice in the top of the second to take the lead. Schwartz blasted a two-run homer over the right-field fence after Jordan Rathbone was hit by a pitch to give the AppleSox a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the seventh, Schwartz continued his big day with his third hit of the ballgame, a lead off single. After being sacrificed over, Schwartz scored on an RBI single by Isaac Barrera to make it 3-1, AppleSox.

However, the Bells struck back in the seventh inning with two runs as seven men came to the plate.

Connor McCord started and tossed six innings for one of his finest performances of the summers, only allowing one unearned run. In both the third and fourth innings, he got out of bases-loaded-and-one-out jams. McCord received a no decision despite the stellar outing.

The Sox don’t play again until Wednesday night against the Portland Pickles because of the West Coast League All-Star Game. Curtis Bafus, Mason Marenco, Cory Meyer and Jeremy Yelland will represent Wenatchee in Tuesday’s game in Port Angeles. Yelland will compete in the Home-Run Derby on Monday night and Bafus will start for the North division in the All-Star Game.

Full boxscore: http://pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=444959

APPLESOX DROP SECOND GAME OF SERIES VS BELLS

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Despite a stellar pitching performance from Curtis Bafus, the Wenatchee AppleSox fell to the Bellingham Bells, 2-0, in a tight game on Saturday night at Joe Martin Field.

Bafus matched a season-high with nine strikeouts and tossed six scoreless innings before allowing a couple runs with one out in the seventh inning. Unfortunately for Bafus and the AppleSox, it was his second straight start in which he went six innings and allowed only one earned run, but suffered the loss. 

In a game in which the two teams combined for 10 hits, the Bells got half of theirs in the seventh. After a single, an error and a fielder's choice, back-to-back RBI singles to left field gave the Bells the only runs that they needed and would get in Saturday's win.

The Sox will try to salvage the series on Saturday when they face the Bells for the final time at 3:05. It's the final game for both teams before the All-Star Break.  

Full boxscore: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=444958

APPLESOX FALL TO BELLS ON FRIDAY NIGHT

BELLLINGHAM, Wash. - The Wenatchee AppleSox (12-18, 1-3 second half) dropped the series opener with the Bellingham Bells, 13-1, on Friday night at Joe Martin Field.

The AppleSox and the Bells met for the fourth consecutive day, this time for the first time in Bellingham. It was the Bells who picked up a win for the third consecutive day.

Centerfielder Evan Williams went 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to five games, but the AppleSox could not stop a potent Bells' offense. Williams recorded his second consecutive multi-hit game in the loss.

The Bells stuck with what worked in the last two games and scored first. For the third straight game, Bellingham struck first and never trailed. In the first inning, Matt Jones blasted a two-run home run for his third long ball in as many days to give the Bells a 2-0 lead. 

The AppleSox cut the deficit to one in the third inning when an error helped bring in their only run. Nick Seamons led off by putting down a bunt single and Williams reached on a walk two batters later. Johnny Sage hit a ball that shortstop Dylan Stroup could not handle, and Seamons rounded third to score with the extra time. 

Bellingham plated two more runs in the bottom of that same inning to regain a multi-run lead. They scored three more in the sixth and six runs in the eighth to score double-digit runs in back-to-back games. 

The two teams met again on Saturday night at 6:35 p.m. in Bellingham.

Full boxscore: http://westcoast.wttbaseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=444957

SOX AND BELLS PLAY AGAIN, NOW IN BELLINGHAM

APPLESOX (12-17, 1-2 second half)

v.s.

Bellingham Bells (21-11, 3-3 second half)

July 13-15

Joe Martin Field

After playing three games in Wenatchee, the AppleSox and the Bellingham wrap up their six-games-in-six-days series with three in Bellingham beginning tonight.

The AppleSox took Tuesday’s series-opener with a 6-2 victory over Bellingham, but the Bells won the series with a 6-2 victory on Wednesday and a 10-4 triumph last night.

This is the final series for both teams before the West Coast League All-Star Game, which takes place on Tuesday night in Port Angeles. Curtis Bafus, Mason Marenco, Cory Meyer and Jeremy Yelland will represent the AppleSox in the mid-summer classic.

Probable pitchers

Friday

AppleSox: Dawson Day (0-0, 3.00 ERA)

Bells: Nick Hull (0-1, 3.37 ERA)

Saturday

AppleSox: Curtis Bafus (3-3, 2.94 ERA)

Bells: Chris Micheles (0-0, 1.08 ERA)

Sunday

AppleSox: Connor McCord (1-4, 6.15 ERA)

Bells: Grant Holman (0-0, 1.30 ERA)

Struggles After Game 1

The AppleSox have been stupendous in series-openers this season, winning the first game of a three-game series six of nine times. That means that six of the Sox’ 12 West Coast League victories this season have come in Game 1 of a three-game series.

Despite winning each of their last three series openers, the AppleSox are 4-5 in their last nine. Taking Games 2 and 3 of the season has not been as easy for the Sox in 2018.

Allowing the First Run

In each of the three games in Wenatchee, the Bells scored first against the AppleSox. Game 1 was the only time that the Sox rallied back to claim a victory after allowing the Bells to score first. This season, the AppleSox are 4-9 when their opponent tallies the games’ first run.

Men Left On

Last night was only the sixth time that the AppleSox stranded 10 or more runners in a game. The Sox stranded 11 runners, one off their season-high. Four innings ended with the Sox stranding two runners on the basepaths.

The toughest was when they loaded the bases in the fifth with one out, but could not get any runs as a double play ended the inning.

THREE POST MULTI-HIT GAMES, BUT SOX FALL TO BELLS

WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee AppleSox, (12-17, 1-2 second half) dropped the series finale to the Bellingham Bells, 10-4, on Thursday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Michael Spellacy (1-1) turned in a solid outing on the mound, allowing three runs (all unearned) in five innings, but the AppleSox could not get him the victory. The right-hander from Gonzaga struck out a season-high six batters.

Three different Sox players recorded multi-hit games, but they could not overcome stranding 11 baserunners and four errors.

For the third time in the last three days, the Bells got the game’s first run and added a couple more. Bellingham scored three times in the top of the first and sent eight men to the plate.

The Sox struck back in the bottom of their first run. With two outs, Johnny Sage reached on an error and Connor McCord doubled to right-center a pitch later to plate Sage.

 In the third, the Sox cut the deficit to one. Evan Williams singled with one out and Isaac Barrera and Mason Marenco followed up with walks to load the bases. Sage grounded out to third, but drove in Williams on the play.

After the Bells got three more by similarly bringing eight men to the plate in the sixth, the AppleSox plated two of their own. Cory Meyer led off with a walk and Evan Williams singled three batters later. A wild pitch moved them to second and third base and Isaac Barrera plated both with a single to make it 6-4, Bellingham.  

The Bells capitalized and added four more runs in the eighth inning to conclude the scoring.

After three games in Wenatchee, the two teams now travel to play three more in Bellingham starting tomorrow night at 6:35.

Full boxscore: http://pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=445040