AppleSox Look to Even Set With Elks

The AppleSox will look to even the three-game series with Bend, Tuesday night.

GAME NOTES 7/7
BASEBALL BLURBS 7/7

APPLESOX LOOK TO EVEN SERIES WITH LEAGUE LEADERS
The Wenatchee AppleSox (14-15, 11-14), fourth place in the WCL East, take to the diamond again to take on the hottest team in the WCL, the Bend Elks (23-5, 23-5), after the Elks took advantage of four AppleSox errors and some late run scoring to win Monday’s opener...the AppleSox are playing their 16th franchise season (11th in the WCL) and are led by first-year skipper, AJ Proszek (14-15) (.483), who is in his 3rd season with the Sox, after managing the pitching staff in 2013 and 2014...Proszek is assisted by Miles Kizer and Cory LeBrun, both in their first seasons.

LAST NIGHT
Like so many other teams in the WCL have been this season, the AppleSox were defeated by the Bend Elks, Monday...the Elks were content to play small ball early and took advantage of three early AppleSox errors to take a 4-2 advantage to the fourth inning...Wenatchee was kept in the game by holding Bend to a 1-10 mark with runners in scoring position in the early stages, despite seeing the bases loaded in each of the first three innings...Dustin Hamilton posted one of his best performances of the season in relief, striking out a season-high six batters without surrendering a walk...Tony Contonio also pitched well, taking the Elks down in order in the eighth...they did reach him for one run in the ninth...the AppleSox couldn’t crack the code for Bend starter Jake Forrester, who lasted eight innings en-route to his second win of the year...Forrester gave up just the two runs, but one was earned on a double play ball with the bases loaded and nobody out in the second, helping Forrester limit the inning’s damage.

WELLS NAMED CO-WCL PLAYER OF WEEK
Hunter Wells is rolling for the AppleSox...his 1.11 ERA is third-lowest in the WCL, his 33 strikeouts rank second amongst qualifying pitchers, and his four wins have him tied for first with Patrick McGuff, of the visiting Elks, for the league lead...Wells threw eight innings in a shuttout win over Klamath Falls, July 4, and only gave up four hits, while striking out six and walking two...he shared honors with West Tunnell, who was 12-for-26 last week for Bend, with 3 home runs, 8 runs scored, 8 RBI, and a .500 on-base percentage...Elks players have received at least a share of the honor in four of the last five weeks (Tunnell, Patrick Flynn, Cadyn Grenier, Tyler Davis).

PITCHING HEATING UP
The AppleSox pitching staff is throwing to the tune of a 1.88 ERA through six games this month...team had a 4.26 ERA in the month of June...AppleSox pitchers haven’t allowed a run in 25 of their last 29 innings played...last weekend marked the fifth time in team history that a pitching staff has executed back-to-back shutouts (record: three-consecutive [June 2007, all against Kelowna - 2-0, 6-0, 5-0]).

BEND’S BATS; LEADERS IN CATEGORIES:
Average (.336), OPS (.898), SLG (.484), OBP (.414), total bases (510), RBI (204), home runs (25), tied-triples (7), doubles (67), hits (354), runs (240), at bats (1,054)....**All Stats entering the series**

APPLESOX ALL-TIME
Through the first fifteen franchise seasons and 839 games, the AppleSox own a 527-312 (.628) record...the AppleSox are 387-212 (.647) since the inception of the WCL in 2005...Wenatchee is 336-194 (.634) all-time in WCL league games (including playoffs), and 55-15 (.786) all-time in non-league contests since 2005...all-time, the AppleSox are 418-269 (.609) against league opponents (including playoffs) and 107-40 (.728) vs. non-league teams...Wenatchee owns a 318-161 (.665) all-time home record, and is 219-170 (.565) on the road...Wenatchee is 34-28 all-time in extra-inning games.