This Week in AppleSox Baseball: Smoke Outs, Awards, and Playoff Wins

Week 11 is in the books, and it was a doozy. Whether it was wildfire smoke canceling a series, shutout playoff performances, or the ‘Sox clinching the North Division Championship game, this week had a little of everything.

It began with a series against the Victoria HarbourCats that actually never happened. Games two and three were canceled on account of egregious amounts of wildfire smoke, with the Air Quality Index spiking above 900 at one point. But they still managed to play game one, where the ‘Sox got the win.

Wenatchee came from behind to beat the HarbourCats, with Landon White and Zach Doyle hitting back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning to give Wenatchee the lead. Doyle’s home run was rocketed 420 feet to dead-center, the furthest hit ball at Paul Thomas this year.

After that, the two canceled games gave Wenatchee some extra time off before they started the postseason. It began up north in Kelowna, with the four-seed Falcons hosting the top-seed ‘Sox for game one.

Very quickly, fans saw exactly why Wenatchee was top of the league. Mitch Haythorn got the start for the ‘Sox, and spun six scoreless innings from the rubber. He allowed only four hits, no walks, and struck out six men. The lockdown outing earned Haythorn Pitcher of the Week for the WCL, his first time receiving the honor this year. At the plate, Raphael Dunne mashed the baseball, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI.

The ‘Sox won game one 9-0 in shutout fashion, setting the tone for the postseason. The next morning, the team packed onto the bus and made the long drive south back to Wenatchee.

Before game two began, the ‘Sox had a special announcement for the home crowd. After three years as an AppleSox, Kanoa Morisaki was bestowed the Tommy Watanabe Award. A yearly honor given to a player who best embodies a love for the game of baseball and his teammates. Kanoa is truly a no-brainer for the award. You can read more about the selection and Saki’s journey with Wenatchee on the AppleSox website.

Then, it was on to the game, where the ‘Sox took down the Falcons comfortably to punch their ticket to the North Division Championship game. They won 8-3, after standout performances from Ryder Young at the plate and Chihiro Sato on the mound, who picked up the win. Young went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Sato pitched 2 ⅓ innings, striking out three batters.  

With the stage set, the ‘Sox have a chance to play for a WCL Championship this Thursday. But they first have to get past the Bellingham Bells in the North Division Championship.

Wenatchee hosts the battle for the North tomorrow afternoon at 6:35 p.m at Paul Thomas Senior Stadium.