Sox Drop Penultimate Regular Season Game

CORVALLIS, OR - The AppleSox lost, 11-3, to the Corvallis Knights on Saturday night at Goss Stadium.

In a game that featured a combined seven errors, the Knights struck early and often and led 9-0 after three innings in part thanks to to a five-run third inning.

Torin Montgomery drove in the Sox’ first run of the game with an RBI single in the fourth and the AppleSox added two more runs in the ninth, but ultimately dropped their third straight game of the season.

The regular season wraps up on Sunday at 3 p.m. but, after an off-day on Monday, the Sox begin the 2019 postseason by hosting the Victoria HarbourCats in Game 1 of the North Division Championship Series at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium on Tuesday at 6:35.

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Sox Fall to Knights on Friday

CORVALLIS, OR - The AppleSox lost to the Corvallis Knights, 6-0, on Friday night at Goss Stadium

Despite outhitting the Knights 6-5 and a 2-for-4 night from Torin Montgomery for his fourth multi-hit game in his sixth game in an AppleSox uniform, the Sox could not pick up the victory.

The AppleSox best chance to score cane in the third when Cody Simmons doubles and Tanners Smith walked to put runners at first and second with two outs. Jermaine Ducham followed with a single but Simmons was thrown out at home to end the frame.

The Knights responded with three runs on three hits in the bottom of he inning. They would also scores three more times in the fifth and all six of their runs came across with two outs.

Relievers Ryan Isler, Alex Jemal and Brett Gillis all tosses scoreless relief outings in their final respective tune-ups before the postseason.

The Sox look to even up the series on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. in their penultimate game of the 2019 regular season.

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Listen to AppleSox broadcaster Joel Norman’s postgame interview with pitching coach Tyler VonDracek.

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AppleSox Face Knights to Wrap Up Regular Season

The Wenatchee AppleSox, winners of nine of their last 10 and the second-half North Division playoff berth, face the Corvallis Knights tonight, tomorrow and Sunday, for their final three games of the first half.

Peter Sanchez (0-0, 13.50 ERA) will get the start tonight against the Knights’ David Watson (4-1, 4.57 ERA) at 6:30. The Sox haven’t announced their starter for Saturday’s 7:05 game, but Eric Hill (0-1, 3.25 ERA) will start for Corvallis. Cameron Smith will make his AppleSox debut on Sunday against Cole Wilkinson, who will also make his Knights debut at 3:00.

The Sox are coming off taking two of three from the Ridgefield Raptors. The Sox won nine of the 10 games (league and non-league combined) on their homestand and just saw a 14-game win streak at home come to an end last night. Wednesday’s 5-0 win clinched a berth in the postseason.

Game 1 of the West Coast League North Division Championship Series against the Victoria HarbourCats will take place in Wenatchee on Tuesday, Aug. 13. Tickets for Game 1 can be purchased on AppleSox.com.

All three games against Corvallis can be heard live on Sunny FM in Wenatchee as well as other translators throughout Washington listed below.

93.9 FM in Wenatchee Valley
95.3 FM in Lake Chelan Valley
101.3 FM in Brewster/Bridgeport/Pateros
101.9 FM in Omak/Okanogan Valley
106.3 in Methow Valley

The game can also be heard online on the AppleSox website.

Win Streak Ends in Home Finale

WENATCHEE, WA - For the first time since July 10, the AppleSox fell at home with a 16-3 loss to the Ridgefield Raptors on Thursday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Torin Montgomery and Hunter Montgomery both homered in the third inning to tie the game up 3-3, but the Raptors scored nine times in the top of the eighth and four more times in the ninth inning.

Seth Kuykendall tossed five innings in his final tuneup before the postseason He’ll start Game 2 of the North Division Championship Series of the West Coast League Playoffs against the Victoria HarbourCats on Aug. 14.

Game 1 of the postseason will take place in Wenatchee on Tuesday, Aug. 13. Tickets for Game 1 can be purchased on AppleSox.com.

Sox Clinch Playoff Berth

WENATCHEE, WA - The AppleSox guaranteed a return to the postseason with a 5-0 win over the Ridgefield Raptors on Wednesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

The AppleSox will return to the postseason for the first time since 2013. Kody Darcy and Ryan Altenberger both homered to lead the Sox to victory.

Wenatchee picked up its first shutout in WCL play this season. Jake Saum (4-1) tossed a season-high eight innings and struck out eight.

The Sox struck first in the third inning when Hunter Montgomery plated Blake Klassen with an RBI single. Darcy and Altenberger opened up the fifth inning with back-to-back solo home runs to make it 3-0, AppleSox. With those two home runs, the Sox have now hit 34 home runs this summer to set a single-season home run record.

Jason Harayda doubled in a run and Ryan Altenberger hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth for two more insurance runs. Brett Gillis tossed a scoreless ninth inning to clinch the win.

The AppleSox have now won nine consecutive games in West Coast League play and have won 14 straight games at home in league and non-league play combined. They’ll look for their third consecutive sweep and sixth of the season on Thursday.

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Listen to AppleSox broadcaster Joel Norman’s postgame interviews with Saum and AppleSox head coach Kyle Krustangel below.

Sox Wallop Raptors For Eighth Straight Win

WENATCHEE, WA - The AppleSox picked up their eighth straight win with a 16-2 win over the Ridgefield Raptors on Tuesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Gavin Gorrell (4-2) struck out a season-high seven hitters in five innings and the Sox scored six times in the sixth to pick up their 13th consecutive home victory.

Every hitter reached base at least once and the AppleSox strung together four multi-run innings. Blake Klassen reached base four times and drove in a run and Torin Montgomery hit a 2-RBI double in each of the first two innings. The AppleSox scored runs in all but three innings.

Montgomery doubled in two in the first inning and then again in the second, but only after Jermaine Ducham led off with a single and then scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded. Shortly after, Kody Darcy drove in a run with an RBI groundout as a part of a four-run inning.

The Raptors scored twice in the third, but stranded the bases loaded in it and the fourth innings. Klassen hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth and the Sox got three more in the fifth when Jermaine Ducham drove in one with a single and Jason Harayda plated two with a single of his own.

The AppleSox sent 11 men to the plate in the sixth and scored six times. Each of the first seven hitters reached base before an out was recorded.

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Listen to AppleSox broadcaster Joel Norman’s postgame interviews with Harayda and head coach Kyle Krustangel below.

Red-Hot Sox Seek Playoff Berth, Host Raptors

The AppleSox wrap up their home portion of the 2019 regular season this week with three games against the Ridgefield Raptors, all at 6:35 p.m., at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

With a sweep or three wins in their final six games, the Sox will clinch their first postseason berth since 2013. Two wins gives the Sox a strong chance at qualifying as well, but they will need some help.

There are also ways that the AppleSox can clinch a playoff berth with just one win or without any wins, but the simplest route is to win at least twice.

Learn more about the Sox’ clinching scenarios and get a full preview of the series in the series notes below.

Series Notes

Sox Sweep Away Pippins

WENATCHEE, WA - The AppleSox defeated the Yakima Valley Pippins, 8-4, to pick up their 12th straight home win and fifth sweep of the season on Sunday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Torin Montgomery and Kody Darcy both homered to give the Sox 32 home runs this summer. That ties the team’s single-season home-run record previously set in 2017.

The AppleSox have won eight consecutive games, seven straight just in West Coast League play. Wenatchee is tied for first place in the North Division with Victoria with six games remaining in the regular season. If the Sox win the division outright, tie with Victoria for first or finish second behind Victoria but have the second-best overall record in the North, then they will qualify for the 2019 West Coast League Playoffs.

The Pippins scored in the first inning for the first time in the series with back-to-back one-out base-hits. Though the AppleSox didn’t score in the bottom of the first, they struck for four runs in the bottom of the second. Hunter Montgomery and Torin Montgomery opened with a walk and a single, respectively, then on scored on consecutive RBI singles by Kody Darcy and Brett Gillis. Two batters later, Kodie Kolden singled in Darcy and Gillis with an RBI single of his own.

Wenatchee stretched the score to 6-1 when Torin Montgomery blasted a two-run homer 360 feet in the third inning. The long ball marked his first in an AppleSox uniform in his second game with the team.

Yakima Valley scored three times in the fifth to cut the deficit to two and had a chance to tie or take the lead in the sixth after loading up the bases. Although they did so with no outs, the Pippins could not score after the Sox turned a double play at the plate and first and then induced a popout to center to end the inning.

The Sox added two more runs in the sixth on a leadoff home run by Darcy and then Blake Klassen hit an RBI single to plate the final run of the evening.

After an off day on Monday, the Sox host the Ridgefield Raptors at 6:35 on Tuesday night. That will be the first game of the final three-game home series of the summer for the AppleSox.

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AppleSox Win Sixth Straight

WENATCHEE, WA - The AppleSox picked up their sixth straight win with a 10-6 win over the Yakima Valley Pippins on Saturday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Dalton Harum drove in three runs and Blake Klassen reached base five times to buoy the Sox to victory. The AppleSox scored five runs in their final two innings at-bat all with two outs.

Wenatchee has now won 11 consecutive games at home after Saturday’s victory. The nine consecutive wins at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium is now tied for an AppleSox record, first set in 2013.

The AppleSox took a 1-0 lead after a sacrifice fly from Harum in the first inning but trailed 3-1 after two innings after the Pippins scored three times on two AppleSox errors in the top of the second.

In the bottom of the third, Harum launched his fourth home run of the season to cut the deficit to one before the Sox took the lead in the fifth. After Kodie Kolden singled and Connor Kiffer doubled to begin the inning, Klassen drove both in with a double and then scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Torin Montgomery to make it 5-3, AppleSox.

The Pippins got a run back in the top of the sixth, but the Sox responded with a two-spot in the seventh on a two-out, two-run double by Cody Simmons. The next inning, Klassen doubled with two outs and scored on a triple by Harum. Hunter Montgomery reached on an error to score Harum and then back-to-back singles by Torin Montgomery and Kody Darcy scored another run and gave the AppleSox a 10-4 lead.

Though the Pippins got two runs in the ninth, the AppleSox still picked up the win and remained tied for first place after Victoria defeated Bellingham. With seven games remaining in the regular season, the Sox will look for their fifth sweep of the season on Sunday at 5:35.

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Listen to AppleSox broadcaster Joel Norman’s postgame interview with Harum and AppleSox assistant coach Cash Ulirch.

AppleSox Walk Off Again to Defeat Pippins

WENATCHEE, WA - The AppleSox walked-off the Yakima Valley Pippins with a 4-3 10-inning victory on Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Hunter Montgomery walked with the bases loaded and one out to give the Sox their fifth consecutive win, sixth including non-league games. Wenatchee has now won 10 consecutive home games.

After scoring first, the Sox then trailed by two runs entering the sixth inning and then scored once in it and again in the seventh. They ultimately picked up their third walk-off win of the season and second this week.

Ryan Isler tossed four shutout inning of relief. Even though he didn’t pick up the win, Isler recorded 10 consecutive outs before allowing a base hit. He struck out two in his longest appearance of the summer.

Blake Klassen singled and walked twice apiece and Johnny Sage reached base three times after receiving the Tommy Watanabe Award before the game.

The Sox got on the board first when Trent Sellers singled, stole second and scored from second on a wild pitch in the first inning. The Pippins knotted it up with a run in the fourth and took a two-run lead after a bases-loaded walk and single in the fifth.

Back-to-back AppleSox single-run innings tied the game up. Sage walked and eventually scored on a balk in the sixth. Kody Darcy and Brett Gillis both singled with one out in the seventh and Darcy scored on a sacrifice fly by Kodie Kolden.

The AppleSox put the winning run in scoring position but couldn’t strike in the ninth. In the 10th, Sellers walked, Sage singled and then, with one out, Klassen was intentionally walked. Montgomery walked on five pitches to plate the winning run.

Cameron Sommer (2-1) tossed a scoreless top of the 10th to pick up the win.

Thanks to the Bellingham Bells’ 12-6 win over the Victoria HarbourCats, the AppleSox are again tied with the HarbourCats for first place. If the Sox win the second half North Division title for tie for first, they make the postseason. If they finish second behind Victoria, then the AppleSox must have the next best overall record, first half and second half included, in the North Division. The Sox are currently 1.5 games ahead of Bellingham for the second best overall record in the North. For full playoff playoff procedures, visit the West Coast League website.

Listen to AppleSox broadcaster Joel Norman’s postgame interviews with Isler, Sage and head coach Kyle Krustangel.

Sage Wins Sox' Tommy Watanabe Award

Prior to the AppleSox’ game against the Yakima Valley Pippins, AppleSox owner Jose Oglesby and head coach Kyle Krustangel presented the 2019 Tommy Watanabe Award to AppleSox outfielder Johnny Sage, an incoming senior at Purdue University.

Two years ago, AppleSox pitcher Tommy Watanabe passed away unexpectedly late in the season. Watanabe had already been sent back home, but his loss was devastating to AppleSox players, workers and fans.

Watanabe was a pitcher for the AppleSox, but he was also so much more than that. He was an energetic young man who dreamed of playing for as long as he could. Tommy brought the type of energy and respect for the game that the AppleSox look for in every player that comes to Wenatchee.

Last season, the AppleSox created the Tommy Watanabe Award in remembrance of their former teammate. This award will be given at the end of every AppleSox season to a player who best exhibits Tommy’s spirit and his passion for AppleSox baseball.

“Tommy’s story represents what is pure about baseball and sport,” AppleSox owner Jose Oglesby said. “I wanted to recognize the current players that embody the spirit of community at the same time. Putting the two together lets us tie our present with our past.”

Sage comes to the ballpark with a smile on his face every day. He is always willing to give his time to chat with others, be they fans or opposing players. On the field, Sage invigorates the AppleSox whether it’s clubbing a double to right-center or diving for a fly ball in left field. He also keeps things light by imitating the opposing third-base coach and debating baseball skills with teammates. His head coach Kyle Krustangel affectionately calls him ‘Johnny AppleSox’ because of his hustle and performance.

“Johnny is a great example of the type of fine young men that we try to bring to Wenatchee,” AppleSox general manager Ken Osborne said. “We want these ballplayers to be excellent both on-and-off the field and Johnny is a great example of someone who make everyone around him feel great after speaking to him.”

On the field, Sage is equally impressive. Last year, he tied for the most walks (28), recorded the third-best on-base percentage (.442) and had the seventh-best batting average (.326) in the West Coast League. This summer, he is hitting .322/.424/.420 with 13 stolen bases and 26 RBI, both team-bests, entering tonight’s game.

Sage is the second winner of the Tommy Watanabe Award after Jacob Prater won the inaugural award a year ago. Sage played his final game with the AppleSox tonight before leaving to go back to school.

AppleSox Face Pippins This Weekend

The AppleSox continue their quest for a postseason berth tonight this weekend against the Yakima Valley Pippins at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. Tonight and tomorrow’s games begin at 6:35 and Sunday’s starts at 5:35.

All three games can be heard live on Sunny FM in Wenatchee as well as other translators throughout Washington listed below.

93.9 FM in Wenatchee Valley
95.3 FM in Lake Chelan Valley
101.3 FM in Brewster/Bridgeport/Pateros
101.9 FM in Omak/Okanogan Valley
106.3 in Methow Valley

The game can also be heard online on the AppleSox website.

Click on the series notes below to get a full preview of the series.

Series Notes

McKenzie Goes From Walk-On to WCL All-Star

Cole McKenzie almost gave up on baseball.

Before he was a West Coast League All-Star with the Wenatchee AppleSox and before he earned Third-Team All-Big Ten with Purdue, McKenzie nearly quit the game he loved.

In fact, he was mere days away from giving up on his dream of playing college baseball.

“All my friends were going to Montana State Billings,” McKenzie said, “and I was close to just going there as a student or to the University of Montana.”

McKenzie had put together an impressive baseball career, but had no scholarship offers to be a student-athlete at a Division-I program. He played in the Little League World Series for Montana’s team and went as far as the U.S. Championship round in 2011. McKenzie also earned two all-conference and one all-state honors while with the Billings Royals in American Legion Baseball.

However, the prospect of continuing his pro career would be arduous. That didn’t rattle McKenzie.

He was willing to walk on somewhere but was stuck between two schools.

“One night I was just sitting at the dinner table with my parents seeing if I was even going to play baseball in college,” McKenzie said, “because it was getting to the point that it had to be a yes to either Whitworth or Yakima.”

McKenzie didn’t get any scholarship money because of how late in the process he committed. He found Yakima through the help of Baseball Northwest, a showcase event for high school baseball prospects.

Yakima Valley Yaks head coach Kyle Krustangel spotted McKenzie in 2016 and wanted him to play in “the Palm Springs of Washington.” So, McKenzie walked on with the Yaks shortly before the start of the 2016-17 academic year.

“Going into it I was super nervous because it was college ball and I didn’t know what to expect,” McKenzie said. “With Yakima winning the NWAC the year before I knew it was going to be big shoes to fill.”

Even though he felt the pressure, McKenzie lived up to and exceeded every expectation that the coaching staff had for him. McKenzie slashed .396/.530/.532 with 21 stolen bases to lead the Yaks in all four categories in 2017.

After McKenzie’s impressive 2017 season with the Yaks, he joined the AppleSox in Krustangel’s first season coaching the team and hit .193 in 30 games. Though he struggled, he bounced back with a phenomenal spring for Yakima Valley. The sophomore slashed .358/.484/.556 and though he didn’t lead his team in any of those categories on a stacked Yaks team, he earned high praise form his head coach.

“Cole probably put together the best two years by any Yaks or NWAC player ever,” Krustangel said. “The numbers that he put up were phenomenoal but that’s he an even better person is remarkable. He is the type of guy that we try to get with this program, both with the Yaks and the AppleSox.”

For his part, McKenzie loved his time in Yakima playing for Krustangel. Not only did he put up incredible stats, he made lasting friendships. In 2018, he played with Johnny Sage, who he met in 2016 at the Baseball Northwest showcase.

“That guy will be my best friend forever,” McKenzie said. “He’s incredible. He’s supportive and always there for me and I’m always there for him. I kind of convinced him to come to Yakima even though he had better offers but I think he wanted to go there and have a blast with me.“

McKenzie and Sage both left for Purdue following the 2018 NWAC season. Their friendship continued on the field in the summer as they played for the AppleSox in both 2018 and 2019 (McKenzie played two non-league games for the Sox last summer). They will return to Purdue this fall getting ready to be teammates together for parts of five consecutive seasons of summer and school ball.

“The guy’s a great ballplayer but really just a genuine guy too, one of my best friends,” Sage said. “I haven’t played with that pure of a hitter in a long, long time. Off the field, the guy handles his business very well. He’s going to play baseball for a long time.”

McKenzie was ecstatic when he got the call to play at Purdue during his second season with Yakima. Not only would he get to play with Sage again, but he’d also get to fulfill his dream of playing Division-I baseball.

“ A couple schools were talking to me,” McKenzie said. “I didn’t have a school that I really wanted to go to. One day Purdue called while I was on the bus and I was like ‘holy cow guys, Purdue called me,’ like, no way! Big 10 baseball, it’s power five. That’s the dream, that’s what I wanted to do so I knew at the time that that’s where I wanted to go.”

Things didn’t start off swimmingly in the 2019 season for McKenzie. Through his first 32 games, McKenzie was hitting just .242 at the plate.

However, he turned it around. McKenzie reached base safely in each of his final 22 games and ended the season on a nine-game hitting streak. He recorded a season-best 11-game hitting streak from April 13-28, which one of his four different hitting streaks of at least six games. He ended up leading Purdue with a .317 AVG, .407 OBP, 25 walks, 65 hits and 205 AB.

AppleSox 2019 All-Stars (L to R) Sam Wyatt, Ryan Altenberger, Cole McKenzie and Jake Saum.

That continued in the summer season when McKenzie joined the AppleSox. He immediately stepped in as the AppleSox centerfielder and batted third in all 29 games that he played in. Though he’s been sidelined with a sprained left wrist that left him out of action since July 12, McKenzie’s .370/.466/.481 slash line still leads the AppleSox. His current 18-game on-base streak is the fifth-longest in the West Coast League this summer. McKenzie has recorded 12 multi-hit games, including four three-hit games. He has recorded three different hitting streak hits of at least five games.

“I was struggling for a while at Purdue,” McKenzie said, “but I turned it around and kept riding that into summer ball. It’s turned out pretty well for me so far.”

After this season, McKenzie will go back to Purdue and pursue another dream: playing professional baseball. Though he was Third-Team All-Big Ten, the Boilermakers finished 20-34 and second-to-last in the Big Ten with a 7-16 record. If McKenzie can get off to a strong start and put together another impressive season, perhaps he can help the program and his own draft potential at the same time.

If professional baseball doesn’t work out, McKenzie has other plans. He’s willing to stay in school as a backup and/or after playing plan but make no mistake, McKenzie won’t give up on his dream to play in the majors until he’s told he can’t.

“It’s something I’m really working for,” McKenzie said, “but if not, physical therapy school will be there for me. Possibly at Purdue, I really like it there, but I might come back home, be closer to the family.”

Regardless of what he chooses to do, McKenzie has already overcome enough adversity to prove that if he says he wants to do something, he should be taken seriously.

Sox Shut Out CCL Showcase

WENATCHEE, WA - Brett Garcia struck out 12 batters in five shutout innings and the AppleSox defeated the Cascade Collegiate League Showcase, 13-0, on Wednesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Garcia, making his first start in league or non-league action, set the AppleSox’ 2019 record for most strikeouts in a start. He struck out at least two in every inning and struck out the side in the first and fourth innings.

Peter Sanchez also struck out two in two scoreless innings and Ryan Altenberger and Kodie Kolden both tossed scoreless frames with Altenberger striking out one and Kolden punching out the side in the ninth.

Offensively, the Sox only lead 1-0 after three innings, but scored their 12 other runs in the fourth through seventh innings. The AppleSox’ best inning was a six-run seventh inning.

The Sox resume West Coast League play on Friday when they host the Yakima Valley Pippins at 6:35

Listen to AppleSox broadcaster Joel Norman’s postgame interviews with Garcia and AppleSox head coach Kyle Krustangel.

AppleSox Team Autograph Party Takes Place at Pybus Sunday

The AppleSox are hosting their annual Team Photo Autograph Party this Sunday at Pybus Public Market from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

This event is free for the public to attend and the posters are also free. Sox players and coaches will also be on hand to sign the photo and meet and greet fans. Fans will also have the opportunity to enter to win more free AppleSox prizes. The Sox will raffle off a 20th season cap, tickets to that night’s 5:35 game with Yakima Valley and a hat signed by Marco Gonzales.

Media members are also welcome to come and speak with coaches and players.

The event is sponsored by Parsons Photography, Sunny FM and Pybus Market.

AppleSox End July vs CCL Showcase

For the second time this season, the AppleSox are hosting the Cascade Collegiate League Showcase at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. The Sox opened the season against the CCL and now close the month of July against them. Tonight’s game is sponsored by Washington Trust and tickets are still available for purchase.

The last time they visited Wenatchee, the CCL fell, 10-1. Johnny Sage hit a three-run homer as part of a five-run second inning back on June 3. Keegan Romig tossed five shutout innings on the mound that evening.

The AppleSox defeated the CCL Showcase, 10-1, earlier this season.

The AppleSox are fresh off sweeping the Portland Pickles on Monday to pick up their fourth consecutive victory. The Sox are tied for first in the West Coast League North Division with a 12-6 record. Tonight’s game is a non-league contest and dose not figure into West Coast League standings.

Tonight’s game can be heard live on Sunny FM in Wenatchee as well as other translators throughout Washington listed below.

93.9 FM in Wenatchee Valley
95.3 FM in Lake Chelan Valley
101.3 FM in Brewster/Bridgeport/Pateros
101.9 FM in Omak/Okanogan Valley
106.3 in Methow Valley

The game can also be heard online on the AppleSox website.

Fans may notice that pocket schedules, magnetic schedules and tonight’s tickets indicate that the AppleSox are facing the River City Athletics tonight. That is no longer the case as River City cancelled that game in late May. Tickets for tonight’s game that state that the Sox face the River City Athletics will still be accepted for admission.

Sox Walk Off to Sweep Pickles

WENATCHEE, WA - The AppleSox picked up the fourth series sweep of the season thanks to a 2-RBI single by Connor Kiffer to walk off the Portland Pickles, 7-6, on Monday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

With two outs and runners at second and third and the AppleSox trailing by one, Kiffer singled to right field to score Blake Klassen and Trent Sellers. The base-hit gave the Sox their second walk-off win of the season and their fourth consecutive victory.

The Sox were two outs from victory in the top of the ninth, but gave up a two-run homer and had to rally in the bottom of the inning. Klassen led off with a walk, Hunter Montgomery drew a one-out walk but was erased when Sellers reached on a fielder’s choice. Sellers took second base on defensive indifference a pitch before Kiffer drove in the tying and winning runs on a 2-2 pitch.

Johnny Sage reached base in all five plate appearances with a three-hit night and the Sox recorded a third consecutive 10-hit night en route to victory.

The AppleSox struck first and took a 3-0 lead into the fourth after a quick start. In the second inning, Kody Darcy led off with a single and then scored two batters later on a single by Sellers. Ryan Altenberger went deep to open the third inning for his fifth home run of the season and his second in as many days in the third inning against the Pickles. Sage followed with a single and scored two batters later on a single by Klassen.

The Pickles got on the board with a couple RBI singles with the bases loaded to cut the deficit to one. The AppleSox responded with two more in the sixth to regain the three-run lead. Sage put down a bunt single with two outs and moved into scoring position thanks to a throwing error. A passed ball and a wild pitch scored Sage. Dalton Harum and Klassen followed with walks and as both attempted a double steal, Harum came home on a throwing error.

Portland scored two more in the seventh, but could have had more. On the second of back-to-back singles with the bases loaded, the Pickles second a runner home from second, but Altenberger gunned him down at home plate from right field.

With the win, the AppleSox are all alone in first place in the North Division. The Sox don’t face any league opponents again until Friday when they open up a three-game series against the Yakima Valley Pippins. After an off day tomorrow, the AppleSox face the Cascade Collegiate League Showcase team on Wednesday at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. First pitch is at 6:35 and Peter Sanchez will start for Wenatchee.

Full Boxscore

Listen to AppleSox broadcaster Joel Norman’s postgame interviews with Kiffer and head coach Kyle Krustangel.

Big Eighth Inning Propels Sox to Victory

WENATCHEE, WA - In a game that featured six ties or lead changes, the AppleSox scored six runs in the eighth inning to defeat the Portland Pickles, 14-8, on Sunday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

For the second night in a row, the AppleSox and the Pickles engaged in a back-and-forth affair. The Sox picked up their third consecutive win and showed off their resiliency once again.

Johnny Sage drove in four runs with a three-hit night, Dalton Harum homered and doubled and Kodie Kolden reached base four times. Every AppleSox batter reached base at least once and scored at least one run.

Sage drove in the Sox first run to give them a 1-0 lead after the first inning. Kolden walked, went to second and then scored on Sage’s one-out single just three batters into the bottom of the first inning.

The Pickles used two home runs in the top of the third inning and scored three times to lead the AppleSox 3-1, but it would be short-lived. Kolden led off with a single and then scored on Ryan Altenberger’s fourth homer of the summer.

Neither team scored in the fourth, but the Pickles struck with another three-spot to take a 6-3 lead into the sixth inning. The AppleSox loaded up the bases and were danger of stranding them loaded until Sage cleared the bases with a double. A batter later, Harum launched his third home run of the season to put the Sox up 8-6.

Despite all of that, the Pickles refused to go down quietly. They scored twice in the top of the eighth to re-tie game, but failing to take the lead proved costly. The AppleSox sent 10 men to the plate and though the inning ended the same way it began, with Sage flying out, Wenatchee scored six runs on four hits before the inning was over. With one out, Wenatchee loaded up the bases and Kody Darcy singled in the game-winning run with a single to left before Justin Lutz plated two with a single to right. With the bases reloaded two batters later, Kolden cleared with a double to the left-field corner.

Alex Jemal struck out all three batters that he faced in the ninth to wrap up the victory and give the Sox their third consecutive victory and seventh series victory of the season. Thy’ll go for their fourth sweep of the summer tonight at 6:35.

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Listen to AppleSox broadcaster Joel Norman’s postgame interviews with Sage, Harum and head coach Kyle Krustangel.

Sox Take Down Pickles to Open Series

WENATCHEE, WA - Playing at home for the first time in nearly two weeks, the AppleSox claimed a back-and-forth affair with a 6-3 win over the Portland Pickles.

Tied up 3-3 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, the AppleSox scored three runs to pick up back-to-back victories.

Johnny Sage and Kody Darcy both recorded multi-hit games in the win. Brett Gillis got the final four outs to pick up his fourth save of the season.

The Pickles opened the scoring with an unearned run in the second and the Sox immediately responded with one of their own in the bottom of the inning. With the bases loaded, Darcy reached on an infield error to tie the run.

An inning later, Wenatchee took its first of three different leads in the game. Connor Kiffer drew a leadoff walk and scored after back-to-back singles by Blake Klassen and Hunter Montgomery with two outs.

The Pickles wouldn’t wait long to tie it up again, scoring another unearned run in the top of the fourth.

The AppleSox retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Johnny Sage went to work. Sage led off with a single, then stole second and went to third on a throwing error. A couple pitches later, he scored on a passed ball.

Again, the Pickles had an answer, striking with a two-out RBI double in the top of the sixth. Then, the Sox put together the only multi-run half inning. With the bases loaded, Connor Kiffer singled to left to score the game-winning run then Sage singled in two more with a high chopper to the right side.

The Sox go for the series victory tonight at 5:35.

Full Boxscore

Listen to AppleSox broadcaster Joel Norman’s postgame interviews with Darcy and assistant coach Cash Ulrich.

Sox Back Home, Take On Pickles

The Wenatchee AppleSox return home tonight for the first of 10 home games in 13 days. After not playing any home games from July 16-26, the Sox are back in Wenatchee for a lengthy stretch at home.

Tonight and Monday’s games against the Portland Pickles take place at 6:35 while tomorrow’s game on Washington Trust Night begins at 5:35. Tickets can be purchased on AppleSox.com.

All three games can be heard on the AppleSox Radio Network. Live stats are available on Pointstreak.

Get a full preview of the series by clicking on the series notes below.

Series Notes