Wenatchee Seeking Strong Start in Road Trip to Walla Walla

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox’s sixth road trip of 2021 takes them to Borleske Stadium for a three-game set against the Walla Walla Sweets. Game one starts tonight at 6:35. The importance of this series cannot be understated. Larry Price's Sweets are tied with Yakima Valley for first place in the second half North standings. With Wenatchee just two games behind, a series win would help push the Sox into that position while also giving them an advantage if they end up tying with Walla Walla come regular season’s end.

Wenatchee is riding high off their first three-game series sweep against their non-league foe, the Cascade Collegiate League All-Stars. Offensively, the Sox hit a home run every game against the CCL. Adam Grob, Collin Villegas, Luc Stuka and Jacob Wyeth all left the yard. Even after a rough start on Friday, AppleSox pitching proved too tough to take down and allowed just one run in the CCL's final 16 innings. The Sox are now 5-2 with five straight wins in non-league play.

The last time Wenatchee played Walla Walla was their first WCL home series of 2021. The Sox pulled two wins from Walla Walla when infielder Adam Grob launched two home runs in his first games in Wenatchee and Tino Bethancourt iced the series in the eighth on June 10 with a solo shot. However, the Sox arms were the real MVPs. Jacob Hughes had his best showing of the summer so far when he went a season-long five innings with a season-high six strikeouts in the rubber match on June 10. At that point, Wenatchee's first three wins of 2021 all featured pitching that allowed just two earned runs or less.

Now, Wenatchee is looking to take their third road series of the summer. Walla Walla enters this series 12-17 overall with a 3-3 second half mark. The Sweets beat the Port Angeles Lefties last weekend. Walla Walla's offense helped them win the last two contests off 21 hits that brought in 16 runs.

The AppleSox will rely on Cole Hatton for another Tuesday away from home. Hatton’s stock has been rising over his last two starts. The incoming sophomore at Saint Martin’s has struck out 13 and walked just two over his last eight and two-third innings. In his last start a week ago in Bellingham, Hatton had his longest start of the summer. Alas, Hatton is searching for his first AppleSox win tonight in his first appearance against the Sweets.

Opposing Hatton will be one of the top pitchers in the league. Mason Kokodynski is currently second among pitchers in WCL wins (three), ERA (1.61) and opponents batting average (.135). However, the AppleSox are one of just two teams this summer to pick up two earned runs against Kokodynski back on June 9th.

Listen live to the action on Sunny FM at kcsyfm.com on your desktop computer or by tuning in at any of the following stations below.

• Wenatchee: 93.9 FM

• East Wenatchee/Rock Island: 98.1 FM

• Lake Chelan Valley: 95.3 FM

• Brewster/Pateros: 101.3 FM

• Okanogan Valley: 101.9 FM

• Omak/Tonasket/Oroville: 97.7 FM

• Methow Valley: 106.3 FM

Pregame coverage begins at 6:10 p.m. with the Horan Estates Winery Pregame Show and the broadcast wraps up with the Denny’s Late Night Postgame Show. Joel Norman will provide play-by-play coverage.

Live stats can be found on Pointstreak.

Wyeth, Liss Lead AppleSox Past CCL All-Stars

The Wenatchee AppleSox swept the Cascade Collegiate League All-Stars with a 10-1 win on Sunday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Jacob Wyeth drove in four runs with a three-run homer in the third and then an RBI double in the sixth.

Cam Liss was lights-out on the mound, striking out eight in five shutout innings, marking the second time this summer that he struck out that many.

Luc Stuka, Tino Bethancourt, Zach Toglia and Skylar Hales joined Wyeth in recording multi-hit games. Rance Pittman came out of the bullpen and struck out the side in order in the sixth.

Two local products toed the rubber for the CCL on Sunday. Kade Kuske, an incoming senior at Eastmont High School this fall, tossed the first four innings before recent Wenatchee High School graduate Jack Kovanen tossed the final two innings in relief.

Sunday’s game, like the previous two, was called after six-and-a-half innings.

The AppleSox are back in action on Tuesday against the Walla Walla Sweets for a three-game road trip at Borleske Stadium. First pitch for all three games is at 6:35 p.m.

BOXSCORE

Listen to postgame interview with Liss and Wyeth as well as in-game discussion with Logan Mercado and Hales (before he entered as a pinch hitter).

Wenatchee Tries to Get Their First Three-Game Sweep of 2021

The Wenatchee AppleSox are in position for a sweep tonight against the Cascade Collegiate League All-Stars at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. The AppleSox followed up their comeback on Friday with a 9-0 shutout yesterday.

Tyler Chipman’s emergency start saw the future Seattle Redhawk throw three clean innings. Chipman was at his best in the second frame when he struck out all three batters he faced. His relief didn’t leave him hanging. Overall this weekend, Wenatchee’s five relievers have given up one run, five walks and struck out ten in seven innings.

The Sox offense in their first two contests has come up with some big swings. The Sox have homered three times so far. Adam Grob hit the first one three batters into the bottom of the first and then Collin Villegas drilled the first three-run big fly of the summer for Wenatchee later in the fifth. Call it Deja Vu because Luc Stuka smacked the third home run of the weekend as the third hitter in the game just like Grob! In total, Wenatchee has plated 16 runs off 15 hits so far.

Standing tall for your AppleSox today is future Washington State Cougar Cam Liss. Liss is coming in off his best start of the season. Despite the no-decision last Sunday against Corvallis, Liss pitched five beautiful innings and set a new summer-high with eight Knights’ punchouts. His performance helped Wenatchee hold a 6-0 lead entering the sixth inning. However, that performance wasn’t his first one with zeros on the scoreboard.

That happened the previous Saturday against the Highline Bears. Liss relieved starter Jack Lee and heaved three shutout frames to take the win behind a six-strikeout, zero-hit showcase. Like butter, Liss was on a roll because he finished that outing with four whiffs versus the last six he faced.

The CCL All-Stars have not announced a starter for tonight’s series finale in Wenatchee.

This game should be a howling good time as the AppleSox host their first ever “Bark in the Park Night”. Enjoy a ballgame with the best friend anyone could hope for!

Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online at applesox.com/tickets.

The AppleSox will also provide a live video broadcast of tonight’s game with a synced-up radio feed. It can be seen on playsight.com. Joel Norman and Reily Chestnut will provide play-by-play coverage.

Listen live to the action on Sunny FM at kcsyfm.com on your desktop computer or by tuning in at any of the following stations below.

• Wenatchee: 93.9 FM

• East Wenatchee/Rock Island: 98.1 FM

• Lake Chelan Valley: 95.3 FM

• Brewster/Pateros: 101.3 FM

• Okanogan Valley: 101.9 FM

• Omak/Tonasket/Oroville: 97.7 FM

• Methow Valley: 106.3 FM

Pregame coverage begins at 5:10 p.m. with the Horan Estates Winery Pregame Show and the broadcast wraps up with the Denny’s Late Night Postgame Show.

Live stats can be found on Pointstreak.

AppleSox Shut Out CCL All-Stars

The Wenatchee AppleSox shut out their second opponent of this week via a 9-0 victory over the Cascade Collegiate League All-Stars on Saturday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Tyler Chipman, Skylar Hales, Alex Brady and Chase Grillo all combined to shut out the All-Stars in a complete team effort on the mound. Chipman started and struck out three in three shutout innings with all three of his punchouts coming in a 1-2-3 second inning. Hales punched out three of his own in two innings before Brady struck out two in the sixth. Grillo punched out three to close out the game, which was called after six-and-a-half innings.

At the plate, Luc Stuka hit a two-run homer, John Newman doubled in a run and Michael O’Hara singled in a pair.

Two members of Eastmont High School’s baseball team, both past and present, appeared on the mound for the Cascade Collegiate League. Logan Schneider, a senior this fall for the Wildcats, tossed the first 3.1 innings before giving way to Ky Morris, who pitched an inning of his own. Morris graduated from Eastmont High School in 2020 and pitched for the University of Maine at Farmington this past spring.

The AppleSox wrap up the three-game set against the All-Stars on Sunday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. It’s Bark in the Park Night and fans are welcome to bring their dog to the game at no additional cost. Dogs must be leashed and fans who do choose to bring their dog must be seated in the grass area in left field. Tickets are available at applesox.com/tickets.

Wenatchee Looking to Bring Down the CCL All-Stars

The Wenatchee AppleSox are back at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium tonight to play the Cascade Collegiate League All-Stars. Wenatchee worked back from a 6-2 deficit entering the bottom of the fifth to beat the CCL squad 7-6 yesterday.

Designated hitter Collin Villegas bashed a screaming three-run blast to cut the CCL lead to just 6-5. That round trip run was Villegas’ first of the summer in either league or non-league action. It was also the second home run for Wenatchee yesterday after Adam Grob tied the game at one apiece in the bottom of the first with two outs. After two straight two-out doubles by Garrett Cutting and Adam Grob to give Wenatchee the lead, Martin Haswell worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam to close the door.

Now the Sox are looking to pull off their second straight series win over a non-league foe and remain perfect heading into matchup number four all-time against the CCL All-Stars. The AppleSox are 3-2 this summer in non-league action with all three wins coming in their last three tries.

Wenatchee had lefty Jack Lee scheduled for today’s start. Lee was scratched due an illness. Wenatchee hasn’t announced the starter yet.

The CCL All-Stars haven’t announced a starting pitcher yet either.

Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online at applesox.com/tickets.

The AppleSox will also provide a live video broadcast of tonight’s game with a synced-up radio feed. It can be seen on playsight.com. Joel Norman and Reily Chestnut will provide play-by-play coverage.

Listen live to the action on Sunny FM at kcsyfm.com on your desktop computer or by tuning in at any of the following stations below.

• Wenatchee: 93.9 FM

• East Wenatchee/Rock Island: 98.1 FM

• Lake Chelan Valley: 95.3 FM

• Brewster/Pateros: 101.3 FM

• Okanogan Valley: 101.9 FM

• Omak/Tonasket/Oroville: 97.7 FM

• Methow Valley: 106.3 FM

Pregame coverage begins at 6:10 p.m. with the Horan Estates Winery Pregame Show and the broadcast wraps up with the Denny’s Late Night Postgame Show.

Live stats can be found on Pointstreak.

Grob Homers, Doubles In Game-Winning Run vs CCL All-Stars

Adam Grob homered in the first inning and then doubled in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning to help lead the Wenatchee AppleSox to a 7-6 win over the Cascade Collegiate League All-Stars on Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

The game was called after six-and-a-half innings due to the All-Stars being limited on the number of available pitchers.

Though Grob homered to dead-center in the first, Friday night did not get off to the start that the AppleSox wanted. The CCL All-Stars scored in each of the first three innings and took a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth. The AppleSox began to chip away as Zach Toglia hit an RBI single in the fourth before Collin Villegas hit a three-run homer in the fifth to draw the AppleSox within one run.

Aidan Selfridge singled and stood at third base with two outs in the sixth when Garrett Cutting tied the game with a double to left-center. Grob followed with an opposite-field double into the right-field corner to give the AppleSox their first lead of the game.

Martin Haswell loaded up the bases before recording an out in the ninth but got all three outs in order to lock down the save with a scoreless inning.

Jeffrey Heinrich allowed a run in the fifth but struck out two and stranded a pair in the sixth to earn the victory.

The AppleSox look to take the non-league series on Saturday night when they face the All-Stars again at 6:35. Jack Lee is the probable pitcher for the AppleSox.

Listen to postgame interviews with Haswell and Cutting below.

Wenatchee Welcomes the Cascade Collegiate League All-Stars into Town

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox are back home for another fun round of non-league action against the Cascade Collegiate League All-Star team at 6:35 p.m. at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium

The AppleSox fell last night to the Bellingham Bells 11-5 at Joe Martin Field. Wenatchee got off to a great start once again and headed into the bottom of the fifth leading 5-2. Dakota Duffalo drilled his first RBI triple to give Wenatchee a 1-0 lead two batters into the affair. Two batters after that, Tino Bethancourt also collected an RBI three-bagger and then scored on a wild pitch to give Jacob Hughes a four-run cushion before he even stepped onto the slab. Despite the loss, Enzo Apodaca shined with his first three-hitter of the summer season against a WCL foe.

Wenatchee's last time out against a non-league opponent got the fireworks started well before the Fourth of July celebrations. The Sox socked the Highline Bears over two games by a combined 35-9 advantage. Luc Stuka hit the first Sox cycle ever while Apodaca, Skylar Hales and A.J. Guerrero all went yard during the weekend sweep.

Wenatchee is 2-2 this season against non-league competitors. They started off 0-2 after losing their first two 2021 contests to the NW Star Academy Nighthawks. Then, they got back on track with heavy offensive force against the Bears. These battles against the CCL team will be just the third, fourth and fifth meetings ever between these two clubs.

The last time the AppleSox faced the CCL squad was on July 31, 2019. The Sox won 13-0 to sweep both games against the CCL that summer along with a . Current Corvallis RHP Brett Gillis went 2-for-5 that day while first baseman Dalton Harum also collected two hits in five trips. The star of the game however was starting pitcher Brett Garcia. Garcia struck out 12 CCL batters in just five innings of work and allowed only one hit.

The AppleSox have hit .303 in their four non-league bouts this summer. Apodaca paces the squad with seven base-hits while Guerrero went six-for-10 in his two appearances against the Highline Bears. on July 2 and 3

The AppleSox will go with Trey Miller for another Friday night in Wenatchee. Miller is 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA in WCL games. The rising sophomore from South Carolina-Upstate has struck out just five and walked two in WCL action. His best start was two Fridays back against the Highline Bears. Miller worked for five innings to hold the Bears to one run off five hits with a season-high four punchouts.

The Cascade Collegiate League has not announced a starting pitcher for today’s game.

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Former AppleSox player Johnny Sage will throw out the first pitch before tonight’s game. Fans will also receive Johnny Sage AppleSox baseball cards at the guest services stand upon entering Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online at applesox.com/tickets.

Tonight’s game will be televised live on The NCWLIFE Channel. You can watch the game the following ways…

• On their Facebook page

• On NCWLIFE.com

• Charter Channel 19

• Local Tel Channel 12

The AppleSox will also provide a live video broadcast of tonight’s game with a synced-up radio feed. It can be seen on playsight.com. Joel Norman and Reily Chestnut will provide play-by-play coverage.

Listen live to the action on Sunny FM at kcsyfm.com on your desktop computer or by tuning in at any of the following stations below.

• Wenatchee: 93.9 FM

• East Wenatchee/Rock Island: 98.1 FM

• Lake Chelan Valley: 95.3 FM

• Brewster/Pateros: 101.3 FM

• Okanogan Valley: 101.9 FM

• Omak/Tonasket/Oroville: 97.7 FM

• Methow Valley: 106.3 FM

Pregame coverage begins at 6:10 p.m. with the Horan Estates Winery Pregame Show and the broadcast wraps up with the Denny’s Late Night Postgame Show.

Live stats can be found on Pointstreak.

AppleSox Can’t Hold Off Late Bells Rally

The Wenatchee AppleSox scored four runs in the first inning but fell to the Bellingham Bells, 11-5, on Thursday night at Joe Martin Field.

Enzo Apodaca recorded his first three-hit games of the summer with a 3-for-4 performance in the loss. 

The AppleSox started strong and even took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning. The Bells got a run back in that frame before adding two more in the sixth to tie up the game. They took a three-run lead into the eighth before adding three more runs in the bottom of that inning.

Things started swimmingly for the AppleSox as two batters into the game they led 1-0 on an RBI triple by Dakota Duffalo. Two batters later Tino Bethancourt tripled in a pair and then scored on a wild pitch to give starter Jacob Hughes four runs of support before he took the mound. He didn’t allow any runs in his first two innings before exiting in the third after a pair of runs scored. From there, the Bells slowly chipped away before a big final two innings at the plate. 

The AppleSox return home on Friday night to face the Cascade Collegiate League All-Stars for the first game of a three-game series. Tickets are available for all three games at applesox.com/tickets.

FULL SCORE

Wenatchee is Looking to Ring Bellingham's Bells and Take the Series

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox look to take their third straight road series decider with Bellingham Bells tonight at 6:35 at Joe Martin Field. The Bells are just 1.5 games ahead of Wenatchee for second place in the North after last night's win for your AppleSox. A series win tonight would boost the AppleSox that much closer to the North division's wild card playoff position.

The AppleSox got the longest start of the summer from Logan Mercado yesterday. Mercado went seven innings strong and gave up just two hits and one walk with three punchouts. Offensively, Wenatchee got two home runs from Zach Toglia and Enzo Apodaca in the top of the second to jump out to a 4-0 lead. One more RBI grounder from Toglia helped him and Apodaca finish with two RBIs to lead the team while Michael DeFelippi pitched two shutout innings after Mercado to close the win for Wenatchee.

The win over Bellingham has given Wenatchee another shot to win a road series. In road game three's for the series, Wenatchee has picked up wins over Cowlitz and Port Angeles. The AppleSox’ 53 wins in WCL games versus Bellingham are the second-highest victory total for the Sox over any of their WCL foes. The AppleSox have 80 victories overall in WCL play over the Kelowna Falcons.

After the victory, Wenatchee pulls into today's Thursday finale second among WCL teams with 158 walks and 60 stolen bases. The Sox are also fifth in runs scored and total hits. Wenatchee is fourth in on-base percentage (.354) behind Ridgefield, Bend and Portland. Pitching-wise, the Sox are also fourth with 118 walks and 252 innings pitched. Moving on, Wenatchee has tossed the third-fewest wild pitches. Finally, the AppleSox are one-of-three WCL teams with multiple shutouts this summer, joining Bellingham (three) and Portland (four).

Wenatchee has not announced their starting pitcher for today’s game. But once they do, you can find that along with any other updates about today’s game by following us on Twitter. Bellingham will send out Zack Simon for tonight’s contest. Simon is 1-2 with a 3.04 earned run average over six previous appearances including three starts. He took the loss back on Saturday, June 12th, in Wenatchee after giving up two earned runs in his second start.

Tonight’s game can be heard on Sunny FM at kcsyfm.com on your desktop computer or by tuning in at any of the following stations below.

• Wenatchee: 93.9 FM

• East Wenatchee/Rock Island: 98.1 FM

• Lake Chelan Valley: 95.3 FM

• Brewster/Pateros: 101.3 FM

• Okanogan Valley: 101.9 FM

• Omak/Tonasket/Oroville: 97.7 FM

• Methow Valley: 106.3 FM

Pregame coverage begins at 6:10 p.m. with the Horan Estates Winery Pregame Show and the broadcast wraps up with the Denny’s Late Night Postgame Show.

Live stats can be found on Pointstreak.

AppleSox Shut Out Bells

Logan Mercado tossed seven shutout innings and Zach Toglia and Enzo Apodaca both hit home runs to lead the Wenatchee AppleSox to a 5-0 win over the Bellingham Bells on Wednesday night at Joe Martin Field.

Mercado struck out three and only allowed three baserunners to earn his second win of the season. He tossed four 1-2-3 innings, including three in a row from the third-through-fifth innings. That was part of a stretch where Mercado retired 12 consecutive hitters

Toglia opened the bottom of the second inning up with a solo shot on the first pitch he saw for his first home run of the season. Apodaca followed with a two-run shot three batters latter for his second of the season, but first in West Coast League play.

Michael DeFelippi tossed the final two innings in relief. He allowed a leadoff walk to begin the eighth but retired each of the final six hitters in order to end the ballgame. DeFelippi and Mercado combined to only allow two hits, the fewest surrendered in a game by AppleSox pitchers this season.

The AppleSox struck first for the fifth consecutive game, but this marked the first time that it resulted in a win. With runners at first and third, Adam Grob took off for second and the throw was late and off target. Jackson Van De Brake trotted home easily on the throwing error to give the AppleSox a 1-0 lead.

The Sox got their fifth and final run in the sixth. Tino Bethancourt smacked a one-out double and then scored two batters later on a groundout by Toglia.

The AppleSox have a chance to take the series on Thursday when they wrap up the series against the Bells at 6:35 p.m.

BOX SCORE

AppleSox Look To Even Up Series With Bellingham

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox look to take game two of their three-game set with Bellingham Bells tonight at 6:35 in Joe Martin Field.

The Bells are 2.5 games ahead of Wenatchee for second place in the North after last night's win. The AppleSox have split the season series against the Bells so far and will look for Logan Mercado to build off his impressive start last week to even the series.

The AppleSox scored four times yesterday without collecting any RBI hits. Adam Grob got a run home after he hit into a double play in the third. After Bellingham scored in the bottom of the third, Wenatchee punched back with three runs in the top of the fifth. All three runs came off another double play and two walks with the bases loaded. Bellingham managed to take the lead in the eighth off Sox reliever Skylar Hales and held on to win it. Five of the Bells’ six runs came with two outs.

After losing the first two games of that series against the AppleSox the Bells were 2-6, but are 12-11 since. The Bells are hitting just .231 this summer (sixth) but are third in the entire league with 239 total hits and 136 runs batted in. Bellingham is also second in doubles and home runs offensively behind the Ridgefield Raptors. Daniel Gernon is tied with Corvallis' Travis Bazzana and Yakima Valley's Noah Williamson for first in the West Coast League with 26 runs scored.

Keeping with the trends, Wenatchee is tied for first in the WCL with 157 total walks after collecting nine last night. Both Bellingham and Wenatchee lead the league in strikeouts with the Bells ahead of the Sox by 39. Wenatchee is still second to Corvallis with 58 stolen bases. Pitching wise, The AppleSox are last with an ERA of 5.28. Bellingham is third with a 3.42 ERA led by Eric Chavarria's league-best 1.04 ERA thru 5 starts. Despite the trouble, Wenatchee is fourth with just 116 freebies allowed while Bellingham has the third-highest walk total this summer with 143.

Wenatchee will look to Logan Mercado for a repeat performance today. Seven days ago, Mercado set a new season-high for AppleSox pitching when he struck out eight Port Angeles Lefties in five innings to earn Wenatchee a key victory. Mercado’s win set the table for the Sox to take the series last Thursday. This will be the young righty’s third start of the summer. He is 1-1 with a 4.96 earned run average and 16 strikeouts.

Opposing Mercado for Bellingham is Trevin Hope. The Bells’ strong arm is 1-4 after five starts. The future Lewis-Clark State Warrior has struck out 22 over 20 innings. This start will be Hope’s first go-around versus Wenatchee this summer.

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Tonight’s game can be heard on Sunny FM at kcsyfm.com on your desktop computer or by tuning in at any of the following stations below.

• Wenatchee: 93.9 FM

• East Wenatchee/Rock Island: 98.1 FM

• Lake Chelan Valley: 95.3 FM

• Brewster/Pateros: 101.3 FM

• Okanogan Valley: 101.9 FM

• Omak/Tonasket/Oroville: 97.7 FM

• Methow Valley: 106.3 FM

Pregame coverage begins at 6:10 p.m. with the Horan Estates Winery Pregame Show and the broadcast wraps up with the Denny’s Late Night Postgame Show.

Live stats can be found on Pointstreak.

Hatton Sharp But Sox Fall To Bells

Cole Hatton struck out a season-best seven hitters but the Wenatchee AppleSox lost, 6-4, to the Bellingham Bells on Tuesday night at Joe Martin Field.

Hatton finished one out away from tossing five innings in a start for the first time this summer but exited with two outs in the fifth. Two of the four runs that he allowed were unearned.

The AppleSox loaded up the bases in two different innings and collected all four of their runs from those chances, but none of their runs came in on base hits. Two walks with the bases loaded plated two-of-their-three runs in the fifth and they hit into double plays twice with the bases loaded to bring in a run. The AppleSox drew nine walks but only collected three hits.

Bellingham answered Wenatchee first run scored via a double play ball by plating two in the bottom of the third. They tied the game up in the bottom of the fifth with two runs after the AppleSox scored three in the top of the inning. In the sixth, a two-out solo home run gave the Bells the lead for good. The only run that they scored with less than two outs came in the ninth.

The AppleSox look to bounce back on Wednesday night when they send Logan Mercado to the rubber. He is coming off tossing five innings and striking out eight in last Wednesday’s win over the Port Angeles Lefties.

BOX SCORE

AppleSox Face Bells in Pivotal Road Trip

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox begin a important three-game series against the Bellingham Bells this evening at Joe Martin Field at 6:35 p.m.

The Yakima Valley Pippins clinched the first-half North Division playoff berth so now the Sox and the Bells are two-of-the-four teams left to battle it out for the second-half postseason spot. The AppleSox are 0-3 to begin the second half while the Bells are 2-4.

The AppleSox took two-of-three games against Bellingham when they visited Wenatchee June 11-13. The first game on June 11 remains the AppleSox’ best offensive performance this season. The Sox scored five runs in the first inning and five more in the eighth en route to a 13-8 victory. Adam Grob led the way that night by going 4-for-4 with 4 RBI. His effort remains the only time a Sox player has recorded four hits or 4 RBI in a game this summer.

After losing the first two games of that series against the AppleSox the Bells were 2-6, but are 11-11 since. They lost two-of-three against the Pippins this past weekend but both losses were one-run defeats. Each of the Bells last five losses have been decided by three-or-fewer runs, with three of those losses by one run. They jumpstarted this turnaround on June 13 against the AppleSox by picking up a 12-3 win in 6.5 innings due to rain. Bellingham scored seven runs in the third and four in the fourth that night.

The Bells are tied with the AppleSox for sixth in the West Coast League with a .230 batting average. The AppleSox hold a slight edge in on-base percentage (.359 to .345) and the Bells have the advantage in slugging percentage (.340 to .314). Although the AppleSox had their most productive offensive effort against Bellingham earlier this season, the Bells have the third-best ERA in the WCL (3.41) while the AppleSox have the worst (5.75). However, the AppleSox have had a starter toss at least five innings and strike out eight in three-of-the-last-five games.

The AppleSox have not announced a starter for tonight’s game yet. Joey Dixon will appear in his second game this summer for Bellingham. He allowed one run on five walks, no hits and three strikeouts against Corvallis on July 6.

Tonight’s game can be heard on Sunny FM at kcsyfm.com on your desktop computer or by tuning in at any of the following stations below.

• Wenatchee: 93.9 FM

• East Wenatchee/Rock Island: 98.1 FM

• Lake Chelan Valley: 95.3 FM

• Brewster/Pateros: 101.3 FM

• Okanogan Valley: 101.9 FM

• Omak/Tonasket/Oroville: 97.7 FM

• Methow Valley: 106.3 FM

Pregame coverage begins at 6:10 p.m. with the Horan Estates Winery Pregame Show and the broadcast wraps up with the Denny’s Late Night Postgame Show.

Live stats can be found on Pointstreak.

Listen to Head Coach Ian Sanderson’s postgame discussion with Joel Norman following Sunday’s game.

Hot Start Not Enough As Sox Drop Series Finale

The Wenatchee AppleSox took a 6-1 lead into the sixth inning but fell to the Corvallis Knights, 7-6, on Sunday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Tino Bethancourt hit his fourth home run of the season, Adam Grob drove in two and Cam Liss struck out eight, but Wenatchee could not overcome a late rally by the Knights and dropped all three games this weekend.

Liss exited following the fifth inning after only allowing one unearned run and matching the most strikeouts thrown by an AppleSox pitcher in a start. A 2-RBI single in the sixth and then a three-run homer in the seventh against two different AppleSox relievers tied the game, then the Knights scratched across the game-winning run in the ninth on two singles and an error.

The AppleSox had an opportunity to tie it when they loaded up the bases with one out but back-to-back hitters struck out to end the game.

Bethancourt launched a two-run shot for his team-leading fourth home run of the season after Collin Villegas double to begin the second inning. Michael O’Hara drove in another run with an RBI single and then Grob grounded out to first to bring in the fourth run of the inning.

The AppleSox weren’t finished yet and recorded another multi-run inning in the fourth. O’Hara picked up his third hit of the night with a single and scored on a double by Grob, who would then score on a single by Luc Stuka.

The AppleSox struggled at the plate the rest of the way, only collecting two hits over the final five innings after getting 10 in the first four.

Chase Grillo suffered the tough-luck loss after firing two innings and allowing an unearned run to score in the ninth. He struck out the side in the eighth and finished one pitch away from tossing an immaculate inning.

The AppleSox are off Monday but head to Bellingham to face the Bells Tuesday through Thursday at Joe Martin Field. First pitch all three nights is at 6:35.

BOXSCORE

AppleSox Conclude Weekend Set Against Corvallis Tonight

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox face the Corvallis Knights at 5:35 p.m. tonight in the weekend series finale at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

The Knights have won each of the first two games despite the AppleSox scoring first both times. Friday, the Sox struck when Justin Simpson stole a couple bases in the first inning and scored on an error to make it 1-0, Sox. The AppleSox again opened the scoring yesterday, this time in the third inning on a two-out 2-RBI double by Dakota Duffalo.

Regardless, the Knights have shown incredible resiliency against the AppleSox this season. In five of the six innings that the AppleSox have scored against the Knights this series Corvallis has immediately responded in the top half of the next inning with runs of their own.

Big innings have been a recurring trouble for the AppleSox this season. Wenatchee has now given up four-or-more runs in an inning 16 times this summer. Last night, Corvallis scored six times in the fourth and then four times in the fifth. The Knights have scored four runs in an inning six times against the AppleSox through five meetings in 2021.

Corvallis has now won 10 consecutive games against Wenatchee dating back to June 13, 2018. Five of those games have been decided by three-runs-or-less.

Travis Bazzana entered this weekend leading the WCL in batting average and continues to hold that honor after going 5-for-10 in the first two games of this series against the AppleSox. He's driven in three runs and is batting .533 (8-for-15) against the Sox this summer. Bazzana enters tonight on a five-game hitting streak.

The AppleSox are trying to get Adam Grob going at the plate. He entered the weekend hitting .321 but is 0-for-8 in this series with four strikeouts. Grob leads the AppleSox in RBI (19), SLG (.419) and OPS (.840).

Prior to tonight’s game, AppleSox broadcaster Joel Norman spoke with Knights’ and former AppleSox’ utilityman Brett Gillis. Listen to the discussion below.

Cam Liss starts for the AppleSox in his third start of the summer and third appearance in West Coast League play. He’s coming off an impressive outing against the Highline Bears in relief on July 3 when he did not allow any runs or hits and struck out six, including the side in one-of-his-three innings of relief. Liss enters tonight with a 6.30 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 10 innings of relief in WCL action this summer.

Brock Townsend will oppose Liss for Corvallis. He has a 2.84 ERA in five games, three starts, and has truck out 19 in 19 innings. Townsend is coming off tossing six shutout innings in the Knights’ 2-0 win over Ridgefield on July 4. He allowed one run in six innings in the outing prior to that against the AppleSox in a 7-6 win on June 27.

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Tonight is Worx Gym Night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium and tickets are available at applesox.com/tickets. Gates open at 4:30.

The AppleSox will provide a live video broadcast of tonight’s game with a synced-up radio feed. It can be seen on playsight.com. Joel Norman and Reily Chestnut will provide play-by-play coverage.

Listen live to the action on Sunny FM at kcsyfm.com on your desktop computer or by tuning in at any of the following stations below.

• Wenatchee: 93.9 FM

• East Wenatchee/Rock Island: 98.1 FM

• Lake Chelan Valley: 95.3 FM

• Brewster/Pateros: 101.3 FM

• Okanogan Valley: 101.9 FM

• Omak/Tonasket/Oroville: 97.7 FM

• Methow Valley: 106.3 FM

Pregame coverage begins at 6:10 p.m. with the Horan Estates Winery Pregame Show and the broadcast wraps up with the Denny’s Late Night Postgame Show.

Live stats can be found on Pointstreak.

Duffalo Plates Three But Sox Fall to Knights

Dakota Duffalo drove in three runs but the Wenatchee AppleSox fell to the Corvallis Knights 14-7 on Saturday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Duffalo brought across the game’s first two runs with a 2-RBI double in the third and then hit a two-out solo home run in the fifth for his first bomb of the season. Duffalo now moves into a tie for fifth in the West Coast League in batting average with his .333 mark.

Though Wenatchee led 2-0 after three innings, the Knights answered with a six-run top of the fourth before adding four more in the fifth and effectively putting the game out of reach.

Jack Lee struck out four and did not allow any runs through his first three innings on the mound, but allowed four runs (three earned) in the fourth inning to give up the lead and suffer the loss.

The AppleSox look to salvage the series against Corvallis on Sunday night at 5:35 p.m. Tickets are available at applesox.com/tickets.

BOX SCORE

AppleSox Face Corvallis On Coyote Bobblehead Night

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox are hosting their third-ever bobblehead night this evening as they face the Corvallis Knights at 6:35 p.m. at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

After giving away Coyote and Marco Gonzales bobbleheads in 2019, the AppleSox are handing out their second iteration of a Coyote bobblehead. The team mascot is depicted tossing an apple as if it is a baseball.

Meanwhile, the AppleSox will look to even up the weekend series against the Knights and pick up their first win over Corvallis. since June 12, 2018. The Knights have defeated the AppleSox in nine consecutive games since then with last night’s loss the only one in Wenatchee.

The AppleSox got off to a strong start by scoring first but the Knights out-hit Wenatchee, 14-4, and collected at least one hit in all but two innings. Corvallis stranded 12 men on the basepaths compared to just two AppleSox runners left on.

Justin Simpson and Luc Stuka sparked the AppleSox offense last night. Simpson reached twice, scored both times and stole three bases. He leads the AppleSox with 15 runs and is tied for 15th in the West Coast League in runs scored despite playing just 13 games so far. Stuka launched his first home run of the season in WCL play and second overall with two outs in the fourth inning to bring the Sox within a run. It marked the second straight Friday that Stuka went deep after hitting for the cycle against Highline last Friday.

The Knights followed the same strategy that helped them defeat the AppleSox the last time the two teams met on June 27: steal bases. Corvallis swiped six bases last night after stealing nine in their previous game against the AppleSox. The Knights lead the West Coast League with 65 stolen bases and are 10 ahead of the second-place AppleSox.

Jack Lee gets the ball this evening for his second start this summer and first in WCL action. He started last Saturday’s game against the Highline Bears and gave up four runs (two earned) in two innings. He tossed his only game in WCL action against Corvallis on June 26 and and allowed three runs and struck out two in 4.1 innings of relief. Lee spoke with AppleSox broadcaster Joel Norman prior to last night’s game.

Corvallis counters with Ben Kibbe. The right-hander 10.28 ERA is second worst on the Corvallis pitching staff and he has started all four games that he has appeared in this summer. He allowed four runs in four innings against the AppleSox on June 26 but is coming off a start against Ridgefield on July 3 where he only allowed one run against Ridgefield in 3.2 innings.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the first 400 fans will take home a bobblehead. Purchase seats for tonight’s game on AppleSox.com/tickets to secure your spot to the game.

The AppleSox will also provide video with a synced-up radio feed. It can be seen on playsight.com. Joel Norman and Reily Chestnut will provide play-by-play coverage.

Listen live to the action on Sunny FM at kcsyfm.com on your desktop computer or by tuning in at any of the following stations below.

• Wenatchee: 93.9 FM

• East Wenatchee/Rock Island: 98.1 FM

• Lake Chelan Valley: 95.3 FM

• Brewster/Pateros: 101.3 FM

• Okanogan Valley: 101.9 FM

• Omak/Tonasket/Oroville: 97.7 FM

• Methow Valley: 106.3 FM

Pregame coverage begins at 6:10 p.m. with the Horan Estates Winery Pregame Show and the broadcast wraps up with the Denny’s Late Night Postgame Show.

Live stats can be found on Pointstreak.

Stuka and Simpson's Effort Not Enough As Sox Fall To Corvallis

Luc Stuka homered and Justin Simpson stole three bases and scored two runs but the Wenatchee AppleSox fell to the Corvallis Knights, 5-3, on Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

The Knights out-hit the AppleSox, 14-4, but stranded 12 runners on-base and kept the window open for a Sox comeback. The Sox scored first for the second time in four games against Corvallis, but are still looking for their first win against the Knights.

Simpson single-handedly opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a leadoff walk. He stole second and then third and the throw to third to try and gun him down sailed into left field and Simpson walked home with his 12th run of the season.

The Knights immediately answered with a run in the second thanks to their first three hits of the game and there would be plenty more still to come. They added a two-spot in the fourth on four more hits and then played singular runs in the fifth and seventh.

Stuka homered with two outs in the fourth after showing bunt on the first two pitches of the at-bat. In marked the second consecutive Friday home game that he went deep after hitting for the cycle against the Highline Bears on July 2.

Wenatchee’s best chance to tie the game up came in the sixth inning. Simpson led off with a single, stole second and went to third on a passed ball before scoring on a fielder’s choice two batters later. After coming on to get that out, Sean Wiese, who pitched for the AppleSox for two games in 2019, shut the door. He retired all 12 hitters that he faced to earn a four-inning save.

The AppleSox look to even up the weekend series on Saturday night when they face the Knights at 6:35 p.m. Jack Lee will start for the AppleSox in his second appearance in West Coast League action and his third overall trip to the mound with the Sox. Saturday’s game is Coyote Bobblehead Night and is sponsored by IBEW-NECA. Tickets can be purchased at applesox.com/tickets.

BOX SCORE

AppleSox Welcome Knights to Wenatchee For First Time Since 2017

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox return home to face the Corvallis Knights this evening for the first game of a three-game series starting at 6:35 p.m. at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

The AppleSox took two-of-three games against the Port Angeles Lefties this past week and return home winners of back-to-back games. They took down the Lefties in the final two games of the series at Civic Field and have now won four series this season.

A five-run fifth inning buoyed the AppleSox last night as Hunter Salinas tossed his third start this summer of at least five innings to earn his third win. A.J. Guerrero drove in two and picked up his fifth consecutive multi-hit game, including non-league games.

The Sox face a tough Corvallis squad which already has clinched a playoff spot after winning the South Division in the first half of the 2021 season. The AppleSox have not defeated the Knights since June 12, 2018 and play their first home game against the Knights this evening since Aug. 7, 2017. The Sox have lost eight consecutive to Corvallis including a three-game sweep from June 25-27 at Goss Stadium.

Riley Way and Nate Nankill led the Knight’s offensively against the AppleSox. Way hit 6-for-15 (.400) in the series with 5 RBI and five stolen bases. Nankill recorded back-to-back three-hit games to open the series before finishing 1-for-3 with two walks in the series finale.

Corvallis just took two-of-three from Bellingham but fell last night, 8-4, at Goss Stadium. Seven different Knights have hit a home run and Corvallis is tied for fifth in the WCL in homers. Braden Boisvert is one off being tied for first in long balls and is tied with two other players with four home runs hit this summer. Travis Bazzana leads the WCL with a .372 batting average.

Trey Miller makes his fourth overall appearance on the mound for the AppleSox tonight. He has pitched in two league games as well as one non-league game. His most recent outing was in non-league action against the Highline Bears last Friday. Miller allowed one run on five hits in five innings in the AppleSox’ 21-1 win.

Corvallis has not announced a probable pitcher.

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Tonight’s game is being sponsored by GESA Credit Union. Tickets are still available for tonight’s and all remaining home games this season.

Tonight’s game will be broadcast live on The NCWLIFE Channel. Grant Olson will provide play-by-play coverage. Fans can watch the action the following ways…

• Online: NCWLIFE.com

• LocalTel: Channel 12

• Charter: Channel 19

The AppleSox will also provide video with a synced-up radio feed. It can be seen on playsight.com. Joel Norman and Reily Chestnut will provide play-by-play coverage.

Listen live to the action on Sunny FM at kcsyfm.com on your desktop computer or by tuning in at any of the following stations below.

• Wenatchee: 93.9 FM

• East Wenatchee/Rock Island: 98.1 FM

• Lake Chelan Valley: 95.3 FM

• Brewster/Pateros: 101.3 FM

• Okanogan Valley: 101.9 FM

• Omak/Tonasket/Oroville: 97.7 FM

• Methow Valley: 106.3 FM

Pregame coverage begins at 6:10 p.m. with the Horan Estates Winery Pregame Show and the broadcast wraps up with the Denny’s Late Night Postgame Show.

Live stats can be found on Pointstreak.

Wenatchee Walks Out of Port Angeles Series Winners

The Wenatchee AppleSox have gotten a little hotter! Tonight, they beat Port Angeles 6-2 to close out their second series win on the road.

It took a little bit but when the runs came, they came in bunches. Trailing 1-0 after Hunter Salinas gave away a run on an RBI balk, Wenatchee took advantage of Lefties reliever Luke Jewett’s mistakes and scored two runs off two passed balls to take the lead in the top of the fifth. Adding onto the five run fifth, Michael O’Hara extended the lead with an RBI ground out and designated hitter A.J. Guerrero laced a two-run double to rack up the damage. Despite giving up a solo home run in the bottom half of the fifth frame, Wenatchee kept the ship on course and parked it with shutout pitching the rest of the way.

But the later innings were still eventful. Twice the AppleSox left-handed relievers Gavin Gorrell and Alex Brady had to work around multiple runners with two outs. Gorrell cleared the first hurtle when he struck out Bryce Matthews to leave the tying run at the plate with an emphatic fist pump. Next, Alex Brady got a phenomenal diving catch by new right fielder Jackson Van De Brake to get the Sox out of the eighth. The rest was history.

Another day, another game and how about another multi-hitter for A.J. Guerrero?! The future Washington Husky has lived up to the billing so far by collecting multiple hits in all three of his WCL starts. Not to be outdone, Hunter Salinas was stunning for his second straight start with a road series on the line.

Salinas struck out eight to tie Logan Mercado’s mark from Wednesday for the most by an AppleSox pitcher this summer. The right hander also tied his own season-high by lasting six innings for the second time in his last three appearances. It was the first time this season that back-to-back Wenatchee wins featured two starters who lasted at least five. This makes the AppleSox a perfect 6-0 when their first option arm lasts that long.

The win over Port Angeles helps Wenatchee move up to third place in the North Division. Now just behind Bellingham with three more games in the first half, Wenatchee will face Corvallis for the second time this summer starting tomorrow night. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. on Friday. Tickets are available at applesox.com/tickets.