AppleSox Fall In Series-Opener to Pippins

The Yakima Valley Pippins defeated the Wenatchee AppleSox, 15-5, on Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. Michael O’Hara and Jackson Van De Brake both recorded three-hit games in the loss.

The Pippins pounced early by scoring four runs in the first and later plated five in the fifth and three in the sixth. The AppleSox scored four in the sixth but never led on Friday night.

The series continues on Saturday night when the AppleSox celebrate Christmas in July by giving out AppleSox Christmas ornaments to fans. Tickets are available at applesox.com/tickets.

BOX SCORE

AppleSox Welcome Familiar Faces, Pippins to Wenatchee This Weekend

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox face the Yakima Valley Pippins for the first time this season in a three-game set beginning tonight at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium at 6:35 p.m.

Former AppleSox head coach Kyle Krustangel and assistant coach Cash Ulrich return to Wenatchee for the first time since quitting to take on the same roles with the Pippins. From 2017-19 the duo led the AppleSox to an 84-78 record and came within three outs of leading the team to the 2019 West Coast League Championship Series.

Krustangel and Ulrich aren’t the only familiar faces on Yakima Valley. Four different Pippins played for the AppleSox previously. Spencer Marenco, Landon Schirer and Seth Kuykendall played for Wenatchee in 2019 while Mason Marenco suited up for the AppleSox in 2018. Schirer led the 2019 AppleSox with six saves and has already recorded that many this summer in six appearances. Kuykendall earned All-WCL Honorable Mention honors in 2019 after recording a 2.17 ERA in 10 games. Mason Marenco was one of the AppleSox’ four All-Stars in 2018 and his younger brother, Spencer, joined the team late in 2019 and played in eight games.

The Pippins won the first half with a 15-9 mark and finished four games ahead of the next-closest team. The Sox are three games back of first place Yakima Valley in the second half but if the Pippins win the second half, the second-half playoff spot goes to the team with the next-best overall record. The AppleSox sit a game-and-a-half back of having the next-best overall record.

Taking the ball today is lefthander Jack Lee. The southpaw is 0-1 with a 7.04 earned run average through two appearances this summer. Lee is really fresh after not pitching last weekend against the CCL All-Stars. The future UC-Santa Barbara Gaucho was a late scratch due to an illness but is ready to go today against the best team in the North Division. This will be his second straight start.

Battling Lee for Yakima Valley is Kenny Johnson. Johnson, who was Lee’s teammate this past spring at Cal State-Bakersfield, is 3-3 with a 5.11 earned run average. The Lancaster, CA native is coming off back-to-back starts with six or more innings and six strikeouts. Time to see who will win in this battle of former CSUB Roadrunners!

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.

AppleSox Win Pitchers' Duel to Take Series vs Sweets

In a game that featured a combined 27 strikeouts the Wenatchee AppleSox defeated the Walla Walla Sweets, 1-0, on Thursday night at Borleske Stadium.

Travis Craven of Walla Walla and Jacob Hughes of Wenatchee both tossed shutout starts and racked up the strikeouts. Craven struck out 14 in eight shutout innings while Hughes punched out eight in six shutout innings. Gavin Gorrell did not allow any hits and struck out four in three shutout innings of relief to earn his first win of the season.

The AppleSox scored. the game’s only run in the ninth against Sweets reliever Caden Kaelber. Adam Grob drew a one-out walk and then Luc Stuka was intentionally walked with two outs to put runners at first and second. Collin Villegas hit a ball slightly to the left of second baseman Parker Price. The former AppleSox infielder gloved it, did a 360-degree turn and threw it toward the AppleSox first-base dugout. Grob easily scored and that was all the AppleSox needed.

For the second straight night an AppleSox starting pitcher set the team’s single-game high for pitches thrown. Logan Mercado threw 99 pitches on Wednesday and then Hughes tossed 99 on Thursday night. His six-inning start marked the eighth time in the last 11 games that an AppleSox started tossed at least five innings and the Sox have won five of those eight games.

The AppleSox return home Friday night to face the Yakima Valley Pippins at 6:35 p.m. for the first game of a three-game series. Friday night is Chelan PUD Night and Satuday is Christmas in July Night where fans will receive an AppleSox Christmas ornament. Tickets for all three games are available at applesox.com/tickets.

BOX SCORE

AppleSox End Road Trip Tonight vs Sweets

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox face the Walla Walla Sweets tonight in their seventh rubber match of the season tonight at 6:35 p.m. at Borleske Stadium.

The AppleSox have entered the final game of a three-game set against a West Coast League opponent tied six times previously and have won the rubber match three times with wins on June 10 against Walla Walla, June 24 on the road at Cowlitz and July 8 at Port Angeles.

Wenatchee looks to bounce back from an 8-2 loss last night. Logan Mercado was sharp again, tossing six innings and striking out seven on a season-high 99 pitches, not just the most in a start for him but for any AppleSox pitcher this summer. The right-hander at Oregon struck out seven, one off his single-game high. Mercado's effort marked the 11th time that an AppleSox starter has tossed at least five innings in a start. An AppleSox starter has now tossed at least five innings in seven of their last 10 games but the Sox have only won four of those last seven five-or-more inning starts from their starting pitcher.

Offensively, Luc Stuka continued his impressive road trip with his second consecutive multi-hit game and his eighth this season with a single and a double. His ninth-inning double ties him with Adam Grob for the most two-baggers on the AppleSox this summer. Stuka is second to only Dakota Duffalo (nine) for the AppleSox lead in multi-hit games but tied him with his seventh two-hit night of the summer.

Michael O'Hara doubled in the AppleSox' only two runs last night for his second double in as many days at the plate.

Wenatchee looks for a turnaround performance from the bullpen tonight. After tossing four shutout innings of relief on Tuesday, they gave up six runs in Walla Walla's final two trips to the plate Wednesday. Jared Engman allowed three runs in the seventh before Alex Brady gave up three more in the eighth. AppleSox relievers have struggled this month, recording a 7.85 ERA in 47 innings pitched over 12 games.

Following tonight’s game the AppleSox return home to face the Yakima Valley Pippins tomorrow through Sunday at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. Friday is Chelan PUD Night and Saturday is Christmas in July as fans will receive AppleSox Christmas ornaments. Tickets for all three games can be purchased at applesox.com/tickets.

Jacob Hughes starts tonight for the AppleSox. The right-hander and incoming freshman at Oregon will make his second start since rejoining the rotation a week ago and his fifth of the summer. He allowed two runs (one earned) in 2.2 innings last Thursday against Bellingham. Hughes entered that game with just three walks issued in his first 18.2 innings of the summer over six appearances but he walked three Bells before exiting. Overall, Hughes is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA.

Hughes’ first start of the summer came June 10 against the Sweets. He earned a no decision but dazzled on the mound with only one run on four hits allowed in five innings and six strikeouts.

He’ll be opposed by Travis Craven. The southpaw from Whitman College is 3-3 with a 3.34 ERA. He has divided his 11 appearances nearly in half between starts and relief outings as tonight will be his seventh start of the summer. In 37.2 innings he has struck out 36, walked seven and allowed 36 hits.

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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.

Mercado Strong Again But Sox Fall to Sweets

Logan Mercado only allowed two runs and struck out seven in six innings but the Wenatchee AppleSox lost to the Walla Walla Sweets, 8-2, on Wednesday night at Borleske Stadium.

Mercado tossed a season-high 99 pitches for an AppleSox pitcher and finished one off his season-best for strikeouts but the AppleSox could not get him a third straight victory.

Michael O’Hara brought in the AppleSox’ two runs with an RBI double in the sixth inning with one out to tie but he was stranded. The Sweets scored three in the seventh and three more in the eighth to pick up the win.

Luc Stuka singled and doubled to record his second consecutive multi-hit game and his eighth this summer.

Now, the AppleSox look to take this series as well as the season series when they face the Sweets on Thursday night at 6:35 p.m.

AppleSox Looks To Take Season Series vs Sweets Tonight

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox look to take their fifth West Coast League series of the season tonight as they face the Walla Walla Sweets at 6:35 p.m. at Borleske Stadium. A series victory tonight would give the AppleSox a season-series victory over the Sweets. The AppleSox guaranteed at least a tie this summer against the Sweets with a 7-1 win last night. Cole Hatton struck out five and only allowed one run in five innings. Michael DeFelippi punched out two in a scoreless sixth after he loaded up the bases with no outs. Skylar Hales tossed a scoreless final three innings to pick up his first save of the summer. The AppleSox scored four runs in the top of the ninth provide some breathing room.

Now, the AppleSox turn to Logan Mercado (2-1, 3.47 ERA) to try and pick up a series victory. Hatton's effort last night marked the 10th time an AppleSox starter tossed at least five innings in a start and the sixth time in the last nine games. Wenatchee is 8-2 in these instances and has won four-of-the-last-six times that this has occurred.

A series win tonight will give the AppleSox their first since taking two-of-three against the Port Angeles Lefties, July 6-8. The AppleSox have won four series this season, including their first series against the Sweets, June 8-10. A win tonight or tomorrow would give the AppleSox their third road series victory to go along with the trip to Port Angeles and taking two-of-three from Cowlitz, June 22-24. The AppleSox enter tonight's game winners of four-of-their-last-six road games.

Last night's win pulled the AppleSox into a tie for third place in the North Division in terms of overall record. If Yakima Valley wins the second half, the second half North Division playoff spot goes to the team with the next-best overall record. The Pippins currently sit in first place in the second half and the AppleSox are 1.5 games back of the idle Bellingham Bells for the second-best overall record. The Sox are two games out of first in the second half.

Logan Mercado will make his fourth start of the summer tonight. He’s tossed at least four innings in all three starts and has increased how many innings he has tossed in each start. The incoming sophomore at Oregon is coming off tossing a seven shutout innings a week ago against Bellingham in a 5-0 win. He has only allowed one run in his last two games, spanning 12 innings, and has struck out 11 in that time.

The Sweets send Andrew Baughn to the hill in an effort to tie up the series. He’s making his Sweets debut after posting a 2.87 ERA and striking out 55 hitters in 47 innings across 16 games this spring at Southern Idaho. He allowed 30 hits, walked 17 and plunked 11 hitters in that time.

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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.

Pitching, Defense Buoy AppleSox Over Sweets

The Wenatchee AppleSox turned three double plays and three pitchers combined to strike out 11 Walla Walla Sweets in a 7-1 win at Borleske Stadium on Tuesday night.

Cole Hatton struck out five in five innings while only allowing one run. It marked the second time that he tossed five innings, but the first time that he did so in his six starts. Hatton allowed his only run in the fifth on an RBI triple and things got interesting as the Sweets put runners at second and third with two outs. A base hit could have tied the game but first baseman Luc Stuka snagged a liner headed over him and then tossed to second to double up the runner and end the inning.

Michael DeFelippi made things interesting in the sixth when he loaded up the bases with three straight hits allowed. He buckled down and struck out two before inducing a lineout to third baseman Tino Bethancourt to end the inning.

Skylar Hales went the rest of the way, shutting out the Sweets in three innings while striking out four to earn his first save of the summer.

The AppleSox took a 3-1 lead into the ninth inning and had only collected three hits to that point, but added some insurance with four runs on five hits. John Newman Jr. plated two on a single up the middle and Dakota Duffalo lofted a ball to center that got lost in the lights and scored two more.

It wasn’t the first time that the AppleSox capitalized on defensive mistakes. The Sweets committed three errors but the Sox’ first run came thanks to a mental error. Michael O’Hara led off with a double to left field that was misread and then scored two batters later on a triple by Adam Grob.

The AppleSox are now 3-1 against Walla Walla this season and look to take this road series with a win on Wednesday night. Logan Mercado gets the ball for the 6:35 p.m. game.

BOX SCORE

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.