Michael O'Hara Wins 2021 Tommy Watanabe Award

Michael O’Hara, an outfielder from the Santa Clara University, received the 2021 Tommy Watanabe Award prior to Saturday night’s Wenatchee AppleSox game against the Cowlitz Black Bears.

O’Hara has collected nine multi-hit games this summer and leads the AppleSox with five three-hit nights. Friday night he hit his first home run of the season with a fifth-inning grand slam. Michael is not only a fan-favorite for his work with the bat. Whether he’s celebrating with a young fan after winning the Wenatchee World Newspaper Delivery Race or trading his bat to a youngster in exchange for his grand slam ball last night, Michael has made fans smile all summer long.

“This summer, there are so many deserving players,” AppleSox general manager Allie Schank said. “Michael stood out to us because of the effect he had on his teammates, his presence with kids at the youth camps and his love of the game.”

O’Hara becomes the third different played to earn the honor joining Jacob Prater in 2018 and Johnny Sage in 2019.

To learn more about Tommy Watanabe and the Award, please visit applesox.com/tommy-watanabe-award

Michael O'Hara Postgame 8.6.21

Michael O'Hara Pregame 6.29.21

Mistakes Halt Wenatchee's Hot Streak Against Cowlitz

The Wenatchee AppleSox’s winning streak ended tonight as Cowlitz evened the series up with an 11-5 victory. Cowlitz jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the second after the ‘Sox committed two errors in the frame. From there Cowlitz scored in their next two innings to add to their lead. With three more runs in the ninth, Cowlitz rode that offensive surge to victory. That doesn’t mean the AppleSox gave in.

In their last two innings, Wenatchee scored all five of their runs. Right fielder Enzo Apodaca got back into the hit column and managed to drive in new ‘Sox infielder Ethan Stacy home with an exciting play at the plate. Stacy didn’t beat the throw, but he beat the tag by catcher Jacob Burley. Two batters later, Adam Grob hit a grounder that third baseman Dawson Martin threw too low to first base and gave Apodaca a free pass to home plate. But the fun wasn’t done.

With two runners on, Stacy was back and with one swing he brought the boom! Stacy slugged a high fly ball just over the right field foul pole to give the home crowd a little jolt. Wenatchee has now homered in eight straight games, the most games in a row this summer!

Skylar Hales took the loss but showed just how talented he was on the bump. Hales struck out seven in just three innings in his first ‘Sox start. The AppleSox even witnessed a new face on the hill. Incoming CWU freshman Connor Schlect entered the game in the fourth inning and settled in for the rest of the game. Schlect struck out three hitters and retired ten straight batters at one point in his first game.

The AppleSox will return for their final home game of the regular season tomorrow. First pitch against Cowlitz will be at 5:35! Tickets are available at www.applesox.com/tickets.

BOX SCORE

Wenatchee Looks to Extend Season-Best Winning Streak against Cowlitz

GAME NOTES

Tonight at 6:35 in Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium, Wenatchee will play round two against the Cowlitz Black Bears hoping to capture the series. To say the ‘Sox are hot would be an understatement.

The AppleSox overcame early struggles once again to pound the Cowlitz Black Bears 19-9 last night. Wenatchee fell behind 5-1 due to a performance that saw Wenatchee commit a season-high seven errors in a WCL contest. But, the Sox never failed to get runners on base. After leaving nine men on base through four frames, Wenatchee exploded. The Sox got 12 runs in the fifth with only two hits in the frame. Both just happened to leave the yard.

Michael O'Hara's grand slam was the first big fly and then Adam Grob hit his fifth home run overall and fourth in league play. Even with nine runs off the Sox, the deficit was too much to overcome for Cowlitz. Along with O'Hara and Grob, shortstop Garrett Cutting collected his third straight two-hit start. One of those hits happened to be Cutting's third triple in as many games. Every Sox starter got on base at least once against the Black Bears in last night's series opener. The Sox drew 15 walks and eight hit-by-pitches in the batter's box.

This win moved the AppleSox within two games of Bellingham in the second half standings for second place. Overall, Wenatchee is three games behind Bellingham as the Bells host Highline for a non-league weekend set. This four-game winning streak is incredible just because the Sox have trailed in all four games by at least three runs before storming back.

Diving into the numbers, Wenatchee is seventh in batting average with a .232 mark. Don't be fooled though. The Sox are hitting .299 in their last four games with an average of nearly 13 runs per game. The big difference has played into the team’s biggest strength this summer. Wenatchee has earned 38 walks and struck out just 26 times in the past week over 127 at-bats. In the four games against Cowlitz's top-three pitching staff (3.66 ERA - third in WCL), the Sox have scored five or more runs in three out of four games.

Standing tall for the AppleSox today is starter Skylar Hales. The incoming sophomore out of Santa Clara has been dazzling this summer. Entering his first start, Hales leads the team with a 1.42 earned run average over seven appearances. Hales, who is second in team strikeouts (33), delivered the most dominant pitching performance of the summer his last outing in Wenatchee. The Reno, Nevada native struck out ten Pippins over four-and-a-third innings pitched without giving up a run back on July 24th.

Cowlitz has not announced their starter for tonight’s game.

Tickets are available for tonight’s game as well as the final home game tomorrow and can be purchased on your computer at applesox.com/tickets or at the ballpark. Gates open at 5:30 tonight.

If you cannot make it over to Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium tonight, the AppleSox will provide a live video broadcast 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.

Twelve-Run Fifth Buoys AppleSox Past Black Bears

For the fourth consecutive night the Wenatchee AppleSox trailed halfway though a game and rallied to win. They scored 12 runs in the fifth inning to defeat the Cowlitz Black Bears, 19-9, on Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Michael O’Hara hit a grand slam and Adam Grob smacked a two-run homer in that long bottom of the fifth as the AppleSox scored 12 runs in an inning for the second time this week. The AppleSox set new offensive single-game highs in the 2021 season for runs scored and batters hit by pitch (eight). They drew more walks (13) than they collected base-hits (12).

O’Hara and Grob were the two most impressive contributors of the dynamite offensive effort from the AppleSox. O’Hara collected his ninth multi-hit game and second three-hit performance of 2021 while also reaching base in all but one of his six plate appearances. Grob drove in three runs and also reached base in five-of-six plate appearances. He

Trailing 6-4 entering the bottom of the fifth, the AppleSox sent 15 men to the plate and only collected two hits in the inning thanks to the two aforementioned home runs. Eleven hitters batted before O’Hara’s slam and nine of them reached base either via a walk or hit by pitch. The Black Bears used three different pitchers in the fifth, including the first of four position players on the evening.

Jack Lee (1-2) earned his first win of the season in his longest effort of the summer. He struck out seven in five innings and received his best run support of the summer.

Garrett Cutting continued his torrid stretch at the plate. He tripled for the third consecutive game and drove in three runs. He has recorded three consecutive three-hit games, has collected at least one hit in six-of-his-last-seven games and is batting .500 in his last 12 at-bats.

Ethan Stacy, signed a day prior, made his AppleSox debut in the sixth and remained in the game to play shortstop. He pinch-hit for Jackson Van De Brake and drove in a run with a groundout then singled in the eighth.

The AppleSox look to take the series and win their seventh consecutive game in this homestand on Saturday night when they face the Black Bears again at 6:35. Neither team has announced a probable pitcher for the game.

BOX SCORE

Listen to postgame interviews with O’Hara and Grob below.

Michael O'Hara Postgame 8.6.21

Adam Grob Postgame 8.6.21

Wenatchee Faces Off Against Cowlitz in Final Home Weekend of 2021

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox are welcoming the Cowlitz Black Bears to Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium tonight at 6:35. The Sox are coming in after completing their first 2021 sweep against the Port Angeles Lefties. In all three wins, Wenatchee entered the seventh inning trailing the Lefties. But, the AppleSox overcame their largest deficit of the season last night to take the 11-10 win after trailing at one point by an 8-1 score. The Sox homered twice for the first time all summer after Collin Villegas and A.J. Guerrero hit opposite field finishers. But they weren't the only offensive stars.

Shortstop Garrett Cutting had his second straight two-hit performance. Cutting even knocked in Jackson Van De Brake with a triple in the sixth inning and a single in the eighth. Eventually, Wenatchee took the lead on Port Angeles' fourth error of the night in the eighth. Closer Chase Grillo finished off his fourth save of the summer to give flamethrower Jared Engman the win as Wenatchee exited the series in style.

Now the AppleSox will try to win their first home weekend series since June 12th as they face off against the Black Bears. Wenatchee holds the advantage after they beat Cowlitz back in late June two out of three games in Longview. The AppleSox took the series decider over the Black Bears after Hunter Salinas tossed six shutout innings to earn league pitcher of the week the very next Monday. The offense was buoyed by Luc Stuka's second consecutive two-hit start while Adam Grob and John Newman Jr. both collected two hits as well. Chase Grillo earned his second save in that series and the Sox emerged victorious in their first road rubber match.

Wenatchee's win combined with Bellingham's loss in Portland puts the Sox just 2.5 games behind the Bells for second in the second half and 3.5 games back overall. Bellingham is off this weekend so the Sox will have ample time to climb the ladder toward a possible playoff berth.

Tonight the Sox will roll out sophomore lefty Jack Lee. After starting off as the Saturday starter, Lee was moved to Friday and will try to set the tone for Wenatchee’s biggest home series of the summer. Lee is 0-2 with an 8.49 earned run average. But in his last start one week ago against the Northwest Star Academy Lee had his best performance yet. The future UC-Santa Barbara Gaucho struck out six Nighthawks in four gritty innings and allowed just one run off five hits.

Cowlitz has not announced their starting arm for today’s game.

If you cannot make it to tonight’s game, it can also be seen 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 Rally Again Late To Sweep Lefties

The Wenatchee AppleSox rallied from a seven-run deficit to sweep the Port Angeles Lefties with an 11-10 win on Thursday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. 

Wenatchee trailed 8-1 entering the bottom of the fifth but scored in each of the next four innings to come back and pick up their third consecutive win. The AppleSox outscored the Lefties 10-3 from the fifth inning on.

AJ Guerrero and Collin Villegas both homered and the AppleSox cashed in on four Lefties errors. Garrett Cutting recorded his second consecutive multi-hit game with a triple, a single, a walk and 2 RBI. He is now 4-for-his-last-7 in the last two games. 

The go-ahead run scored in the bottom of the eighth with runners at second and third. Jackson Van De Brake popped a ball up between first base and second base that was unable to be caught in the infield. Both runners took off on contact and scored. 

Jared Engman (3-1) picked up his third victory of the summer with two strikeouts in 1.1 scoreless innings. He followed up Jack DeDonato, who made his AppleSox debut. The incoming freshman at Washington State struck out three but one of the runners he allowed to reach scored after he exited the game. Chase Grillo allowed one run in the ninth but kept the lead to earn his fourth save of the summer, tied for sixth-most in the West Coast League.

The AppleSox have now won five consecutive home games, league and non-league combined. In WCL action, they have won four-of-their-last-five. They’ll look to continue the strong home play on Friday night when they host the Cowlitz Black Bears for Hawaiian Night. Fans are encouraged to wear their favorite Hawaiian attire as everyone who comes to the game will have the opportunity to win a free trip to Hawaii, thanks to Sunny FM, Journey Travel and Tours and the AppleSox. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. and tickets are available at applesox.com/tickets and at the gate. Gates open at 5:35.

BOX SCORE

Listen to postgame interviews with Engman and Grillo below.

Jared Engman Postgame 8.5.21

Chase Grillo Postgame 8.5.21

Wenatchee Trying to Finish Off Port Angeles

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox are looking to close out Port Angeles for a clean 3-game set tonight at 6:35 in Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

The AppleSox got their third home series victory last night in walkoff fashion, 5-4. After Adam Grob reached base on an error in the ninth, pinch hitter Collin Villegas smashed a game-tying triple to right field. Two hitters later, first baseman Tino Bethancourt knocked an inside fastball over to right field that finished off the ‘Sox two-run comeback.

Alex Brady's gutsy relief performance helped him earn his only Sox win in his final game of the summer. After the heroics, Tino Bethancourt has five RBI in the last two days and two memorable hits. The win keeps Wenatchee 4.5 games behind Bellingham overall and just 3.5 games back in the second half standings.

Wenatchee is back to .500 when they score five or more runs. This team doesn't quit and their late inning offense proves it. This summer from the sixth frame through the ninth, they have outscored their foes by nine runs, 106-97. The AppleSox offense, still ninth in the West Coast League with a .226 batting average, has scored 21 runs in their first two games this month.

One reason for this explosion has been Wenatchee's aggressive baserunning. The Sox have stolen 12 bases without being caught in their first two games against Port Angeles. This was expected as Wenatchee is second in steals among all ten WCL teams. Building off that, the Sox have unleashed the power ball lately. They have homered safely in their last five league games, the longest streak of the summer. Even more impressive, Wenatchee has neutralized Port A's power. The Lefties have only one home run against Wenatchee through five contests despite currently ranking third in the entire league with 27 big flies.

Looking for one last thrill, incoming Oregon sophomore Logan Mercado will toe the rubber in his final outing of the summer. Mercado is 2-2 with a 4.59 ERA, has struck out 29, walked 13 and held hitters to a .258 batting average. This will be Mercado’s second start against the Lefties. The Pasco, Washington native is looking for a repeat of July 7th when he struck out a season-high eight Lefties at Civic Field in his first five-inning start of the summer.

Port Angeles has not announced a starter for today’s final meeting between the Lefties and the AppleSox.

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Tickets are available for tonight’s game as well as each of the final four home games and can be purchased on your computer at applesox.com/tickets or at the ballpark. Gates open at 5:30 tonight.

If you cannot make it over to Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium tonight, the AppleSox will provide a live video broadcast 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 Walk Off Lefties

The Wenatchee AppleSox scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to walk off the Port Angeles Lefties, 5-4, on Wednesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. 

Tino Bethancourt drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single to right field. Collin Villegas scored the game-winning run after tying the game with a triple.

The AppleSox trailed 4-3 entering the bottom of the ninth but Adam Grob reached on a throwing error by Lefties third baseman Coleman Schmidt to lead off the inning. Villegas, pinch hitting for Aidan Selfridge, hit a ball to right field that outfielder Anthony Kodama was debating whether to let drop in front of him or sprint for when he slipped on the grass. The ball rolled all the way to the fence to score Grob.

John Newman Jr., who homered in the seventh inning to cut the deficit to one run, walked and that set the stage for Bethancourt with no outs. He lifted a 1-0 pitch into right field that even the drawn-in outfield had no chance at catching.

Alex Brady (1-0) picked up the win in relief in his final AppleSox appearance this summer. Although he allowed three inherited runners to score, he buckled down to toss three shutout innings without any runs charged to him. Brady struck out a season-best five in a season-long effort in relief.

The AppleSox did not score until the sixth inning but it shouldn’t be a surprise that their offense woke up late. Wenatchee is outscoring opponents 106-97 in the sixth-through-ninth innings. Garret Cutting led off the sixth with a triple off the center-field fence and then Michael O’Hara drove him in with an infield single. Grob doubled in O’Hara to give the AppleSox a 2-1 lead.

The Lefties responded with three in the top of the seventh. Newman’s homer immediately following the seventh-inning stretch drew the AppleSox closer before they walked it off two innings later.

The AppleSox look to take all three games of this mid-week series against the Lefties when they face them again at 6:35 p.m. on Thursday night. Logan Mercado (2-2, 4.59 ERA) gets the start in his final game of the summer. Tickets are available at applesox.com/tickets.

BOXSCORE

Listen to postgame interviews with Head Coach Ian Sanderson, Bethancourt and Brady below.

Ian Sanderson Postgame 8.4.21

Tino Bethancourt Postgame 8.4.21

Alex Brady Postgame 8.4.21

AppleSox Go For Series Win on Cherry Creek Media Night

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox look to build off last night's 10-run victory and take the series against the Port Angeles Lefties tonight at 6:35 at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. The AppleSox defeated the Lefties last night, 16-6, thanks to a 12-run seventh inning. Despite trailing by three entering the inning, each of the AppleSox first seven hitters reached base before an out was recorded. Tino Bethancourt tied the game with a 2-RBI single and Jackson Van De Brake plated the final four runs of the inning with the AppleSox' first grand slam of 2021.

The AppleSox set multiple single-game offensive highs last night including in runs, stolen bases (10), walks (17) and hit by pitches (4). Van De Brake's grand slam was the 20th in team history in league play, according to former AppleSox scorekeeper Bruce Bennett.

The AppleSox have now scored at least 15 runs in a game in three of their last five home games, including non-league games. They are second in the WCL in steals (83) and walks (214) and have the sixth-best on-base percentage (.353). Port Angeles has the worst batting average (.211), on-base percentage (.313) and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.632). The Lefties are third in the WCL with 27 home runs. IF that continues through the end of the season, it will mark the third consecutive year that Port Angeles has finished among the top three teams in the WCL in home runs in their four years of existence.

Last night's win marked just the fourth time in 23 instances where the AppleSox were out-hit by their opponent but still picked up the win. The AppleSox have out-hit or collected the same number of hits as their opponent in 17 games and are 11-6 in those games. with their 13 runs in the seventh and eighth innings last night, the AppleSox are now outscoring opponents 82-69 in the seventh-through-ninth innings.

Tonight’s starting pitcher for the AppleSox is Cole Hatton. He leads the team with 34 strikeouts and is also making his team-leading eighth start of the summer. No other AppleSox pitcher has started more than five games. Hatton is 1-2 with a 5.11 ERA and has struck out 34 in 31.2 innings.

The Lefties have not announced a probable pitcher for tonight’s game.

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Tonight’s game is being sponsored by Cherry Creek Media. They are partnering with the Salvation Army and anyone who brings a non-perishable food item to their studio on 231 N. Wenatchee Avenue or to Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium will receive a free ticket to the game.

If you cannot make it to tonight’s game, 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.

Huge Seventh Inning Leads AppleSox Past Lefties

The Wenatchee AppleSox scored 12 runs in the seventh inning to rally back from a 6-3 deficit and defeat the Port Angeles Lefties, 16-6, on Tuesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Trailing 6-3 entering the seventh-inning stretch, the AppleSox dug into the batter’s box and went to work. Wenatchee sent 18 men to the plate and scored 12 runs on five hits, nine walks and a hit by pitch. Each of the first seven hitters reached base before an out and all seven came around to score.

The big blow came from Jackson Van De Brake. With eight runs already across he came to bat with the bases loaded. It marked the fifth time that the AppleSox batted with the bases loaded. While the AppleSox had scored all four previous times with a pair of sacrifice flies, a walk and a wild pitch, they had not plated any runs via a base-hit when batting with the bases loaded.

That all changed with Van De Brake. He launched his first home run of the season and gave the AppleSox the final four runs of their huge seventh-inning rally.

Van De Brake plated another run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth to give him 5 RBI, the most by an AppleSox hitter this summer. His home run marked the first by an AppleSox hitter against a West Coast League opponent that was not a solo home run or two-run shot.

Van De Brake wasn’t the only hitter with a big night. A.J. Guerrero was the only AppleSox hitter to reach safely in every plate appearance. He went 4-for-4 with two singles, two doubles and two doubles. Aidan Selfridge went 1-for-4 with two walks, three runs and a single to stretch his hitting streak to six games.

Tino Bethancourt drove in four runs with a 1-for-3 night. He scored three runs, was hit by two pitches and walked, but his only hit of the night came at the right time. He singled up the middle four batters into the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 6-6.

2018 Cashmere High School graduate Tyler Chipman (2-1) entered the ballgame with the AppleSox trailing but tossed two scoreless innings while the bats got hot and earned the victory.

The AppleSox go for the series win on Wednesday night as they host the Lefties again at 6:35 p.m. It is Cherry Creek Media Night at the ballpark. They are partnering with the Salvation Army and anyone who brings a non-perishable food item to their studio on 231 N. Wenatchee Avenue or to Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium will receive a free ticket to the game.

BOX SCORE

Listen to postgame interviews with Van De Brake and Guerrero below.

Jackson Van De Brake Postgame 8.3.21

A.J. Guerrero Postgame 8.3.21

AppleSox Welcome Lefties to Wenatchee Tonight

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox host the Port Angeles Lefties for a three-game series with the first game coming tonight at 6:35 at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

The AppleSox just took both non-league games this past weekend against the Northwest Star Academy with a 15-4 win on Friday and a 5-3 win on Saturday. Enzo Apodaca led the way, batting 3-for-6 with two triples, three runs, two stolen bases and 3 RBI.

Apodaca is rolling at the plate, entering tonight's game on a seven-game hitting streak in WCL action. The redshirt freshman at Gonzaga has collected a hit in nine straight games, league and non-league, after collecting a trio of hits this past weekend.

Aidan Selfridge is also swinging a hot bat as of late. He has hits in each of his last five games and went 2-for-2 with a walk, 1 RBI, three runs and a triple on Friday.

The AppleSox face a Port Angeles team who they took two-of-three from on the road a month ago at Civic Field. Wenatchee lost the series-opener despite taking a 7-5 lead into the seventh-inning stretch thanks to a four-run top of the seventh. The Lefties scored one run in the bottom of that inning and then two more in the eighth to pick up the series-opening win.

Logan Mercado stifled the Lefties the next night by striking out eight and only allowing one run in five innings. Hunter Salinas followed up the next night with two runs allowed and eight strikeouts in six innings to lead Wenatchee to a series victory.

The AppleSox return to action after having each of the last two days off. It marked the first time that the AppleSox had consecutive days off since July 4-5. Wenatchee's only other multi-day break came June 14-17. In between the last two multi-day breaks, the AppleSox played 23 games over 26 days.

Cam Liss makes his fifth start in WCL play and sixth overall tonight. He is 0-2 with a 4.73 ERA in five WCL games but is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in a pair of non-league games. In his seven combined appearances, Liss has only pitched on the road and that will remain the case as he steps on the mound tonight at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. His last appearance came on July 25 against Yakima Valley when he allowed three runs in four innings. It marked the fourth time in five starts that he allowed three runs or less but he walked a season-high five batters and was on the hook for the loss in the Pippins 5-1 victory.

Port Angeles has not announced a probable pitcher for tonight.

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Tonight is the final $2 Off Tuesday of the 2021 season. Fans can purchase tickets for tonight’s game for as low as $5 and select food and drink items at the AppleSox' concession stand are $2 off. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online at applesox.com/tickets.

Tonight is also Scout Night. Any kid wearing their scout uniform to the game will receive a free ticket.

If you cannot make it to tonight’s game, 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.

Banning Pitches For AppleSox; "A Dream Come True"

In the midst of the AppleSox’ six-run outburst in the sixth inning on July 30 against the Northwest Star Academy a right-hander began to loosen in the left-field bullpen at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. He wore the number 32 but was not Collin Villegas, the AppleSox designated hitter who homered earlier in the inning and typically wears that number.

While only a few fans noticed the pitcher getting his warmup tosses in because of the offensive barrage on the field, he would elicit the loudest cheer of the night once he stepped on the rubber for the top of the seventh inning.

“God’s Gonna Cut You Down” blared from the speakers as the right-hander stepped on the mound to begin the inning. The pitcher’s name was announced and the crowd erupted louder than it had for any of the AppleSox’ 15 runs scored that night.

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Non-league games may not count in the AppleSox’ record books but key members of the AppleSox organization have found ways to pitch in for them, sometimes literally.

On July 16, AppleSox scorekeeper Terry Aiton stepped out of the press box and onto the field to call balls and strikes as the home plate umpire for the Sox’ game against the Cascade Collegiate League All-Stars.

Guest services worker Ky Morris traded in his polo for a jersey as he came on in relief as an emergency pitcher for the CCL All-Stars on July 17.

Most recently, AppleSox Manager of Ballpark Operations Lucas Banning tossed a clean 1-2-3 top of the seventh inning for the AppleSox to wrap up a victory over the Northwest Star Academy. With the AppleSox coming off a long road trip against the Bend Elks and looking to give a couple arms the night off, Banning volunteered to pitch in and toss for the AppleSox.

It marked another remarkable moment in Banning’s tenure with the AppleSox and an evening he said that was “a dream come true.”

“I was a little kid out there, just having fun” Banning said. “I loved every minute of it.”

Banning joined the AppleSox in 2019 after his sophomore year at Eastmont High School. He was working at Dutch Bros but wanted to stay involved with baseball in the summer since his spring season had just wrapped up. Banning became part of the AppleSox guest services crew and took a special interest in helping his friend and now his fellow Eastmont graduate Makenna Schwab at the AppleSox souvenir stand. That summer exceeded Banning’s expectations.

“I just expected just make friends and have fun,” Banning said in 2019. “But I didn’t just make friends, I made a family. Everyone here was open and accepting of me and it was a great first summer job.”

AppleSox guest service workers are a lot like a family. For 33 games this summer they have worked together to ensure that fans have a fun night at the ballpark and have fun while doing. Banning helps facilitate that as the man in charge of these workers. He helped hire staff members and also assigns different game-night roles to all of them.

It’s been another summer for Banning to make friends and have fun but with added responsibilities. He played baseball at Eastmont but won’t be playing it this coming season when he heads to Washington State. Instead, Banning will pursue a career in counseling with a focus on men’s mental health.

Banning and the Wildcats had a tremendous Spring. Eastmont’s 10-4 overall record marked the third-best winning percentage among Big 9 teams. Banning excelled as a midweek starter and tossed a complete game shutout against Ephrata on April 27.

That would be the final game that he pitched. Due to COVID-19 contact tracing, Banning was not eligible to pitch on his senior night a week later and thus ended his high school baseball career.

As soon as the summer began and Banning He noticed that the AppleSox were hosting nine non-league games, he began to dream of getting to toe the rubber at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium in one of them. If the opportunity was available, he wanted to suit up for the AppleSox and live out a dream.

There were openings July 16-18 when the Cascade Collegiate League All-Stars were in town. With the CCL lacking in pitching options, the AppleSox reached out to local options. Banning’s Wildcat teammates Kade Kuske and Logan Schneider were two among several local options to toe the rubber for the visitors. Morris, a 2020 Eastmont grad, left the AppleSox guest services crew to pitch in the second game for the CCL. Banning did not pitch, because he was out of town.

He hungered for that opportunity to pitch for the first time since his high-school career came to an abrupt end. Maybe for one last time he could step out onto the field and compete in the kid’s game one more time. On July 30, he got it.

“I showed up today and set everything up,” Banning said. “Then I talked to (Head Coach) Ian (Sanderson) and he said I could suit up and come to the dugout. I went to the dugout for about two innings and then just went out to the ‘pen and waited for my call. I got told the seventh inning was mine and I started warming up in the top of the sixth.”

Banning only needed eight pitches to induce three ground balls to second that all went for outs. The AppleSox dugout stood for the entire top of the seventh and erupted to congratulate Banning as he helped cap the victory in the shortened game.

Players this summer have famously taken a “squad pic” outside of the dugout after each home victory. As they posed for it, Banning stepped to the side but pitcher Jack Lee grabbed him and wanted him to partake in the team tradition.

“They hyped me up,” Banning said. “It was great, it was just like I was one of the boys out there. They did a great job of welcoming me and I really appreciate that.”

In the end, Banning got a moment with the spotlight on him. It wasn’t a senior night where he had a chance to stand on the field with his family and his fellow high school teammates. Instead, Banning pitched under the lights three months later across the Columbia River and helped seal a victory for his hometown team in his first college baseball game.

No, it wasn’t a senior night, but it was still Banning’s moment in the spotlight that he had earned.

“I always wish I got that senior night,” Banning said. “Tonight felt really good to get back out there. It felt like a second chance to continue my baseball journey. I had everyone on my side tonight.”

As fans began filing out of the ballpark, Banning hugged and took pictures with family and friends. Soon, the players had left the ballpark and there was Banning, still in uniform and still hugging and taking pictures. Eventually Banning was the only one left in the ballpark because he still had to lock it up and turn off the lights. He still had his AppleSox jersey, hat, baseball pants and cleats on.

For one night, Lucas Banning lived out his dream of playing for his hometown team. For one night, he was still just a kid.

Lucas Banning Postgame 7.30.21

Sox Rally Late To Beat NW Star Academy

Enzo Apodaca tripled in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning and the Wenatchee AppleSox defeated the Northwest Star Academy, 5-3, on Saturday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Apodaca, who picked up his second triple in as many days, drove in Aidan Selfridge and then stole home after Zach Toglia danced off first to draw a throwing error. The Nighthawks committed four errors and the AppleSox scored two runs in a two-error second inning.

The Northwest Star Academy scored first with two in the top of the first thanks to five straight hitters reaching base but they left more men on base (7) than the AppleSox did (3) and it came back to haunt them in a tight loss.

Cole Bertram, an incoming sophomore at Lower Columbia, struck out two in a scoreless top of the seventh inning to wrap up the game and give the AppleSox the win in his debut on the mound. Rance Pittman earned the win in his final game this summer for the AppleSox after striking out three in 1.2 innings. The game concluded after seven innings because the Nighthawks will limited in pitching options.

Saturday’s victory was Wenatchee’s seventh consecutive against a non-league foe. The AppleSox conclude the 2021 season 7-2 in non-league action.

The AppleSox are off until Tuesday, Aug. 3, when they face the Port Angeles Lefties for the first of a three-game series. Tuesday’s game is the final $2 Off Tuesday of the season. Tickets are available for as low as $5 and select concession items are $2 off. Only six home games remain in the 2021 season and time is running out to catch the AppleSox. Tickets are available at the gate or at applesox.com/tickets.

BOX SCORE

Apodaca Postgame Interview 7.31.21

AppleSox Look For Back-To-Back Wins Vs NW Star Academy

The Wenatchee AppleSox wrap up a two-game set against the Northwest Star Academy at 6:35 p.m. tonight at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

The AppleSox are coming off a night in which they matched their season-high for runs scored in a 15-4 win over the Nighthawks. The AppleSox have now scored 15 runs in two-of-their-last-three home games.

The win marked the Sox’ first in three meetings against the Northwest Star Academy. The Nighthawks opened Wenatchee’s 2021 season by defeating them on June 1 and 2. Last night’s victory was the AppleSox’ sixth in non-league play this summer.

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Tonight’s game is being sponsored by Confluence Health. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online at applesox.com/tickets.

If you cannot make it to tonight’s game, 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.

Sox Offense Strikes Early, Often to Beat NW Star Academy

The Wenatchee AppleSox opened up their final homestand of the season with a 15-4 win over the Northwest Star Academy on Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Friday’s game marked the first of an eight-game homestand to end the 2021 home slate and the AppleSox began it with a big night offensively. Collin Villegas homered and drove in four and Jacob Wyeth drove in three runs as well to lead the Sox to victory.

Enzo Apodaca (seven games) and Aidan Selfridge (five games) both entered the weekend on two impressive multi-game hit streaks. Though stats from this non-league series won’t be included with their strong recent WCL work, they both continued to get it done at the plate. Apodaca went 2-for-3 with a triple, two walks, two runs and 2 RBI. Selfridge went 2-for-2 with a triple, two walks, three runs and 1 RBI.

The AppleSox scored five in the first inning and added six more in the sixth inning. The 15 runs scored matched their season high for runs in a game this summer, in league or non-league play. Wenatchee also picked up their sixth straight non-league victory to improve to 6-2 this summer against non-WCL foes.

Despite all the offense the biggest cheer of the game came in the top of the seventh inning. Midway through the game the AppleSox and the Northwest Star Academy decided to play a seven-inning game so that the Nighthawks would have enough pitching for Saturday’s game. Eastmont High School graduate and AppleSox’ Manager of Ballpark Operations Lucas Banning toed the rubber to get the final three outs. As fans cheered him on, Banning recorded a 1-2-3 inning to end the game and give the AppleSox a victory.

The AppleSox look to take both games of the series with the Nighthawks when they host them again on Saturday night at 6:35 p.m. It is Confluence Health Night at the ballpark and tickets are available at applesox.com/tickets.

AppleSox Return Home to Face NW Star Academy

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox return home tonight to face the Northwest Star Academy at 6:35 p.m. at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium in the first game of their final homestand of the season. The Sox will face the Nighthawks again tomorrow at 6:35, get two days off then play six straight games to round out the 2021 home schedule.

Wenatchee welcomes the Northwest Star Academy to town for the second time this summer. The Nighthawks spoiled the start of the AppleSox season by picking up wins in Wenatchee on June 1 and 2. The first game was sloppy all around as the two teams combined to commit 14 errors. The AppleSox got a late rally going the next night but could not pick up the victory.

The AppleSox return home after dropping all three games of their road trip against the Bend Elks. Last night, the Sox struck first on a solo home run by Adam Grob in the bottom of the first inning for his third homer of the summer. However, the Elks cashed in on five AppleSox errors to win, 8-4. AppleSox pitchers allowed eight runs but only one was earned.

Wenatchee is 5-2 in non-league play and has won every non-league game since losing to the Northwest Star Academy twice to open the season. The AppleSox have a +39 run differential in non-league games against the Nighthawks, the Highline Bears and the Cascade Collegiate League All-Stars. The majority of the non-league games have come this month with the two previous games against the Northwest Star Academy the only ones to come in June.

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Tonight’s game is being sponsored by Weinstein Beverage. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online at applesox.com/tickets.

If you cannot make it to tonight’s game, it can also be seen 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 Swept in Bend

Wenatchee fought hard but fell to Bend in 8-4 loss at Vince Genna Stadium. The Elks got a quality outing from starter Jack Slominski as the righty gave up one earned run in five innings before Cole Wilkinson and Eli Ankeney brought the win home.

For the first time this season Wenatchee hit a home run three days in a row. Adam Grob slugged a 412-foot blast to left field that gave the AppleSox the first run for the second straight game. The Sox offense would strike again as Enzo Apodaca hit a grounder that second baseman Aidan Welch couldn’t hold onto. The error plated Aidan Selfridge in the top of the seventh.

The AppleSox added two more run in the ninth while down to their final out. Wenatchee managed to bring in two more runs with two outs. Zach Toglia reached on a throwing error that brought Michael O’Hara home then Tino Bethancourt drove in Apodaca on a bases-loaded walk.

Apodaca had his fourth two-hit game while A.J. Guerrero also enjoyed another multi-hit night. Despite the loss, first-time starter Michael DeFelippi struck out three Elks and held down their offense for the first two innings.

Wenatchee will enjoy a two-game weekend back home as they face the Northwest Star Academy Nighthawks. First pitch is Friday night at 6:35 and tickets are available at www.applesox.com/tickets.

BOX SCORE

Wenatchee Will Try to Take One Tonight in Bend

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox are back tonight at Vince Genna Stadium looking to avoid their second road sweep of the summer as they battle the Bend Elks at 6:35.

Wenatchee lost the series last night after Bend put up a series-rivalry record 21 runs to take win. The Sox got early offense to take the 1-0 lead on Zach Toglia's single. But to set the tone, Bend scored five runs in the first to take the lead and never look back. Bend scored multiple runs in third (three), fifth (four) and seventh (nine). A.J. Guerrero went deep in the top of the fourth while Aidan Selfridge delivered a two-run double in the top of the sixth. Guerrero's homer tied Tino Bethancourt for longest home run by a 'Sox hitter in WCL play this summer after it traveled 417-feet.

Entering tonight, Wenatchee is 3.5 games behind Bellingham for second place in north division for the second half. With Wenatchee currently third in overall record (14-24) for northern units, the ‘Sox still have time to catch up to Bellingham for the second half wild card spot. But it must start tonight as they look to avoid their first road sweep in Bend since late July of 2013.

Wenatchee's offense is still second in the west coast league with 190 walks. On the other side of the coin, Bend's performance last night has kept them in second place with a .268 batting average and first among WCL teams with a .384 on-base clip. The 'Sox pitching staff has dealt with control issues as they have hit eleven Elks in the first two games of this series to move into a tie for second with 40 hit batters this season.

Wenatchee has not announced a starter for the last game in Bend this summer.

The starter tonight for the Elks is rising Grand Canyon University junior Jack Slominski. Slominski is 0-3 with an 8.16 earned run average over five appearances and three starts this summer. This will be his start against Wenatchee, but not his first outing. In the AppleSox last win over Bend on June 18th, Slominski earned the loss out of the bullpen after walking Jackson Van De Brake to give away the winning run in a 5-4 contest.

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. Reily Chestnut will provide the play-by-play coverage.

• 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 Falls in Series Decider to Bend

The AppleSox lost the series tonight in Bend by a score of 21-4. The loss gave Bend the series win over Wenatchee on Wednesday night at Vince Genna Stadium.

Early on, first baseman Zach Toglia gave the AppleSox the first run of the game on an single to drive in Enzo Apodaca in the top of the first. Toglia, who will join Utah this fall, has eleven runs batted in over just 15 games. But he wasn’t alone as designated hitter A.J. Guerrero clocked a 417-foot home run out to left center field to tie Tino Bethancourt for the longest home run of the season in the top of fourth. Finally, left fielder Aidan Selfridge clocked a two-run double into the right field corner in the top of the sixth to extend his hitting streak to four games in a row.

Unfortunately, Bend scored five runs in the first, three in the third, four in the fifth and then nine in the seventh to take home the win.

Tomorrow night at 6:35, Wenatchee will try to salvage the series in Vince Genna Stadium as they battle Bend one more time this summer.

BOX SCORE

Wenatchee Meets Bend for Game Two of Three-Game Set

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox have round two against Bend tonight at 6:35 from Vince Genna Stadium. In front of a raucous crowd of 1,138 Tuesday night, Bend beat Wenatchee 10-2 after getting 13 hits off AppleSox pitching. Right fielder Enzo Apodaca continued to impress with his second home run in WCL play and a ground ball that allowed A.J. Guerrero to score the ‘Sox last run in the 8th. Bend managed to score 8 of their 10 runs over the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

In the last three losses to the Elks, Wenatchee has given up over ten runs in all three contests. their lone win over Bend back on June 18th, they gave up multiple runs in only one inning. Over the four games against Bend so far, the Elks' offense has scored two or more runs in ten of the 37 innings played.

The AppleSox enter tonight eighth in the league with a .227 batting average. The Sox are also fifth with a .346 on-base percentage. Meanwhile, Bend is first in the west coast circuit with a .377 on-base clip and second in league batting average (.266). Looking back to the AppleSox, they are currently second in WCL stolen bases with 69 and second among league teams with 185 walks.

Pitching wise, Wenatchee has the highest earned run average in the league (5.69). Bend is fifth with a 4.26 earned run average. Enzo Apodaca is tied for second among league hitters with 26 walks. Apodaca also has a share of the team lead for runs scored (17) with Tino Bethancourt.

Today’s Wednesday starter is Oregon sophomore Logan Mercado. Mercado has become a regular mid-week option for Wenatchee. The Pasco, Washington native is 2-0 over his last three starts. In that span, Mercado has tossed 12 innings, given up three earned runs, struck out 18 and walked four. He has also thrown at least 89 pitches in all of his July starts.

Facing off against Wenatchee tonight is Tulane sophomore Turner Thompson. This will be his second straight start after he went four innings last Wednesday at Yakima Valley. In that start, Thompson gave up a season-high five earned runs but also struck out seven Pippins.

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. Reily Chestnut will provide the play-by-play coverage.

• 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.