AppleSox Even Up Series vs Pippins

Two big swings of the bat gave the Wenatchee AppleSox a 5-4 win over the Yakima Valley Pippins on Wednesday night at Yakima County Stadium. 

Collin Villegas cleared the bases with a two-out 3-RBI double in the second and Garrett Cutting plated a pair with a two-run triple the next inning. 

Villegas has now recorded all of his 9 RBI this season in the last six games. Cutting picked up  his fourth triple of the summer, all of which have come in the last six games. He is now two   triples away from tying Keston Hiura’s franchise record of six in 2015. 

Cole Hatton (2-2) struck out five over five innings in his final appearance of the summer. Skylar Hales followed with three strikeouts in three innings before Chase Grillo tossed a scoreless ninth to pick up his fifth save of the summer. Grillo is tied for third in the West Coast League in saves and is one off being tied for the lead.

The AppleSox wrap up their season on Thursday night when they face the Pippins at 7:05. Jack Lee gets the start in the final game of the 2021 summer.

BOX SCORE

AppleSox Send Hatton to Mound to Face Yakima Valley

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox look to even up their season-ending series tonight when they face the Yakima Valley Pippins at 6:35 p.m. at Yakima County Stadium.

The AppleSox rallied from two runs down entering the ninth inning to tie the game but surrendered the lead as the Pippins walked them off in the bottom half of the inning.

The AppleSox trailed 5-1 entering the fifth innings but Garrett Cutting hit a home run and A.J. Guerrero and TIno Bethancourt hit RBI singles for a three-run rally over two innings.

In the ninth, the AppleSox scored two runs without collecting a hit. Collin Villegas reached on a one-out error before Bethnacourt and Guerrero drew back-to-back walks to load up the bases. A wild pitch brought in one run and then Jackson Van De Brake hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game up in the ninth. It wasn't enough as three consecutive Pippins hitters reached base in the bottom of the ninth to walk off the AppleSox for the first time this summer.

Tyler Chipman suffered the tough-luck less after one of the best, if not the best, relief performances from an AppleSox pitcher this summer. Chipman entered the game in the fifth inning with runners at first and third and only one out. He went on to not only strand those two runners but also retired each of the first 13 hitters that he faced, nine via strikeouts. With two outs in the ninth, Chipman issued a full-count walk, allowed a soft infield single and then an error scored the game-winning run.

With his effort, Chipman became the second AppleSox pitcher to strike out at least nine in a game this summer, joining Skylar Hales, who also did it against the Pippins in a relief appearance back on July 24.

The Pippins enter tonight’s game rolling, winners of four straight after sweeping the Lefties prior to last night’s series-opening win. They are outscoring opponents 35-18 during this four-game streak, which comes on the heels of four straight losses prior to this surge.

Cole Hatton toes the rubber for the final time this summer tonight. He leads the AppleSox eight games started and 37.2 innings. Hatton is three strikeouts away from tying Skylar Hales (40) for the team lead. He has tossed at least five innings in two-of-his-last-three starts, including tossing a season-high six innings against Port Angeles last Wednesday.

Hatton will face Connor Wilson, a 2020 Chelan High School graduate. This is the third time that the AppleSox will face Wilson this summer. He picked up the win against the Sox on June 2 as a member of the Northwest Star Academy. He tossed 2.1 scoreless innings and struck out two in the Nighthawks’ 7-6 win. Wilson faced the AppleSox a second time on July 23 and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to wrap up the Pippins’ series-opening win over the AppleSox.

---

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.

AppleSox Late Rally Not Enough vs Pippins

The Wenatchee AppleSox scored two runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game up but were walked off by the Yakima Valley Pippins, 7-6, on Tuesday night at Yakima County Stadium. 

Tino Bethancourt, A.J. Guerrero and Luc Stuka all recorded two-hit games and Garrett Cutting hit his first home run of the season. The real story of the night was Tyler Chipman. The 2018 Cashmere High School graduate came on with one out and two men on in the fifth and retired each of the next 13 hitters in order with nine via strikeouts. 

Remarkably, Chipman’s Herculean effort was not enough to send the game to extras. The Pippins drew a two-out rally in the ninth with a full-count walk, an infield single and an error to walk off the AppleSox. 

Before the Pippins won the game, the AppleSox tied it up without collecting a hit. Collin Villegas reached on an error and Bethancourt and Guerrero followed with walks to load up the bases. A wild pitch scored Villegas and Jackson Van De Brake hit a sacrifice fly with one out.

The AppleSox trailed 5-1 entering the fifth inning but rallied back to eventually tie it up. Cutting homered to lead off the inning and Guerrero singled in one for a two-run inning. After the Pippins got the run back in the bottom of the inning, Enzo Apodaca hit a two-out RBI single in the sixth.

Cole Hatton toes the rubber for the AppleSox in game two of the three-game series on Wednesday night at 6:36 p.m.

FULL SCORE

Final Road Trip of 2021 Starts Tonight

GAME NOTES

The Wenatchee AppleSox travel to the “Palm Springs of Washington” to face the Yakima Valley Pippins for their final three-game series of the season beginning tonight at 6:35.

The AppleSox are fresh off taking six-of-eight games on their most recent homestand. They took both games against the Northwest Star Academy, swept the Port Angeles Lefties and then won the first game against the Cowlitz Black Bears for six consecutive wins before losing on Saturday and Sunday.

Wenatchee faces the Yakima Valley Pippins for the second series this summer. The AppleSox defeated the Pippins, 15-7, on July 23 for their largest margin of victory this summer at the time and their most runs scored in a game this summer to that point. The Pippins opened the series with a 15-5 win and bookended it with a 5-1 triumph.

Yakima Valley clinched the North Division first-half postseason spot record with a 15-9 record. It marked the second season that Head Coach Kyle Krustangel made the playoffs after leading the AppleSox to the postseason in 2019. They currently lead the second half by two games over Bellingham, who has already clinched the second-half playoff berth.

This is the first time since 2016 that the AppleSox enter the final weekend of the season out of playoff contention. This comes despite the AppleSox soaring offensively. The AppleSox outscored opponents 83-60 during their eight game homestand in which they won each of the first six games. The AppleSox are averaging 10.6 runs per game over their last eight and have scored 10-or-more runs four times since July 30.

The AppleSox have also hit the long ball plenty as of late. The Sox have homered in a season-best nine consecutive West Coast League games. Their 11 home runs in that span of their 24 this summer represents 46-percent of their season total. During the lengthy homestand the AppleSox hit their first three home runs of the season that were three-run shots or grand slams. Ethan Stacy connected on a three-shot on Saturday after Jackson Van De Brake and Michael O'Hara hit grand slams earlier in the week. Including non-league games the AppleSox have hit 33 home runs in 2021.

Tonight’s starting pitcher is Cam Liss. He has tossed five-or-more innings four times this season, including non-league games. His most recent start came on Aug. 3 when he tossed a season-high six innings against Port Angeles, but allowed a season-high six runs. Liss has struck out at least five in four-of-six games in WCL games and in both of his non-league starts.

The Pippins send Kirby Robertson to the mound for his sixth start of the summer. He is 2-1 with a 3.90 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 30 innings. Robertson has tossed at least five innings in every start and has allowed three-runs-or-less in four of them.

---

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.

AppleSox Host Movie Night Tonight

The Wenatchee AppleSox will have one more summer night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Come out tonight to watch the original Angels In The Outfield movie at 6 p.m. Admission is free and food and drink will be available for purchase at discounted prices. The souvenir stand will be open as well with 25% off all items. Gates open at 5:30.

The AppleSox are off tonight but will face the Yakima Valley Pippins at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday night for the first of a three-game series to wrap up the 2021 season. All three games can be heard at 93.9 FM in Wenatchee, 98.1 FM in East Wenatchee and on your computer worldwide at kcsyfm.com.

Wenatchee Loses in Final Home Game of the Season

Wenatchee fell in the final game at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium this summer to Cowlitz 13-8. With the offense flying high once again, Wenatchee and Cowlitz traded back-to-back two-run innings in the first and second to head into the third inning tied at four. The Black Bears exploded with five runs in the top of the third to stretch their lead past the point of no return. But the ‘Sox certainly gave it their best try.

Enzo Apodaca, Adam Grob and Tino Bethancourt all had multi-hit nights right on top of each other in the higher part of the batting order. Grob, in his final game of the summer, collected three hits in his first three at-bats to finish the night with two runs and two runs batted in. Apodaca powered the offense tonight with a season-high four hits in four trips with a walk thrown into the mix. Apodaca even finished his night with his third home run of the season in league play in the bottom of the eighth.

Finally, Tino Bethancourt continued to dazzle the home fans with one last performance tonight. Bethancourt had two hits in five at-bats. Even more fitting, in his final game of the summer playing third base at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium, Bethancourt defined tough with a charging throw across the diamond for an out just a few hours after he got hit in the cheek by a batting practice ground ball.

Gavin Gorrell took the loss after going two and two-thirds in his last start of the summer. The AppleSox enjoyed fine relief outings from Cole Bertram and Jared Engman as both tossed a combined three innings without any runs making it home.

Now officially out of the playoff picture, the AppleSox will play three more games next week when they wrap up the 2021 season by visiting the Yakima Valley Pippins. Game one on Tuesday will begin at 6:35 p.m. from Yakima County Stadium. Be sure to tune into the Horan Estates Winery Pregame Show at 6:10 on kcsyfm.com.

We hope you enjoyed the return of Wenatchee AppleSox baseball this summer! We couldn’t have done it without your support and we look forward to more of it next summer in the Wenatchee Valley!

BOX SCORE

AppleSox Conclude 2021 Home Schedule Tonight

The Wenatchee AppleSox play their final home game of the 2021 season tonight against the Cowlitz Black Bears at 5:35 at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

The AppleSox wrap up the home slate this evening looking to take two-of-three against the Black Bears. Wenatchee won, 19-9, Friday before falling, 11-5, last night. It’s been an impressive homestand so far as the AppleSox won the first six games before losing the second game of this series against Cowlitz.

Despite the loss, the AppleSox continued their power surge at the plate. Ethan Stacy, an incoming sophomore at Lower Columbia, hit a three-run home run in the ninth last night to give the AppleSox their eighth consecutive West Coast League game with a home run and his first long ball of the summer.

The AppleSox have an opportunity tonight to win their seventh series of the summer and are playing their ninth rubber match of the summer. Wenatchee has split all eight of their previous winner-take-the-series games.

Batting with the bases-loaded has been a regular theme for the AppleSox this week. 2021 Tommy Watanabe Award Winner Michael O'Hara hit a grand slam on Friday and Jackson Van De Brake hit the team's first grand slam on Tuesday against Port Angeles.

Last night, it was what the AppleSox didn't do with the bases-loaded that hurt them. They batted with the bases-loaded and no outs but could not score any runs in the first inning. All five of their runs came in the final two innings. Wenatchee is outscoring opponents 46-15 from the fifth inning on in their last five games.

Gavin Gorrell gets the start for the AppleSox for his final game of the summer. It will be his fifth start of the season but his first since June 25. Gorrell started each of the first four games that he pitched in this season before moving to the bullpen. In nine games (four starts) he has a 5.91 ERA and has struck out 30 in 24.1 innings.

Cowlitz counters with Michael Benz. He is 2-3 with a 2.20 ERA with 22 strikeouts over 32.2 innings in 17 games. Benz allowed two unearned runs on one hit and three walks against the AppleSox in four innings on June 22. Tonight will be his first start of the summer.

---

Tonight is the final home game of the 2021 season and is also Host Family Appreciation Night. Those who have housed AppleSox players this summer will be honored on-field prior to tonight’s game. If you are interested in housing a player in 2019 or would like more information about hosting an AppleSox player, please call 509-665-6900 and speak with AppleSox general manager Allie Schank.

Gates open at 4:30 tonight and tickets can be purchased at the ballpark. Fans are encouraged to stop by the third-base souvenir stand and pick a signed AppleSox team photo.

If you can’t make it to the ballpark, 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

---

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.

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.

---

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.

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.

---

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.

---

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.

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