Sage Shines as Sox Win Season-Opener

WENATCHEE, WA - Johnny Sage drove in four runs to lead the AppleSox to a season-opening 10-1 victory over the Cascade Collegiate League Showcase team on Monday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Sage, an outfielder and incoming senior at Purdue, reached base three times in five plate appearances and homered in the second inning. Though he played for the AppleSox last season, the long ball was his first in a Sox uniform.

Newcomer Ryan Altenberger also impressed as he reached base four times, thrice via walks. The incoming junior at Xavier also stole a base and drove in a run.

Keegan Romig, a Wenatche High School graduate, tossed five scoreless innings to pick up the victory. Brett Gillis and Trent Sellers each tossed two innings and struck out five batters apiece.

Half of the AppleSox’ offensive damage came in the second inning. After a scoreless first, the Sox sent nine men to the plate. Quinn Ayers and Kodie Kolden both drew one out walks and scored on Tyler Detloff’s double to right-center. Detloff would come around to score himself on a single by Altenberger and then Sage capped the scoring with a two-run bomb over the right field fence.

The Sox scratched across two more runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, they did so without collecting any hits. Altenberger walked as did Hunter Montgomery. Cory Meyer hit a ball to third and the relay to first drove CCL first baseman Ryan Krout off the bag. Altenberger never stopped running and scored all the way from second. Montgomery went to third and would score shortly after on a wild pitch.

Sage plated a pair with a two-RBI single in the fourth after Kolden and Detloff reached on a walk and a single, respectively.

The CCL Showcase scratched across a run in the sixth inning thanks to a couple of Sox errors and the AppleSox added a final tally in the eighth after Grant Gorrell drove in Kody Darcy following Darcy’s bloop double.

The AppleSox continue their homestand on Tuesday as the Victoria HarbourCats visit Wenatchee for the first of three games. It’s the Sox’ first $2-off Tuesday of the season.. Tickets are on sale for as cheap as $5 and can be purchased here.

R H E LOB

CCL 1 6 1 13

WEN 10 8 3 12