Evening Things

MEDFORD, Ore. – The Wenatchee AppleSox (8-3, 5-3) won their third consecutive WCL series game two on Sunday, defeating the Medford Rogues (6-3) 3-2.

The AppleSox took advantage of an early error by the Rogues in center field as Trenton Brooks got to second base with two outs in the top half of the first. Michael McCann, who made his second appearance with the club (this time as the designated hitter) singled home Brooks to get things started later in the half inning, following a Ty Jackson walk.

From there, the Sox turned things over to starter Ian Buckles. Buckles said hello and goodbye to the first seven batters that he faced Sunday and retired the side one-two-three in four of his first five innings.

He allowed just one hit through the first five innings of play. The lone run up to that point was manufactured when Adonis Morrison led off his 2014 WCL season with a double down the left field line and came around to score on a fielder’s choice ground out.

That score came in the third for the Rogues, however the AppleSox quickly erased the tie in the top of the fourth. Tanner Nishioka started the inning with a bunt single and was later brought around to score on a Tyler Frost sacrifice fly.

Another run was added in the fifth after Sam Brown led off the inning with a hard single up the middle. McCann later singled him home on a bunt play, originally intended to be a sacrifice, which McCann ended up beating up the line.

In the sixth, Brown’s presence was felt again defensively as he made a diving catch in center to preserve Buckles’ 3-2 lead. The web gem went alongside a beautiful catch in the hole on the left side of the infield, corralled by Nishioka earlier in the game.

Calvin LeBrun took over in the seventh, and while the Rogues got runners to the corner in the eighth with just one out, LeBrun and new catcher Nate Esposito dialed up a double play ball to Nishioka, Caleb Wood and Simon Rosenbaum to get out of the jam.  

In the ninth, LeBrun retired the side one-two-three with a lead off strikeout, a pop up, and a ground out, to secure the win and pick up his first save of the season.

The series concludes with a matinee game three tomorrow at noon.                                             

WEN   1 0 0   1 1 0   0 0 0      3   8   0

MED   0 0 1   0 0 1   0 0 0      2   6   1

WP – Ian Buckles

LP – Brandon Erickson

S –  Calvin LeBrun