GETTMAN DOMINANT, YET APPLESOX FALL 4-3 AFTER LATE SWEETS RALLY, EXTRAS

CJ Gettman now hasn't allowed a hit in 16-consecutive innings for the AppleSox.

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Wenatchee AppleSox (4-3, 1-2) stumbled to the finish line, Thursday, against the Walla Walla Sweets (3-3, 3-3), falling 4-3 in ten innings at Borleske Stadium.

CJ Gettman was dominant for his second-straight start. He followed up his complete game, three-hit Opening Night performance, with seven shutout innings, Thursday. He only surrendered four hits, and struck out eight while walking just three. His season strikeout total is now 19, and the Wenatchee product has tossed 16-consecutive scoreless innings for Wenatchee.

Wenatchee got their scoring started in the second inning, on a Scott Hilpert RBI single to left field, his first of all three runs batted in on the night.

Again, Hilpert delivered in the fourth off Sweets southpaw starter Cooper Powell. An infield bunt single brought home Nick Nyquist to score, after the AppleSox were called for interference on the basepaths a play earlier, denying a run at the time.

Colton Loomis (0-1) took over for Gettman in the eighth inning and mowed down the Sweets 1-2-3, with two K’s in the final two at bats of the frame.

Wenatchee added a valuable insurance run in the top of the ninth on another Hilpert single. He finished 3-for-4.

In the bottom half, Walla Walla jolted Loomis. They loaded the bases with nobody out, after a single, a batter hit by pitch, and a walk. Willie MacIver then grounded hard to third base, but a critical throwing error to home plate allowed a run to score, with still no outs and the bases loaded.

Loomis then got a pop up to shortstop for out number one, but Matt Whitney, out of the leadoff spot, delivered a 2-RBI single on the left side of the infield to tie the game. Hunter Hanson knocked the ball down softly on the shallow left field grass and tried to throw home to get the runner at the plate, but it bounced off of Dyllin Mucha’s back.

Andrew Helmstadter, the catcher, immediately realized that Whitney had taken a long turn past first base and fired to Nick Nyquist at first. Nyquist then saw MacIver stuck between second and third, and tossed to Jacob Prater. The Sox got a tag on MacIver, and Whitney still was stuck between first and second, so a throw on to Nyquist resulted in another rundown and another tagged baserunner to take us to extra innings.

In the tenth, Cam Richman (1-0), who saved Tuesday’s contest, struck out the first two he faced, and then walked Hanson, but he was later caught trying to steal second.

A catchers interference  call started off the bottom of the tenth for Walla Walla, to get Juan Gamez aboard. A sacrifice bunt by Chris McCready worked Gamez into scoring position, and a follow up single through the middle of the infield by Clayton Ayers, scored Gamez from second on a very close play at the plate, in which Helmstadter might’ve been able to block Ayers’  hand from reaching the dish. Regardless, Ayers was called safe, and the Sweets walked it off, 4-3.

The AppleSox return home Friday night to face the Corvallis Knights. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. from Paul Thomas Sr. Field.

WP: Cam Richman (1-0)

LP: Colton Loomis (0-1)