SOX END HOMESTAND VS. BEND, THURSDAY
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The AppleSox are looking to end a six-game homestand on a positive note with a win, Thursday night.
WENATCHEE APPLESOX vs. Bend Elks
Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium | 7:05 p.m.
L- Justin Blatner (2-1) vs. H- TBA
GAME NOTES | APPLESOX STATS | LISTEN LIVE
The Wenatchee AppleSox (11-24, 1-7, 4-8 North), fifth place in the North Division are at home finishing a six-game homestand against the Bend Elks (16-19, 5-3, 7-8 South)...the AppleSox beat the Elks 2-1 in a series early this year...Wenatchee came up with its second-lowest hit total of the season last night (3)...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (40-54) (.426), who is in his 4th season with the Sox...Proszek is assisted by Kyle Hunt and Colton Loomis, both in their first seasons.
LAST NIGHT - APPLESOX 2, BEND 4
WENATCHEE – A two-run blast wasn’t enough to power the Wenatchee AppleSox (11-24, 1-7 Second Half), past the Bend Elks (15-20, 5-3), in a 4-2 loss at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium, Wednesday...the AppleSox were held hitless through the first three innings of Wednesday’s contest...meanwhile, Bend built a lead in the first on a run scoring via error and an RBI single for Patrick Flynn...Luke Mattson (1-6) settled down after the first three batters of the night reached base...he retired nine straight...Bend again reached him for two runs in the fourth inning on four hits, including RBI singles for Jared Gonzales and Derek Chapman...Wenatchee answered with its only runs of the night in the bottom half of the inning...following a Ryan Kreidler walk, Toglia delivered the team’s first hit of the game on a deep home run to right field...the two-run shot tied him with Victoria’s Ben Polshuk with the most in the WCL to date...it was the Sox’ ninth home run at home this year, of a WCL third-best 12 total dingers...Wenatchee went quiet the rest of the night, collecting just two more hits off of Kris Jackson (3-2), Bend’s starter...Jackson made it through seven innings, and Wenatchee’s lone other offensive chance came on an Alex Gonzales robbed home run in the eight inning by Flynn...the would-be blast come off of Gerhett Moser, but Flynn brought it back from over the right field fence...Nick Hoefling threw a stellar three innings of scoreless relief for Wenatchee starting in the sixth inning, and the bullpen kept Bend from scoring, but it was too little, too late, for the AppleSox offense.
TONIGHT'S NOTES
TOGLIA ON FIRE
With home runs in each of his last two games, Michael Toglia is now tied for the WCL lead in homers with Ben Polshuk of the Vitroria HarbourCats...each player has hit five homers this year...all of Toglia’s 2016 home runs have been hit at home.
TEAM HOMERS
Wenatchee has done a phenomenal job of hitting home runs this season...with 12, the AppleSox rank third in the West Coast League behind Victoria (20) and Bend (14)...the AppleSox have hit 9-of-12 homers this year out of the confines of Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium...team record for home runs is 25, hit by a 2012 squad that won the WCL Championship.
CAREER HOME RUNS
When Evan Douglas poked a shot over the right field fence in the third inning two nights ago, he moved up a spot on the career home run list (league and nonleague)...he now has eight homers (seven last season) and is tied for third...the leader is Taylor Sparks who hit 10 in 2012.
ANEMIC AS A WHOLE
Last night, outside of Toglia’s home run, the AppleSox only grabbed two other hits...that mark is the second-fewest of the year for Wenatchee...the AppleSox worst offensive performance was a 2-hit night at Bend June 23, when the AppleSox were trying for a sweep.
AVOIDING A SWEEP
The last time the AppleSox were swept at home was June 27-29 against the Victoria HarbourCats...Wenatchee also was swept at home by Yakima Valley to start the season...the AppleSox have been swept five times this season, and never dished out a sweep.
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
The AppleSox have lost 24 games this season, and 16 of those games were decided by two runs or fewer...Wenatchee holds a 3-13 records in those games.
TURNING THURSDAY
This has not been a favorable day of the week for the AppleSox in 2016...totaling a 1-6 record, the Sox are playing their worst baseball record-wise on Thursdays.
A TREND
Bend and Wenatchee have met in five games this season, and the Elks hold a 3-2 lead in the series...in all three wins for Bend, they have jumped out to a first-inning lead (1-0, June 23 - 6-0, July 12 - 2-0, July 13)...the AppleSox held one first-inning lead over the Elks this season (1-0, June 22).
GIVING INNINGS
Justin Blatner averages the second-longest outings of the season for Wenatchee, (Grady Miller, 6.0 innings-per-game)...Blatner averages 5.73 innings pitched per start.
