APPLESOX TRYING TO AVOID SWEEP IN LONGVIEW

Jimmy Dobrash is back on the mound for the Wenatchee AppleSox, Saturday, looking for his second win of 2016.

WENATCHEE APPLESOX at Cowlitz Black Bears
Story Field     |       7:05 p.m.
R- Jimmy Dobrash (1-2) vs. R- David Appleby (1-2)
GAME NOTES       |       APPLESOX STATS       |       LISTEN LIVE

The Wenatchee AppleSox (8-15, 2-7 North), fifth place in the North Division are trying to fend off a sweep on the road...the AppleSox will face the Cowlitz Black Bears (10-13, 7-5 South) for the continuation of a three-game series before returning home to Wenatchee for Fireworks Night, Sunday...Wenatchee is trying to put an end to a six-game losing streak...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (37-45) (.402), 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 0, BLACK BEARS 3
LONGVIEW –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (8-15), struggled to figure out the Cowlitz Black Bears (10-13) lefty, Damon Jones (3-2), in a 3-0 loss Friday night at Story Field in Longview, Wash...the left-hander from Washington State went the distance in his final start of the summer, holding the AppleSox to just three hits, and retiring the side in order in six separate innings...Ross Clevenger (1-1) was reached in the first inning for a run, on an RBI single for Yaeger Taylor...the Black Bears’ left fielder was thrown out of the contest arguing strikes later on in the eighth inning...two more runs were scored off of Clevenger in the fourth inning on an RBI single for Clevenger’s NNU teammate Tim Jones...Toby Johnson scored, after being hit by a pitch earlier in the inning...Michael Forgione drove in Cowlitz’s only other run later in the frame, to score Jones for the 3-0 final...Matt Young pitched three innings in relief for Wenatchee, giving up just two hits and a pair of steals to Forgione...Wenatchee tried to make things interesting in the ninth, getting the first two aboard off of Jones...Matt Fraizer and Shane Martinez each singled in the game, while Evan Douglas had the Sox only extra-base hit on a seventh-inning double...Wenatchee popped out with two on and no out in the ninth...Jones struck out the next two for his seventh and eighth strikeouts of the game, and the series win for the Black Bears. 

TONIGHT'S NOTES
NEVER BEFORE
The Cowlitz Black Bears have never swept the Wenatchee AppleSox...this is the teams’ ninth all-time series meeting. 

ROUGH GAME THREES
Wenatchee is struggling in the third-and-final games of series this season...the AppleSox are 1-6 in those games and have lost 4-straight. 

LAST NIGHT’S SHUTOUT
Last night’s complete game shutout marked the first time the AppleSox had been shut out since an 11-0 loss to the Yakima Valley Pippins June 5...it was the first complete game shutout against the AppleSox since July 18, 2015 in Kelowna...Curtis Taylor threw the full nine innings for the Falcons, surrendering just two hits.

BACK-TO-BACK NIGHTS
In back-to-back nights, the Wenatchee AppleSox have played their shortest and longest games...1:53 last night, and 3:30, Thursday night. 

WITHOUT A WALK
For the first time in 2016, the AppleSox did not give up a walk last night...in total, the AppleSox gave up just one free base, when Ross Clevenger hit a batter with a pitch in the fourth inning. 

BAD STREAKS
Last season, the AppleSox suffered no losing streaks greater than five games...this season, Wenatchee is currently on a six-game slide, and already had a seven-game losing streak earlier in the season...Wenatchee already owns two of the league’s four longest losing streaks, and the league’s longest losing streak at six games (previously Kitsap at 8 games, but the BlueJackets won last night). 

TROUBLE STACKING UP
Opponents have out-hit the AppleSox in 15-of-23 games this season...Wenatchee is 2-13 in the 15 games with fewer hits, and 6-2 in the eight games in which they total more hits than their opponents.