APPLESOX GUN FOR SWEEP OF BELLS

The AppleSox are trying for their first sweep of 2016, Monday, with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch at Bellingham. 

WENATCHEE APPLESOX at Bellingham Bells
Joe Martin Field |       7:05 p.m.  
R- Luke Mattson (1-6) vs. R- Jon Olsen (3-2)
GAME NOTES       |       APPLESOX STATS       |       LISTEN LIVE

The Wenatchee AppleSox (16-28, 6-11, 6-8 North), fifth place in the North Division are visiting the Bellingham Bells (22-19, 7-7, 7-7) after beating the North second-half leaders to win a series yesterday...the series win was the first of the WCL Second Half for the AppleSox, and moved them three games off of the North Division lead...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (44-59) (.427), who is in his 4th season with the Sox...Proszek is assisted by Kyle Hunt and Colton Loomis, both in their first seasons.

YESTERDAY - APPLESOX 4, BELLINGHAM 1
BELLINGHAM –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (16-28, 6-11 Second Half), picked up their first series win of the WCL second half in a 4-1 final over the Bellingham Bells (22-19, 7-7), Sunday afternoon at Joe Martin Field...Michael Toglia led off the second inning with a double to right field...following a Matt Reitano walk, and a wild pitch, Taylor Borchers hit a groundout to shortstop that score the AppleSox first run...in the next at bat, Dalton Harum parked a two-run home run over the left field fence into the lot beyond the wall...the score held until the sixth inning, when Matt Young (3-0) left after throwing five shutout innings and striking out five batters...with Ross Clevenger on the mound, Bellingham came back off of a leadoff strikeout to load the bases on consecutive singles...a wild pitch scored one run, but Clevenger got out of further trouble with a groundout and flyout to end the inning...in the eighth, Bellingham threatened again, with runners at the corners and one out, following a 1-2-3 inning for Clevenger...in the ninth, Wenatchee scored off of Sam Hellinger who hadn’t given up an earned run in 2016 on 20.0 innings pitched, following an inning-opening out...it was Toglia’s fourth hit of the night that added an insurance run for Wenatchee...a single through the right side scored Jordan Rathbone, who singled earlier in the inning and stole second...Eli Thornquist pitched the bottom of the ninth, and after an easy first two outs, ran into a bit of trouble, loading the bases on a single and back-to-back walks...he got the game’s final batter to ground out to end the game and secure the series win. 

TONIGHT'S NOTES
SEEKING A SWEEP
Tonight’s potential sweep could be a pivotal hurdle for the AppleSox to clear in 2016...Wenatchee does not yet have a sweep this season, with their last coming July 3-5, 2015 at home against the Klamath Falls Gems...Wenatchee hasn’t swept a team on the road since August 5-7, 2014 at Kelowna...that was also the last time the AppleSox swept a divisional opponent on the road...the last time the AppleSox swept Bellingham was July 22-24, 2010...with the series also played in Bellingham. 

HARUMS FIRST HIT, HOME RUN
Yesterday in Dalton Harum’s second game in a Sox uniform he got his first hit, a 2-run shot over the left field fence...Harum becomes at least the third player to have their first AppleSox hit leave the yard...we can confirm that Colin Hill, in his second at bat, in the very first Wenatchee game on 6/2/2000, hit a two-run homer to beat Bellingham at Joe Martin Field 2-1...Greg Brooks also acoomplished the feat, hitting a solo blast in his fourth at bat on 6/1/2001 in a 6-3 league victory over the Coquitlam Athletics here in Wenatchee...there is a possibility of one more on 5/30/2003...Bobby Carlson hit a homer in his first game, but we cannot be 100 percent sure if it was his first hit...he did not have a hit going into the game,but the game score sheet is missing, so we do not know if he had a hit earlier in the game before the homer...regardless, Harum is at the least the third player to accomplish it and definitely the first since at least 2003...over 13 years ago...the homer was also the 300th in the AppleSox all-time franchise history. 

SETTLING IN
Wenatchee’s Monday-night starter Luke Mattson is working on 6.1-consecutive scoreless innings dating to July 13 at home...he is tied for second behind Matt Young who has thrown 8.2-consecutive.

ROAD STREAK
With the victory last night, Wenatchee has won three-consecutive road games..the AppleSox had won back-to-back on the road two other times this season, and now have their sights set on a first series sweep of the summer.
 

POWERED BY PANTHERS
Grady Miller, who pitched another tremendous game Saturday, and Dalton Harum who hit a key home run yesterday, are both 2016 graduates of Wenatchee High School...the duo played on a team that finished third in the state...a 24-1 record, with their only loss to the Syline Spartans...the eventual state champions. 

BEATING THE BEST
Wenatchee beat a WCL-North leading team for the second time in 2016 yesterday with consecutive wins over Bellingham..Wenatchee is now 2-3 against leaders of the North and 2-8 against leaders of the South...4-11 overall.

IT’S BEEN AWHILE
The AppleSox won their first divisional road series yesterday since July 28-30, 2015 at Kelowna (2-1)...359 days ago.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED
The first AppleSox game was played in Bellingham at Joe Martin Field...June 2, 2000...a 2-1 AppleSox win.