SWEETS EVEN SERIES BEHIND LUCAS’ CAREER NIGHT

The AppleSox had trouble turning on the bats against Sweets' starter Easton Lucas, Wednesday night. 

BOX SCORE

WALLA WALLA –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (18-32, 8-15 second half), were stifled at the plate as the Walla Walla Sweets (27-23, 12-11), won 6-1, Wednesday at Borleske Stadium to even the series 1-1. 

Early on, the AppleSox had trouble figuring out Easton Lucas (7-2). The Pepperdine arm threw five shutout innings, and struck out seven of the first ten batters to face him, en route to a career-high nine strikeout night. 

The AppleSox picked up six innings from Grady Miller (3-4), who allowed four runs to score; the highest total since his first start in June against Yakima Valley. 

Walla Walla opened the scoring in the second inning on a one-out double for Nick Vigo. In the fifth, another three runs came off of Miller, as Vigo hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score a man with the bases loaded, and Willie MacIver supplied a 2-RBI double. 

In the seventh, Wenatchee answered Walla Walla with a run of its own, in an inning that could’ve yielded much more damage to the Sweets. With the bases loaded, and nobody out, Ryan Johnston forced a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Matt Fraizer, and while it allowed a run to score, it successfully limited the damage for the Sweets. 

Walla Walla got its final two runs off of Nick Hoefling in relief, ending his league consecutive scoreless innings streak at 10 innings. 

MacIver slammed a second double for another RBI, and Coby Kauhaahaa delivered a clutch RBI single for the the 6-1 final. 

Kyle Narahara, second in the WCL North in saves, with 10, got the final three outs in a non-save situation for the Sweets.

Game three and the rubber match of the three-game set is Thursday night at 7:05 p.m., and Ross Clevenger (1-3) will pitch for the AppleSox.