SOX WALK OFF AGAIN, TAKE SERIES FROM BLACK BEARS

WENATCHEE, Wash. - For the second straight night, the Wenatchee AppleSox (18-24, 7-9 second half) picked up a walk-off victory over the Cowlitz Black Bears, this time with a series-clinching 6-5 triumph on Thursday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.  

With the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning of a 5-5 ballgame, Jacob Prater, first-pitch swinging, singled to left field to drive in the game-winning run.

The AppleSox never lead until driving in the game-winning run and rallied to tie the game back up four different times. They have now won back-to-back series for the first time this season and have also won four of their last five games.

Prater went 2-for-5 at the plate and drove in three runs. Johnny Sage reached base four times, finishing 2-for-3 with a couple walks. Isaac Barrera went 3-for-5 and score three times, including the game-winning run in the ninth.

On the mound, Nick Seamons tossed the final 3.1 innings in relief and picked up the victory, striking out four.

Things got off to an ominous start when a leadoff solo homer on the fifth pitch of the game made it 1-0, Black Bears in the first. However, the Sox rallied in the bottom half of the inning. They loaded up the bases and though Connor McCord hit into a double play, he drove in the tying run.

After a scoreless second inning, the two teams traded runs again in the third inning. A walk, a stolen base and then an RBI single made it 2-1, Cowlitz, in the top of the inning before McCord drove in Sage, who doubled with two outs, with an RBI single to right field.

Things picked up significantly in the fourth and fifth innings. Another solo homer and an RBI double in the top of the fourth gave the Black Bears a 4-2 lead.

The Sox did not answer in the fourth but scored two in the fifth. Barrera and Joey Magro hit back-to-back single and Sage walked to load the bases. Prater singled up the middle to plate the first two runners for his first of two base-hits in the game with the bases-loaded.

In the seventh, the Black Bears took their final lead of the game, but the AppleSox once again tied it up. Magro reached on an error and Sage singled to put runners at the corners with one out. A wild pitch during McCord’s at-bat scored Magro and made it 5-5.

The Sox now head to Bend for three straight with the Elks starting on Friday night at 6:35 p.m.

Full boxscore: http://pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=445046