WENATCHEE, Wash. - Thanks to a seven-run third inning, the Wenatchee AppleSox (23-26, 12-11 second half) defeated the Victoria HarbourCats on Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

The AppleSox hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the third to plate six of the seven runs in the inning and moved to 2.5 games out of a playoff spot with the victory. Connor McCord, Jacob Prater and Dawson Day all consecutively homered in a span of six pitches.

Hunter Boyd won his team-high fifth game of the season by only allowing one unearned run over five innings and Grady Miller tossed four scoreless innings afterwards to pick up his second save of the season.

With the game scoreless entering the third inning, the AppleSox busted out by sending 12 men to the plate. Remarkably, the Sox drew more walks in the inning than they collected base hits.

Nick Seamons, Michael Spellacy and Mason Marenco all drew walks to load the bases with one out. McCord, after just barely missing a grand slam with a long fly ball down the right-field line, plated all three runners with a homer over the fence in right-center. McCord’s blast, his team-high sixth of the season, proved to be the difference in the game.

Prater followed up with an opposite field home run that carried over the wall in right field for his third home run of the season.

After Prater waited three pitches before connecting on the first back-to-back shots of the season for the AppleSox, Day would not wait as long. He slugged a no-doubter on the first pitch of his at-bat to make it 6-0, AppleSox.

The inning wouldn’t end there. Jordan Rathbone singled to left and Seamons reached on a fielder’s choice. After Seamons stole second base, an errant throw allowed him to advance to third and Rathbone to score the final run of the inning.

The HarbourCats would score two in the fourth and another in the fifth, but were held scoreless after that.

The Sox hope to continue climbing the standings and pick up a fifth consecutive series victory when they face the HarbourCats again on Saturday night at 7:05.

Full boxscore: http://westcoast.wttbaseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=445050