AppleSox Host Struggling Elks This Weekend
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The Wenatchee AppleSox, winners of four-of-their-last-six, return to action Friday night after four days off when they host the Bend Elks for three games at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.
Wenatchee won two-of-three against the Walla Walla Sweets last week before taking two more from Bellingham last weekend. The AppleSox are buoyed by tremendous pitching, which has limited opponents to two-or-fewer runs in four-of-nine games so far. Their 3.62 ERA is fifth-best in the WCL, as of June 14. They also have compiled a 1.36 WHIP that is third-best in the league.
The AppleSox are 36-42 in WCL games against the Elks but are 19-18 vs Bend in home games. Non-league games included, the AppleSox have won 43 of 93 games against the Elks. The Elks enter play Tuesday night with a league-worst 6.49 ERA. They have only played six WCL games but are a league-worst 1-8 after losing four straight, including being swept by the Ridgefield Raptors this week.
Despite their offensive struggles, the AppleSox have gotten a great start to the season from Adam Grob. He is tied for sixth in the WCL in batting average and leads the AppleSox with a .367 average. He also leads the AppleSox in hits (11), RBI (8) SLG% (.633) and OPS (1.074).
Wenatchee's roster has increased since the AppleSox last took the field. Skylar Hales, John Newman Jr., Michael O'Hara, Justin Simpson, Zach Toglia, Collin Villegas and Jake Wyeth have all joined the AppleSox this week. Ben Leid's 10-Day Contract expired last weekend and Reid Rasmussen is having his shoulder reevaluated after exiting his start on July 12. His status moving forward is TBD while he is away from the team. Gauge Lockhart previously left the team after injuring his throwing arm after his June 5 start.
Tonight’s AppleSox is Gavin Gorrell. He made his second start of the season on June 9 against the Walla Walla Sweets and breezed through the first three innings before running into trouble in the fourth, when he gave up three runs before allowing four more an inning later. The incoming redshirt junior at Utah started the first game of the AppleSox’ West Coast League season on Friday against Portland. He allowed six runs (four earned) against the Pickles, although the AppleSox defense committed three errors in a four-run Portland fourth inning.
Gorrell’s collegiate career has taken lots of twists and turns as Utah will be his third different college. He began as freshman at Northern Colorado in 2018 where he recorded a 9.15 ERA and struck out 21 hitters in 19.2 innings over eight games. Gorrell transferred to Boise State and sat out the 2019 season, but his tenure with the Broncos was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and cancellation of the Boise State baseball program last year. He recorded a 6.55 ERA and struck out eight hitters in 11 innings over three games.
The brunt of Gorrell’s collegiate pitching has come in the summer. In 2019, he recorded a 4.23 ERA and struck out 32 in 38.1 innings over nine games for the AppleSox. Gorrell started the deciding Game 3 of the West Coast League North Division Series against the Victoria HarbourCats. He allowed five runs (four earned) in a gutsy 5.1 innings for a depleted AppleSox pitching staff. Gorrell struck out nine HarbourCats, a personal season-best but he picked up a no-decision in the loss.
Bend counters with George Eisenhardt. He started and tossed four innings for Bend in their only win this season, a 2-1 triumph over the Cowlitz Black Bears on June 10. The incoming freshman right-hander at Xavier allowed one run on three hits, walked one and struck out three to earn a no-decision.
Father's Day Weekend promises to be a special one at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. Tonight, the Apple Blossom Royalty will meet and greet with fans before the 6:35 first pitch.
Fans can purchase tickets for tonight’s game and any other June AppleSox home game by visiting applesox.com/tickets. Ticket information on July home games will be released in the following week.
If you cannot attend tonight’s game, then you can still listen live to the action on Sunny FM. Listeners can tune in at kcsyfm.com on their desktop computer or by tuning in at any of the following stations below.
Wenatchee: 93.9 FM
East Wenatchee/Rock Island: 98.1 FM
Lake Chelan Valley: 95.3 FM
Brewster/Pateros: 101.3 FM
Okanogan Valley: 101.9 FM
Omak/Tonasket/Oroville: 97.7 FM
Methow Valley: 106.3 FM
Pregame coverage begins at 6:10 p.m. with the Horan Estates Winery Pregame Show and the broadcast wraps up each night with the Denny’s Late Night Postgame Show. Tonight’s game will also have a live video with the radio feed. It can be seen on playsight.com and this evening's game will also be televised live on the NCWLIFE Channel.
