The Wenatchee AppleSox stumbled in their series-opener against the Portland Pickles, 17-3, on Tuesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

In a game moved to 7:35 p.m. after a record-breaking heat wave continued to grip the Pacific Northwest, it was Portland that got hot at the plate. Temperatures hit 111 degrees at first pitch and the Pickles, who came in with the league’s worst batting average, struck while the iron was hot by plating seven runs in the second inning and five more in the fifth inning.

John Newman Jr. cleared the left-center field wall for a 404-foot solo home run to lead off the bottom of the second inning for his first home run of the season. Skylar Hales tossed three scoreless innings of relief in his first appearance at home.

Though Newman hit the first home run of the night, it wouldn’t be the games’ last. Pickles’ shortstop Jacob Jablonski cracked a grand slam in the fifth and Matt Jew followed with a two-out solo shot in the sixth.

The Sox got a sacrifice fly from Dakota Duffalo in the bottom of the seventh to plate Newman for his first two-run game. Then, one frame later, Zach Toglia drove in Michael O’Hara after O’Hara hit a double to begin the Sox’ eighth inning.

With the loss, Wenatchee drops to 8-11 with losses in seven-of-their-last-nine. Despite the funk, Wenatchee still sits just three-and-a-half games behind Yakima Valley for first place in the North Division. The AppleSox will be back for another 7:35 p.m. game against the Pickles on Wednesday night. Tickets are available at applesox.com/tickets.

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