Men Left On Base Cost AppleSox
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Jack Moffitt tossed a season-high six innings but the Wenatchee AppleSox fell to the Bellingham Bells, 4-2, in the North Division Championship Game on Saturday night at Joe Martin Field.
Wenatchee out-hit Bellingham, 10-4, but could not overcome stranding 10 men on the basepaths. The AppleSox tallied two runs after scoring 29 in a two-game sweep of the Kamloops NorthPaws in the North Division Semifinals.
The Bells broke a 2-2 tie with a two-out 2-RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning on a long fly ball that right field Steven Meier nearly made a fantastic running catch on.
Moffitt cruised through the first five innings before allowing a pair of unearned runs in the sixth. A ground ball to short with the bases loaded and one out looked like it would end the inning but second baseman Joichiro Oyama’s throw to first sailed high and into the Bellingham dugout to allow two runs to score.
Oyama scored Wenatchee’s first run with a one-out triple in the third and came home on a sacrifice fly by Xander Orejudos.
Wenatchee loaded up the bases with one out in the seventh but only scored once. Adam Fahsel put down a suicide-squeeze bunt single to score Meier. The AppleSox tried the same play again but CJ Horn’s bunt back to the mound led to a force out at home and Brandham Ponce flew out to center to end the AppleSox’ best chance of the night.
The AppleSox did have a chance to take the lead again in the eighth. Cole Cramer hit a one-out triple to center off the glove of centerfielder Touissant Bythewood, but he was stranded at third. Bythewood made the AppleSox pay with his 2-RBI double in the bottom of the inning.
The Bells face the Corvallis Knights on Monday night in the West Coast League Championship Game at 6:35 at Goss Stadium. Corvallis defeated the Ridgefield Raptors, 5-2, on Saturday night in the South Division Championship Game.
The AppleSox qualified for the postseason this summer for the 14th time in their 22nd season but could not make it to the West Coast League Championship Game. Wenatchee broke single-season records in walks, runs, stolen bases and RBI this summer while Joichiro Oyama broke single-season records for runs, stolen bases, walks and plate appearances while also tying for single-season records for triples and games played.
