Quality Pitching, Another Amundson Blast Give AppleSox Series Win

The Wenatchee AppleSox won their rubber match against the Kelowna Falcons with an 8-0 win on Sunday afternoon at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Hunter Gibson (1-0) tossed six shutout innings in the first game of his second season with the AppleSox. Gibson struck out six hitters, which matched his season-high in 10 appearances with the AppleSox from 2022. He only gave up three hits while issuing one walk. Gibson’s effort marked the second straight day that an AppleSox starter did not allow any runs after Ryan Martinez went seven scoreless on Saturday.

Braiden Boyd didn’t allow any runs over the final three innings to earn his first save and help Wenatchee (11-4) to earn its first shutout victory of the season. The lefty from Chelan struck out two and the only baserunners to reach against him did so via walks.

Easton Amundson hit his West Coast League-leading fifth home run in a six-run eighth inning. His three-run blast extended his hitting streak to 12 games and traveled 348 feet with an exit velocity of 97-miles per hour. Amundson moves into a tie for the 17th-most home runs in a single AppleSox season and is five away from tying the franchise record. His hitting streak is the second longest in the WCL after Port Angeles infielder Roberto Nunez’s 14-game streak.

Brandham Ponce extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a double in the third. He has matched his 2022 output for doubles in eight fewer games.

Marcus Harrison picked up right where he left off on Saturday and singled in a run in the first inning to put the AppleSox up, 1-0. He batted .571 (4-for-7) with 3 RBI, three walks and two hit-by-pitches in the three-game series against the Falcons.

Wenatchee collected hits in each of the first three innings but did not get another until the eighth. Sebastian David drew the fourth of four consecutive walks to score a run in the sixth inning and the drove in a run with a single to open the floodgates in the eighth. Marty Kaplan followed with a single up the middle of his own and Carson Ohland hit a sacrifice fly before Amdunson’s three-run home run.

The AppleSox have won four-of-their-first-five series and are a half-a-game back of the Bellingham Bells for first place in the North Division. Wenatchee hosts the Redmond Dudes on Monday night at 6:35 in a non-league game at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at applesox.com/2023-schedule.