AppleSox Fly To Alberta To Face Riverhawks

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The Wenatchee AppleSox are back on the road tonight as they open up a three-game series against the Edmonton Riverhawks at 6:05 PST at RE/MAX Field.

The AppleSox are coming off a 1-0 victory over Port Angeles in the rubber match of the three-game set last night. Wenatchee scored its only run in the fourth inning on an Austin Ohland sacrifice fly. Toby Haarer (6.1 innings) and Jack Moffitt (2.2 innings) combined to record the AppleSox second shutout victory of the season.

Haarer’s effort last night was just the latest impressive performance from an AppleSox starting pitcher. Since June 17 they have a 2.03 ERA and have not allowed more than three runs per game in any of those eight games. Wenatchee starters have only surrendered 10 runs over the last 44.1 innings. Both of the team’s shutouts have come in that span and the team is 7-1 in this stretch.

Despite the series victory the AppleSox bats have gone cold. After scoring at least five runs in seven of the previous eight games from June 14-22 the AppleSox have combined to score five runs in the last three games. The one run scored last night matched a season low for the team, set two nights prior. The AppleSox batted .186 (16-for-86) in the series against Port Angeles and .147 (5-for-34) with runners on base, including 1-for-10 last night.

The AppleSox enter tonight’s action a game behind the Bellingham Bells for first place in the North Division. Bellingham is fresh off taking two-of-three at Edmonton and now visits the Victoria HarbourCats, who are only 2.5 games out of first place. The first half ends on Thursday and if the AppleSox tie with Bellingham or Victoria then the first tiebreaker is head-to-head record. This would not determine a Wenatchee-Bellingham tie since the two have not played each other yet, so the next tiebreaker that is applicable is the third one, which is run differential against all WCL opponents. The Bells (+53) hold a slight advantage over the AppleSox (+49) heading into the final day of June. Full playoff procedures can be viewed at westcoastleague.com/playoff-procedures.

Wenatchee sends Ryan Martinez to the mound for the series opener for his fourth start of the summer. The righty at Pacific made each of his first three starts of the season on Saturdays and did appear in last Saturday’s non-league game against the Northwest Star Academy, albeit in relief. He retired all six hitters that he faced in the fifth and sixth innings and struck out three. Martinez is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA, 10 strikeouts, 3 walks and 13 hits over 18 innings in WCL action.

Halen Knoll starts for the Riverhawks in his sixth start of the season. The right-hander from the University of Mary is 3-2 with a 1.32 ERA, 29 strikeouts, eight walks and 30 hits allowed over 34 innings. Knoll made his first relief appearance on Wednesday when he pitched a scoreless eighth inning in the Edmonton’s eventual 5-4 win over Bellingham. Knoll had tossed 87 pitches over six innings on Sunday at Nanaimo but only needed 11 pitches against the four Bells batters that he faced Wednesday and earned the win.

Fans can tune in to the action tonight and all season long on KCSY Sunny FM. Pregame coverage presented by Kenady Real Estate Group begins at 6:10 p.m. You can listen online worldwide at kcsyfm.com, the TuneIn radio app or on one of the following translators.

  • 93.9 FM in Wenatchee

  • 95.3 FM in the Lake Chelan Valley

  • 97.7 FMin Omak, Riverside, Tonasket and Oroville

  • 98.1 FM in East Wenatchee, Rock Island and Quincy

  • 101.3 FM in Brewster and Pateros

  • 106.3 FM in the Methow Valley

All West Coast League games can also be watched on wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv.