AppleSox Sweep Bend To Cap Road Trip

The Wenatchee AppleSox scored eight runs in the seventh inning and defeated the Bend Elks, 12-1, on Sunday night at Vince Genna Stadium.

Cam Hoiland struck out six and only allowed two hits over six innings on the mound in the longest start by an AppleSox pitcher through three games. After allowing a run in the first inning Hoiland (1-0) retired 13 consecutive hitters and faced the minimum from the second through fifth innings.

Garrett Gores homered in the fifth drove in two more runs with two RBI singles. Easton Amundson also recorded a two-hit game with a pair of doubles and a single. Wenatchee (3-0) hitters drew nine walks and were hit by four pitches with Travis Helm getting clipped three times.

The AppleSox earned their first-ever sweep of the Elks in the 23-year history of the two teams and open up the season 3-0 for the first time since 2009. This is the fifth time in franchise history that the AppleSox have won their first three league games of a season (2001, 2003, 2005).

Aiden Van Rensum got the AppleSox on the board first for the first time this season with a two-out RBI single to plate a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Wenatchee surrendered a run in the bottom of the first for the third time this season but retained a 2-1 lead after one inning.

Gores went deep on the first pitch that he saw off the fifth inning and Hoiland escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth before Wenatchee went to work in the seventh. Thirteen men came to the plate and eight scored on four hits and two errors. Ty Kennedy delivered the biggest hit of the inning with a bases-clearing double as the ninth hitter of the inning.

Joey Pearson tossed two scoreless innings, including escaping a one-out bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning. Keegan Adams fired a scoreless ninth to seal the sweep.

Wenatchee is off on Monday before playing its home opener on Tuesday night against the Springfield Drifters. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. and it’s the first $2 Off Tuesday of the season. Fans can purchase general admission tickets for as affordable as $5 and can save $2 off select food and drinks. Fans can also donate a canned food item at the gate and receive free admission thanks to the home opener sponsor, Townsquare Media.