Bells Beat AppleSox In Eleven Innings

The Bellingham Bells opened up the weekend with a walkoff 1-0 win in 11 innings over the Wenatchee AppleSox on Friday night at Joe Martin Field.

Four straight Bellingham hitters reached to open the bottom of the 11th as Logan Degroot hit an opposite-field single to drive in the only run.

Max Hartman recorded three hits for each base safely three times in a game for the ninth time this summer. He reached on a drag bunt single to lead off the 11th but was stranded at third base. Hartman recorded his ninth multi-hit game and third three-hit game. He is batting .434 over his last five games with four multi-hit games in that span.

Stephen Hammergren (2-1) only surrendered one hit in four innings of relief but that hit became the only run to score. He got out of a two-out bases-loaded jam in the 10th but departed after allowing the leadoff man to reach in the 11th.

Evan Canfield tossed at least five innings for the fourth time in as many starts this summer. He struck out five and has an even 100 punchouts in his AppleSox career, good for third-most in franchise history. His 31 strikeouts this summer are already two away from passing his total with Wenatchee in 2022 and five back of last year’s figure.

He sits one strikeout back of Saturday night’s starter, Quincy Vassar. He gets the ball hoping to get the AppleSox back even this weekend. Wenatchee is a game ahead of Bellingham and a game-and-a-half back of idle Edmonton, who hosts Port Angeles Saturday night. An AppleSox’ win and a Riverhawks’ loss would clinch the North Division first half title for Wenatchee. If the AppleSox lose Saturday, then they must win on Sunday afternoon to earn the first half title.