AppleSox Host Bells In North Division Championship Game
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NORTH DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
SINGLE ELIMINATION
First Pitch: 6:35 p.m.
Park: Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium
Tickets: applesox.com/schedule
Watch: wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv or ncwlife.com
Listen: kcsyfm.com
GAME NOTES
Wenatchee Probable Pitcher: Evan Canfield makes his second appearance of the postseason and first start tonight… He allowed two runs while storming out five in 2.2 innings out of the bullpen last Saturday in Game 1 of the North Division Series… The 2024 WCL All-Star went 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA, 34 strikeouts, 12 walks and 23 hits over 30 innings in eight games (five starts)… Canfield previously faced the Bells on June 28 at Joe Martin Field, striking out five over six scoreless frames… The Bothell native is in his third summer with the AppleSox and is third in team history in strikeouts…
Bellingham Probable Pitcher: Sax Matson will appear in his first postseason game and his 15th of the summer for the Bells tonight… He has faced the AppleSox in relief four times this season, allowing a combined three runs on five hits, four walks and five strikeouts over 5.2 innings… Matson’s only start was his last outing when he fired four shutout innings vs. Victoria Aug. 3… The southpaw from Southern California went 2-5 with a 6.96 ERA, 26 strikeouts, 19 walks and 20 hits over 20.2 innings in the regular season…
Last Game: Cam Hoiland allowed one run over 5.1 innings on the mound and hit a go-ahead solo home run in the fifth inning to lead the AppleSox to a 7-2 victory over the Victoria HarbourCats in Game 3 of the North Division Series… Wenatchee moved on thanks to winning both games at home after dropping Game 1 in Nanaimo last Saturday…
Fireworks In The Fifth: The AppleSox combined to score nine runs in the fifth inning of Games 2 and 3 in the North Division Series against the HarbourCats… Wenatchee tallied four runs of insurance in Game 2 on Sunday and then took the lead with a five-spot in Game 2 on Monday… The AppleSox outscored teams 49-21 in the fifth inning in regular-season WCL games… That +28 run differential was their highest of any inning…
Hoiland’s Heroics: Hoiland enters tonight’s game looking to homer in three straight games after going deep in Games 2 and 3 of the North Division Series… His home run on Monday was the longest by an AppleSox hitter this summer, traveling 410 feet to center field… The last AppleSox player to homer in three straight games played was Easton Amundson, who went deep June 17, 18 and 21 last summer… Hoiland is the only AppleSox player (regular season and postseason) to homer and earn the win in the same game since WCL game-by-game stats began being stored online in 2010…
Head-To-Head Playoff History: The AppleSox and the Bells meet in a postseason series/division championship game for the fifth time… This is the second time in three seasons that they meet in the North Division Championship Game after Bellingham won, 4-2, on Aug. 13, 2022… The AppleSox forfeited a matchup in the Pacific International League tournament at Joe Martin Field July 26, 2002 for using a player not listed on their roster… Wenatchee won the inaugural WCL Championship Series by sweeping the Bells in two games in 2005 and then won the 2012 East Division Series in three games… The AppleSox are 3-0 in postseason games against the Bells played at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium…
Pitcher Of The Week: Quincy Vassar’s complete-game effort in Game 2 of the North Division Series Sunday night vs. Victoria earned him the latest WCL Pitcher of the Week honor… He tossed 118 pitches and only allowed one run while striking out eight HarbourCats… The 2024 WCL All-Star went 4-3 with a 2.91 ERA, 38 strikeouts, 14 walks and 47 hits over 49.1 innings in 10 games (nine starts)… Vassar is in his third season with the AppleSox and is the franchise leader in regular season innings (131.2) and strikeouts (125)… He has only allowed three runs over his last 27 innings on the bump… Vassar is the third AppleSox player to earn a WCL weekly honor this summer, joining Max Hartman (May. 31-June 2) and Evan Canfield (June 10-16)…
Back In The Playoffs: This is the third consecutive season that the AppleSox have qualified for the WCL Postseason and the fourth time in the last five seasons… Wenatchee has made the playoffs in 16-of-its-24 seasons and is looking to win its seventh league championship this summer… The AppleSox won the Pacific International League crown in 2003 before winning the WCL title in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2012… Head coach Mitch Darlington has qualified for the playoffs in all three seasons at the helm and his 99 regular-season victories are second-most in franchise history…
First Half and Second Half Champs: The AppleSox earned the top record in the North Division overall, in the first half and in the second half… The AppleSox went 17-10 in the second half and won the first half with an 18-9 mark… The AppleSox and the Riverhawks both finished with 18-9 records in the first half but Wenatchee (+37) held a better run differential (+35)… Wenatchee’s 35-19 overall record was third-best in the WCL behind Corvallis (41-13) and Portland (40-14)… Wenatchee ensured that it will host the North Division Championship Game on Aug. 14 if it advances that far…
30 Wins: For the second straight season and for the sixth time in franchise history the AppleSox have earned at least 30 wins in a season... It’s the first time that Wenatchee has hit 30 victories in back-to-back summers since 2011-12...
