Final Regular Season Home Series and Playoff Outlook

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AppleSox Welcome WCL East Division Champs to Wenatchee for Final Regular Season Home Series

The AppleSox have three regular season games left on the schedule. The Yakima Valley Pippins will travel to Wenatchee for the third series meeting between the two clubs.

With weather looking to be excellent this weekend, and the AppleSox trying to make a run at the final spot in the playoffs, this is sure to be an exciting series!

First pitch for Friday and Saturday's games are set for 7:05 p.m. Sunday's game has an expected first pitch of 6:05 p.m.

Movie Night at the Ballpark Presented by Country Financial

You can join the AppleSox for an old-fashioned night of baseball and cinema. The AppleSox will take on the Yakima Valley Pippins, Friday.

Following the game, fans are invited to stick around and grab a seat on the field for the showing of a family-friendly classic (we don't want to spoil the surprise!).

First pitch is at 7:05 p.m., with the movie following shortly after the final out.

Wenatchee Valley Mall Night

Do you love the Wenatchee Valley Mall as much as the AppleSox do? Boy do we have great news for you!

Wenatchee Valley Mall is sponsoring the AppleSox final Saturday night contest of the season!

There are certain to be great giveaway items as the AppleSox take on the Yakima Valley Pippins! We can't wait to see you at the ballpark!

Community Appreciation Day

On Sunday, the AppleSox salute the Wenatchee Valley in their final regular season home game in 2014.

The Wenatchee Business Journal is a proud sponsor of the night and they've teamed up with United Way and its member agencies to celebrate a night of baseball in the Wenatchee Valley.

Also, there will be special recognition for our host families on-field prior to the final game as the AppleSox will wrap up their series with Yakima.

We have the best environment for baseball in the WCL and that is thanks to our fans, host families, and players. We can't wait to celebrate another nine innings of AppleSox Baseball with you, Sunday

Playoff Scenarios

Once again, the AppleSox are in a heated race down the stretch to try to make the playoffs.

Currently, all three divisions in the West Coast League have been won.

Bellingham will represent the West, Corvallis from the South, and Yakima Valley in the WCL East.

The AppleSox are locked in a playoff spot battle with the Bend Elks as both teams look to take the final Wild Card spot.

Wenatchee is a game back of Bend, but must fully overtake the Elks to earn the playoff spot.

 

With three games left, and Bend playing Klamath Falls, this means there are two scenarios that can earn the AppleSox the Wild Card spot:

  1. Wenatchee sweeps (wins all three) against Yakima and Bend loses two of three against Klamath Falls.

      2. Wenatchee wins two of three against Yakima and Bend loses all three to Klamath Falls.

If Wenatchee wins the Wild Card, they would advance to take on Bellingham in a Divisional series, with the first of the three games being played at Paul Thomas Sr. Field on August 12th. Corvallis and Yakima Valley would meet in the other Divisional series and Bellingham just needs one additional win in their final three games to secure home-field advantage.

Pitching Prevails in Extras

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KELOWNA, BC. – On Thursday night, pitching took center (or shall we say centre) stage at Elks Stadium in the Wenatchee AppleSox (33-23, 29-22) final Canadian outing. In ten innings, they eventually took down the Kelowna Falcons (15-36) 6-2, for the series sweep.

Wenatchee was led by their starter Calvin LeBrun, who saved his longest start of his summer for his last, going seven innings and only allowing three hits to Kelowna.

LeBrun was backed up by Hunter Wells, who offered up three innings of one-hit relief and was made to be the winner in extra innings.

LeBrun had seven strikeouts on Thursday which was also a single-game high for the southpaw on the season. He tallied one-two-three innings in the first, fourth, and sixth innings. He left the game in a 2-2 tie.

The AppleSox would get their first of a regulation two runs on a Ty Jackson RBI single in the first inning, scoring Evan Cassolato.

The second run for Wenatchee was earned in the third inning, as Tyler Frost got to third on a one-out triple and was sacrificed home by Cassolato. The triple was the AppleSox only extra base hit on the day.

Kelowna’s scoring came in the third and fifth innings. In the third, a double by Colton Waltner, a catcher turned second baseman on Thursday, was good for the Falcons’ first run. Waltner made several fantastic defensive plays in the field as well.

In the fifth, Kelowna played small ball as a leadoff walk allowed Anthony Gosline on base. A sacrifice by Tommy Lane got him to second and with one out he advanced to third on a wild pitch.

Ryo Shishido helped create a sacrifice suicide squeeze that scored Gosline to even the game at two. Despite the run, LeBrun allowed no hits in the inning. He held Kelowna hitless in the fourth through seventh innings.

Hunter Wells took over and offered up a one-two-three seventh, while Kelowna starter Josh Nuernberg was just finishing up his seven and a third innings.

Nuernberg only allowed the two Wenatchee runs on three hits.

The Falcons’ best chance to win the game came in the bottom of the ninth as they worked the bases loaded with one out. Unfortunately, a squeeze attempt  was bare-handed in front of the mound by Wells, who intelligently went home for the force at the plate and Michael McCann doubled up the batter at first.

That paved the way for extra innings, and for the second straight night Wenatchee would waste no time getting on the board in the tenth. Jackson hit an RBI single to center field for the 3-2 lead with two outs. The AppleSox would add three more in the inning.

Hunter Wells secured his own win in the bottom of the tenth as he plowed one-two-three through the Falcons to conclude the AppleSox road season in 2014.

For the second time in 2014, the AppleSox swept a divisional opponent on the road, a feat the team hadn’t previously accomplished since 2012.

The final series of the season starts tonight for Wenatchee. The WCL East Champion Yakima Valley Pippins come to town and the AppleSox have a chance to finalize their already winning-

season record against the Pippins. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

 

WEN   1 0 1  0 0 0   0 0 0   4    6 10 0  

KEL    0 0 1  0 1 0   0 0 0   0    2  4  2

 

WP – Hunter Wells

LP – Michael Gould

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Improbable Comeback Keeps AppleSox in Wild Card Race

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KELOWNA, BC. – The Wenatchee AppleSox (32-23, 28-22) outscored the Kelowna Falcons (15-35) 14-1 in the final seven innings of Wednesday’s game, en route to a 15-8 win in 10 innings at Elks Stadium in  Kelowna, B.C.

Kelowna scored first in the bottom of the first inning, as Ryo Shishido came around to score on a FC play on the infield, in which the AppleSox couldn’t quite turn a double play.

Wenatchee answered with a run in the top of the second as Nick Brooks doubled to right center field to score AJ Alcantara from first base.

Brooks would have three hits in the game. All three were doubles.

A six run bottom of the third inning for Kelowna chased AppleSox starter, Ian Buckles from the ball game. Buckles gave up seven earned runs on Wednesday; his highest mark on  the season. He was also struck in the left knee by a line drive in the second at bat of the game.

Nathan Hadley entered in relief for Wenatchee and surrendered one more run in the bottom of the sixth.

Wenatchee got a good margin of runs back in the fourth inning as Kyle Vanderkin gapped a bases loaded double to clear the bases and complete a four-run frame for the AppleSox.

The AppleSox added one more in the fifth and another in the eighth and ninth innings. In the ninth, Wenatchee pulled off a successful suicide squeeze play to tie the game. While the pitcher threw on to first base, Alcantara tried to sneak home for the AppleSox, but was gunned down at the plate by Kelowna’s first baseman.

Shaun Vetrovec offered up four innings out of the AppleSox bullpen and retired the side one-two-three in three of those four innings. He didn’t give up a hit and he tallied seven of the game’s ten total strikeouts. He walked just one batter.

In the tenth, Wenatchee was able to secure a win for Vetrovec as a two run single for Vanderkin gave the AppleSox a 10-8 lead. Wenatchee would pile on five more after the single and send 11 batters to the plate in the mammoth inning.

Vetrovec retired the side one-two-three in the bottom of the tenth to secure the AppleSox win.

Yakima Valley won on Wednesday, guaranteeing them the WCL East title. Wenatchee now must play for the wild card spot. If the AppleSox win out this season, Bend must lose two of their final four games for Wenatchee to make the playoffs.

A chance for the AppleSox to sweep comes tonight as Calvin LeBrun takes the mound for the AppleSox at 6:35 p.m. from Elks Stadium.

 

WEN   0 1 0  4 1 0   0 1 1   7   15 15  0  

KEL    1 0 6  0 0 1   0 0 0   0    8  15  3

 

WP – Shaun Vetrovec

LP – Brett Solano

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Falcons Fall in Sox 4th Shutout

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KELOWNA, BC. – The Wenatchee AppleSox (31-23, 27-22) posted their fourth shutout of 2014, Tuesday, in an 11-0 win over the Kelowna Falcons (15-34). With it, they are now two games back from overtaking Bend for the Wild Card playoff spot.

For the first four innings, Tuesday, Jeremy Newton and Brandon Bailey went toe-to-toe. It was hard to believe that after a scoreless first four innings, either team would score in double digits, but Wenatchee would change that; busting the game wide open in the middle third.

A Kyle Vanderkin walk and a Cole Kreuter single set up a Cooper Elliott sacrifice bunt that resulted in an infield single.

With the bases loaded and nobody out, Tyler Frost singled home a run. Evan Cassolato followed with an RBI walk, then Sam Brown singled, and Ty Jackson and Michael McCann offered up sacrifice fly outs to complete a six run fifth inning.

Brandon Bailey only allowed three hits through his first four innings. Over that time he also struck out three batters and didn’t walk any. His reliever, Colton Loomis, started his appearance off with a walk in the fifth, but would soon turn to gold.

Loomis retired the next three and had two more one-two-three innings left in him in the eighth and ninth frames. He allowed two hits in total and gave Wenatchee five strong innings out of the bullpen in the winning effort.

Newton was again hit hard by the AppleSox in the sixth, which set up Cooper Elliott for another sacrifice situation. Elliott went 3-4 for Wenatchee, Tuesday. It was his second consecutive three-hit game for the AppleSox.

Four runs in the sixth and one in the seventh capped an 11-0 lead for the AppleSox. Wenatchee tallied 17 hits on Tuesday, continuing to pile on to their WCL leading total.

The Bend Elks lost, placing Wenatchee an official one game back in the Wild Card (Wenatchee is technically two games back though, because they must overtake the Elks to claim the Wild Card spot [tie-breaker is owned by Bend]).

Yakima Valley won and can take the WCL East crown with a win, Wednesday in their series finale vs. Cowlitz.

The AppleSox will turn to Ian Buckles in game two of their series with Kelowna, which starts at 6:35 p.m., Wednesday.

 

WEN   0 0 0  0 6 4   1 0 0    11 17 1

KEL    0 0 0  0 0 0   0 0 0     0   5  2

 

WP – Colton Loomis

LP – Jeremy Newton

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Good at Game Three

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WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee AppleSox (30-23, 26-22) took down the Cowlitz Black Bears (22-26) for a ninth rubber match game three series win on Sunday. With the 9-4 win, the AppleSox are also now 7-0 on Sunday.

The AppleSox again saw Cowlitz score first, just as they did a night before. A walk and a stolen base, coupled with a throwing error from Michael McCann, allowed Kort Peterson to third base. A ground out by Taylor Bryant put Cowlitz on the board first.

The AppleSox scored in the bottom of the first as AJ Alcantara doubled with two outs to right center field and Ty Jackson singled him home for the tying run.

The AppleSox scored six of their nine runs with two outs on Sunday.

In the second the AppleSox added a run, as Sam Brown doubled home Nate Esposito. Esposito went 2-5 and scored two runs for Wenatchee.

The fifth inning was a game-changer for Wenatchee as they continued to back their starter, Tyler Frost. After the first inning run, Frost rebounded for two one-two-three innings and 41 pitches to get the AppleSox to the end of the fifth with a 6-1 lead.

The four runs in the fifth for the AppleSox came around in a messy inning. A leadoff double for Cole Kreuter started the frame. Sam Brown then singled and a Trenton Brooks fielders’ choice resulted in Brown being thrown out at second. This was achieved after Brooks hit a line drive off of Cowlitz starter Kohl Hostert.

After Hostert was hit, an error in right field resulted in a run. Then singles for McCann and Esposito along with a double from Elliott helped the AppleSox to four runs.

Elliott would go on to hit two doubles on Sunday and go 3-3.

Eight of the nine AppleSox starters recorded a hit Sunday. Elliott was the only starter with three.

Tyler Frost lasted five innings as the starter, on shortened rest, giving up one earned run on five hits. Hunter Wells and Clark McKitrick relieved him.

Wells gave up three runs to Cowlitz in the eighth, but Wenatchee would hang on as McKitrick stranded the bases loaded in the top of the eighth; ending the game with a strikeout.

 

COW   1 0 0  0 0 0   0 3 0    4  8  1

WEN   1 1 0  0 4 0   3 0 x    9 14 2

 

WP – Tyler Frost

LP – Kohl Hostert

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Lightning Strikes Twice

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WENATCHEE, Wash. – Lightning delayed Saturday night’s contest between the Wenatchee AppleSox (29-23, 25-22) and the Cowlitz Black Bears (22-25), and once the game got going, metaphorical lightning would strike again as the AppleSox couldn’t hold on in extra innings, losing 7-4.

After a 42 minute weather delay and a spectacular display of lightning, Saturday’s game was finally ready to start.

The AppleSox didn’t look so steady at the start, as a leadoff infield single and a throwing error for Kort Peterson, placed the Cowlitz runner at second base with no one out. He came around to score on a wild pitch.

Wenatchee was able to answer in the bottom half of the first as Ty Jackson singled home Tyler Frost for a 1-1 tie.

In the third, Cowlitz would break the tie as Daniel Orr hot a two-run home run off of Drew Rasmussen to right center field.

Cowlitz would hold their 3-1 lead until the bottom of the sixth inning, after JJ Franklin entered the game for Cowlitz starter Reza Aleaziz.

In that inning Jackson would double home Sam Brown to cut the defecit to 3-2. Jackson later came around to score from third on a wild pitch.

The second RBI capped Jackson’s, 3-5, 2 RBI night.

Nick Brooks would single home Kyle Vanderkin later in the inning for the 4-3, AppleSox lead.

In the eighth inning John Pomeroy was on the mound for the AppleSox. After a one-two-three seventh, Pomeroy ran into some trouble.

A two-out RBI single that just bounced over the head of Joe Gillette , was could to score Peterson to tie the game at four.

The score would hold there as Trenton Brooks looked to have brought his A-game to the park.

The AppleSox had a chance to force a double play in the top of the eleventh, but a throw from second to short got away from the AppleSox, and into left field, scoring the go-ahead run for Cowlitz.

Two more runs were added in the top of the eleventh and the AppleSox had no answer.

Wenatchee went down one-two-three in the bottom of  the eleventh and Joe Reta finalized his win.

 

 

COW   1 0 2  0 0 0   0 1 0   0 3    7  9  1

WEN   1 0 0  0 0 3   0 0 0   0 0    4  8  4

 

WP – Joe Reta

LP – Trenton Brooks

S –

Arizona Natives Help AppleSox To Win

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WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee AppleSox (29-22, 25-21) were led by Arizona natives Calvin LeBrun and Tyler Frost, as they worked for a 6-3 win over the Cowlitz Black Bears (21-25).

LeBrun started Friday’s contest off right. He tore one-two-three through the top of the Black Bears order.

Although Wenatchee gave up a run in the top of the second on a single to center, the AppleSox would soon answer.

In the bottom of the second, a sacrifice fly by Evan Cassolato helped tie the game at one. Cassolato took over at second base for the AppleSox on Friday night. He will likely see a good chunk of time on the infield in the closing moments of the 2014 season for the AppleSox.

The AppleSoc added a run in the third on Frosts’ second home run of the season. It was a solo shot, 395 feet to right center field.

Frost, a future Gonzaga teammate of LeBrun, has hit both of his home runs this season with LeBrun on the mound.

The AppleSox would go on to score runs in each of the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings, as Ty Jackson pitched in offensivel and Frost picked up two more RBI.

Calvin LeBrun gave up a second run in the sixth inning as Jonathon Serven picked up his second RBI on another single to center.

Nathan Hadley pitched the seventh and eighth innings for the AppleSox. He gave up one runn on three hits in the eighth after working the inning to two outs with back-to-back strikeouts.

Travis Cook was the closer for the AppleSox. He slammed the door in the ninth inning, allowing one hit, while striking out the last two he faced to secure the AppleSox game one victory.

 

COW   0 1 0  0 0 1   0 1 0    3 11 0

WEN   0 1 1  0 1 1   1 1 x    6  9  1

 

WP – Calvin LeBrun

LP – Conor Cuse

S – Travis Cook

AppleSox Take Series

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WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee AppleSox (28-22, 24-21) found a way to overcome Wednesday’s shutout loss, as they came back to take the series from the Victoria HarbourCats (20-25), with a 9-2 win.

Ian Buckles gave up a run in the top of the first inning and things looked troublesome for the AppleSox, however, they would answer with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first on RBI hits for Ty Jackson and Michael McCann.

The AppleSox would add four more runs in the bottom of the second inning.

With a 6-1 lead, Buckles was now in the driver’s seat.  After being the first WCL pitcher to three wins with zero losses, Buckles was trying to win his fourth game of the season, Thursday.

A couple one-two-three innings for Buckles helped him continue to stroll through the sixth inning untouched.

By the end of the sixth, the AppleSox had added three more runs and Trenton Brooks had a 3-3 night with two runs scored and 3 RBIs in three separate at bats.

Sam Brown also hit his fourth triple of 2014, good enough to tie with three other AppleSox for a team single season individual record.

In the seventh, Ian Buckles gave up one last run, on a solo home run for Jake Lesinski. It was Lesinski’s first home run in collegiate-affiliated baseball.

Buckles would recover to retire the next three he faced.

Clark McKitrick took over in the final two innings for the AppleSox. He went one-two-three through the HarbourCats in the eighth inning and only allowed a single to center in the ninth. McKitrick ended the appearance with a strikeout to solidify the fourth win on the season for Buckles.

The AppleSox continue their homestand on Friday with a 7:05 p.m. game against Cowlitz.

 

VIC     1 0 0  0 0 0   1 0 0    2  6  3

WEN   0 0 0  0 0 0   0 0 0    9 12 1

 

WP – Ian Buckles

LP – Alex Rogers

S –

HarbourCats Shut Down AppleSox

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WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee AppleSox (27-22, 23-21) were shutout for the first time this season, as the Victoria HarbourCats (20-24), led by strong pitching, defeated the AppleSox 5-0.

Alex Fagalde, the HarbourCats starter on Wednesday night lasted for eight innings and tallied 122 pitches en route to his second win of the season in as many starts.

Fagalde began the season in the bullpen for Victoria.

Through six innings, the AppleSox had tallied just two hits. Luckily, their starter, Brandon Bailey, offered up three innings of shutout baseball, while striking out seven and surrendering zero walks.

Bailey reached his maximum pitch allotment after three innings and Colton Loomis would follow by offering up scoreless baseball through the sixth.

The HarbourCats broke through in the seventh after an error at shortstop gave Victoria an extra out, which they would cash in later in the inning, as Nathan Lukes would double home the first run of the game and Alex DeGoti would follow up with an RBI single. Both hits came with two outs already on the board.

In the top of the eighth, a Hunter Mercado-Hood single and doubles by Ted Boeke and Bryce Greager would bring home the third and fourth runs of the game.

In the bottom half of the eighth, the AppleSox loaded the bases with two outs and while Fagalde was seemingly being pulled from the game, the HarbourCats coach, Bob Miller, left Fagalde on the mound. He worked out of the jam with a ground out to short on his 122nd pitch.

Trenton Brooks allowed one more Victoria run in the top of the ninth and Casey Schneider shut the door out of the ‘pen for the HarbourCats, cementing the first shutout for any WCL team over the AppleSox in 2014.

 

VIC     0 0 0  0 0 0   2 2 1    5  11  0

WEN   0 0 0  0 0 0   0 0 0    0   6   3

 

WP – Alex Fagalde

LP – Colton Loomis

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