TOGLIA HITS WCL LEAGUE-LEADING SIXTH HOME RUN, SOX FALL 6-4

The AppleSox fell 6-4, Tuesday night despite great performances from Michael Toglia and Evan Douglas.

BOX SCORE

KELOWNA –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (16-30, 6-13 Second Half), received big nights from Evan Douglas, and Michael Toglia, but gave up too many runs early, falling to the Kelowna Falcons (22-21, 9-7), 6-4 at Elks Stadium, Tuesday.

Kelowna jumped out on Wenatchee starter Justin Blatner for a run in the second inning on back-to-back doubles for Jesse Moore and Brad Antchak. 

Wenatchee was able to answer for their starter in the top of the third, when Evan Douglas tripled with one out, to set up a scoring play on a Taylor Borchers groundout to shortstop. 

Kelowna got the runs it needed in the third and fourth innings, scoring three times in the third on two more doubles, including one for two RBI by Moore. Lane Lacrone also singled home a man in the inning. 

In the fourth, things were compounded when Davis Todosichuk doubled home Michael Ciancio. 

Trailing, 5-1, Wenatchee tried to finally get to Blake Randazzo (3-5) in the seventh inning, with Otis Statum leading off the frame with a double, followed by a Haydan Hastings single to put Statum in position to score. Like Douglas in the third, Statum was brought home on a groundout to short by Shane Martinez. 

Kelowna expanded the lead off of AppleSox reliever Miceal Taylor in the seventh inning, thanks to an RBI groundout by Aj Sawyer, that scored Lane Lacrone who walked and reached third on a two-base wild pitch. 

Wenatchee answered in a big way in the eighth, with Douglas tying the team record for triples in the game, nearly hitting his third home run of the season, but having it redirected on the warning track, off of the glove of the right fielder. In the next at bat, Michael Toglia homered to bring in Douglas, and took the WCL lead with six homers. 

Wenatchee couldn’t strike for any more runs late though, and Riley Moore shut the door for his first save, retiring all five batters to face him following the Toglia blast. 

Game two is tomorrow at 6:35 p.m. Mac Lardner (0-2) will throw for Wenatchee. 

WENATCHEE CONTINUES ROAD TRIP IN KELOWNA

The AppleSox continue a six-game road trip at Kelowna, Tuesday night. 

WENATCHEE APPLESOX at Kelowna Falcons
Elks Stadium |       6:35 p.m.  
L- Justin Blatner (3-2) vs. R- Blake Randazzo (2-5)
GAME NOTES       |       APPLESOX STATS       |       LISTEN LIVE

The Wenatchee AppleSox (16-29, 6-12, 6-9 North), fifth place in the North Division continute their six-game road trip at the Kelowna Falcons (21-21, 8-7, 7-8) after wining a series against Bellingham, 2-1...the series win was the first of the WCL Second Half for the AppleSox, and Wenatchee now faces a team it beat two out of three times earlier this year...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (44-60) (.423), who is in his 4th season with the Sox...Proszek is assisted by Kyle Hunt and Colton Loomis, both in their first seasons.

YESTERDAY - APPLESOX 2, BELLINGHAM 8
BELLINGHAM –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (16-29, 6-12 Second Half), won a series two games to one, but fell Monday 8-2 to the Bellingham Bells (23-19, 8-7), at Joe Martin Field...the AppleSox pitching staff struggled mightily to find the strike zone. Wenatchee walked a season-high 12 batters in the loss...Chase Strumpf hit a two-run home run in the first inning to push Bellingham to an early lead. In the third inning,..Landon Riker brought home a run on a bases-loaded walk to expand the Bellingham lead in the third...again, Bellingham tacked on runs in the fourth inning, scoring on a double steal with runners at first and third, and a two-RBI single for Jake Vieth...the Bells got their starter Jon Olsen (4-2) an 8-0 lead in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly and a run scoring on an error...Luke Mattson (1-7), was taken out of the game after 3 1/3 innings...he allowed four hits and five runs, on six walks and no strikeouts...the AppleSox bullpen also struggled, walking an additional six batters...Nick Hoefling did extend his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 9 1/3 innings with three scoreless frames, Monday, and Wenatchee tried to score late with a Matt Fraizer sacrifice fly plating a runner in the sixth...Evan Douglas provided the most exciting play of the night for the AppleSox in the eighth inning with an inside-the-park home run...he hit a hard liner to center field, that went under the fielder’s diving glove and came to rest at the base of the fence...he did the rest with his legs, to hit his second home run of the season. 

TONIGHT'S NOTES
CONSECUTIVE SCORELESS
Last night, with three scoreless innings in relief, Nick Hoefling moved his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 9 1/3 innings...he is the team’s active leader in consecutive scoreless innings thrown. 

DOUGLAS NEARING RECORD MARK
After hitting an inside-the-park home run last night in Bellingham, Evan Douglas has hit nine home runs in his AppleSox career...Douglas is chasing the team’s franchise mark for most home runs hit in an AppleSox career...at 11.

GETTING IT BACK
Justin Blatner is trying to get back to where he was through his first three starts (two league and one non-league)...a 3-0 record with an average start of 6 1/3 innings...since June 24, Blatner is 1-2, still averaging 6.0 innings-per-start, but has allowed 13 earned runs, as opposed to just the lone earned run that he gave up in his first start.


TOGLIA’S LAST SERIES
Wenatchee’s leading hitter, Michael Toglia, is coming off of a great road series in Bellingham...he has an active team-best five-game hitting streak, and went 7-for-13 with 3 RBI, two doubles, and one triple...Toglia’s triple gave him the WCL lead with five...he has a league-leading 18 extra-base hits, and is also tied for the league lead in home runs with five.

LAST TIME VS. KELOWNA
Wenatchee took two-of-three games from Kelowna to complete their first-half schedule...it was one of three series wins at home for the AppleSox this season.

WHEN IN KELOWNA
Last season, Wenatchee went 3-3 on the road against Kelowna at Elks Stadium...the teams combined to score an average of 15.3 runs per game in the six contests, with no shortage of offense...the AppleSox won the overall series vs. Kelowna last season 5-4, their only season series win vs. a division opponent. 

OPPORTUNITIES
As of today, each of Wenatchee’s final nine WCL North games comes against the division leader...possible because there is a four-way tie for first place between Kelowna, Bellingham, Walla Walla, and Victoria...Wenatchee will play Kelowna, Walla Walla, and Bellingham in its final nine games of the 2016 WCL season.

BELLINGHAM SALVAGES GAME THREE, APPLESOX WIN SERIES

Bellingham walked 12 times en route to an 8-2 victory, Monday night. 

BOX SCORE

BELLINGHAM –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (16-29, 6-12 Second Half), won a series two games to one, but fell Monday 8-2 to the Bellingham Bells (23-19, 8-7), at Joe Martin Field.

The AppleSox pitching staff struggled mightily to find the strike zone. Wenatchee walked a season-high 12 batters in the loss.

Chase Strumpf hit a two-run home run in the first inning to push Bellingham to an early lead. In the third inning, Landon Riker brought home a run on a bases-loaded walk to expand the Bellingham lead in the third.

Again, Bellingham tacked on runs in the fourth inning, scoring on a double steal with runners at first and third, and a two-RBI single for Jake Vieth.

The Bells got their starter Jon Olsen (4-2) an 8-0 lead in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly and a run scoring on an error.

Luke Mattson (1-7), was taken out of the game after 3 1/3 innings. He allowed four hits and five runs, on six walks and no strikeouts. The AppleSox bullpen also struggled, walking an additional six batters.

Nick Hoefling did extend his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 9 1/3 innings with three scoreless frames, Monday, and Wenatchee tried to score late with a Matt Fraizer sacrifice fly plating a runner in the sixth.

Evan Douglas provided the most exciting play of the night for the AppleSox in the eighth inning with an inside-the-park home run. He hit a hard liner to center field, that went under the fielder’s diving glove and came to rest at the base of the fence. He did the rest with his legs, to hit his second home run of the season.

The AppleSox are back in action Tuesday night in Kelowna at 6:35 p.m. against the Kelowna Falcons. 

APPLESOX GUN FOR SWEEP OF BELLS

The AppleSox are trying for their first sweep of 2016, Monday, with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch at Bellingham. 

WENATCHEE APPLESOX at Bellingham Bells
Joe Martin Field |       7:05 p.m.  
R- Luke Mattson (1-6) vs. R- Jon Olsen (3-2)
GAME NOTES       |       APPLESOX STATS       |       LISTEN LIVE

The Wenatchee AppleSox (16-28, 6-11, 6-8 North), fifth place in the North Division are visiting the Bellingham Bells (22-19, 7-7, 7-7) after beating the North second-half leaders to win a series yesterday...the series win was the first of the WCL Second Half for the AppleSox, and moved them three games off of the North Division lead...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (44-59) (.427), who is in his 4th season with the Sox...Proszek is assisted by Kyle Hunt and Colton Loomis, both in their first seasons.

YESTERDAY - APPLESOX 4, BELLINGHAM 1
BELLINGHAM –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (16-28, 6-11 Second Half), picked up their first series win of the WCL second half in a 4-1 final over the Bellingham Bells (22-19, 7-7), Sunday afternoon at Joe Martin Field...Michael Toglia led off the second inning with a double to right field...following a Matt Reitano walk, and a wild pitch, Taylor Borchers hit a groundout to shortstop that score the AppleSox first run...in the next at bat, Dalton Harum parked a two-run home run over the left field fence into the lot beyond the wall...the score held until the sixth inning, when Matt Young (3-0) left after throwing five shutout innings and striking out five batters...with Ross Clevenger on the mound, Bellingham came back off of a leadoff strikeout to load the bases on consecutive singles...a wild pitch scored one run, but Clevenger got out of further trouble with a groundout and flyout to end the inning...in the eighth, Bellingham threatened again, with runners at the corners and one out, following a 1-2-3 inning for Clevenger...in the ninth, Wenatchee scored off of Sam Hellinger who hadn’t given up an earned run in 2016 on 20.0 innings pitched, following an inning-opening out...it was Toglia’s fourth hit of the night that added an insurance run for Wenatchee...a single through the right side scored Jordan Rathbone, who singled earlier in the inning and stole second...Eli Thornquist pitched the bottom of the ninth, and after an easy first two outs, ran into a bit of trouble, loading the bases on a single and back-to-back walks...he got the game’s final batter to ground out to end the game and secure the series win. 

TONIGHT'S NOTES
SEEKING A SWEEP
Tonight’s potential sweep could be a pivotal hurdle for the AppleSox to clear in 2016...Wenatchee does not yet have a sweep this season, with their last coming July 3-5, 2015 at home against the Klamath Falls Gems...Wenatchee hasn’t swept a team on the road since August 5-7, 2014 at Kelowna...that was also the last time the AppleSox swept a divisional opponent on the road...the last time the AppleSox swept Bellingham was July 22-24, 2010...with the series also played in Bellingham. 

HARUMS FIRST HIT, HOME RUN
Yesterday in Dalton Harum’s second game in a Sox uniform he got his first hit, a 2-run shot over the left field fence...Harum becomes at least the third player to have their first AppleSox hit leave the yard...we can confirm that Colin Hill, in his second at bat, in the very first Wenatchee game on 6/2/2000, hit a two-run homer to beat Bellingham at Joe Martin Field 2-1...Greg Brooks also acoomplished the feat, hitting a solo blast in his fourth at bat on 6/1/2001 in a 6-3 league victory over the Coquitlam Athletics here in Wenatchee...there is a possibility of one more on 5/30/2003...Bobby Carlson hit a homer in his first game, but we cannot be 100 percent sure if it was his first hit...he did not have a hit going into the game,but the game score sheet is missing, so we do not know if he had a hit earlier in the game before the homer...regardless, Harum is at the least the third player to accomplish it and definitely the first since at least 2003...over 13 years ago...the homer was also the 300th in the AppleSox all-time franchise history. 

SETTLING IN
Wenatchee’s Monday-night starter Luke Mattson is working on 6.1-consecutive scoreless innings dating to July 13 at home...he is tied for second behind Matt Young who has thrown 8.2-consecutive.

ROAD STREAK
With the victory last night, Wenatchee has won three-consecutive road games..the AppleSox had won back-to-back on the road two other times this season, and now have their sights set on a first series sweep of the summer.
 

POWERED BY PANTHERS
Grady Miller, who pitched another tremendous game Saturday, and Dalton Harum who hit a key home run yesterday, are both 2016 graduates of Wenatchee High School...the duo played on a team that finished third in the state...a 24-1 record, with their only loss to the Syline Spartans...the eventual state champions. 

BEATING THE BEST
Wenatchee beat a WCL-North leading team for the second time in 2016 yesterday with consecutive wins over Bellingham..Wenatchee is now 2-3 against leaders of the North and 2-8 against leaders of the South...4-11 overall.

IT’S BEEN AWHILE
The AppleSox won their first divisional road series yesterday since July 28-30, 2015 at Kelowna (2-1)...359 days ago.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED
The first AppleSox game was played in Bellingham at Joe Martin Field...June 2, 2000...a 2-1 AppleSox win.

APPLESOX SCORE EARLY, DON’T LOOK BACK IN SERIES WIN

The AppleSox took a series from the Bellingham Bells, and won their third-straight Sunday afternoon, to the tune of a 4-1 final in Bellingham. 

BOX SCORE

BELLINGHAM –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (16-28, 6-11 Second Half), picked up their first series win of the WCL second half in a 4-1 final over the Bellingham Bells (22-19, 7-7), Sunday afternoon at Joe Martin Field.

Again, Wenatchee scored early in game two of the series. Michael Toglia led off the second inning with a double to right field, which kick-started a 4-for-5 night for Wenatchee’s leading hitter. 

Following a Matt Reitano walk, and a wild pitch, Taylor Borchers hit a groundout to shortstop that score the AppleSox first run of the day. In the next at bat, in his second game, Dalton Harum parked a two-run home run over the left field fence into the lot beyond the wall. Hit off of Gio Lopez (1-1), it was the first hit of the season and collegiate career for Harum, a new addition playing in just his second game.  

The score held until the sixth inning, when Matt Young (3-0) left after throwing five shutout innings and striking out five batters. 

With Ross Clevenger on the mound, Bellingham came back off of a leadoff strikeout to load the bases on consecutive singles. A wild pitch scored one run, but Clevenger got out of further trouble with a groundout and flyout to end the inning. 

In the eighth, Bellingham threatened again, with runners at the corners and one out, following a 1-2-3 inning for Clevenger. However, again, the righty relaxed and got the next two batters to pop out and strike out, respectively. 

In the ninth, Wenatchee grabbed an insurance run off of the Bells’ Sam Hellinger who hadn’t given up an earned run in 2016 on 20.0 innings pitched, following an inning-opening out. 

It was Toglia’s fourth hit of the night that added an insurance run for Wenatchee. A single through the right side scored Jordan Rathbone, who singled earlier in the inning and stole second. 

Eli Thornquist pitched the bottom of the ninth, and after an easy first two outs, ran into a bit of trouble, loading the bases on a single and back-to-back walks. 

He got the game’s final batter, Austin Shenton, who was 3-for-3 prior to the at bat to ground out to short stop to end the game and secure the series win for the AppleSox. 

With the win, Wenatchee won its first series of the WCL Second Half, and moved three games back of Kelowna in the Division at the time of completion. It also was the AppleSox first divisional road series win of 2016, dating back to July 28-30, 2015. 

Game three and the chance for the season’s first sweep is Monday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and Luke Mattson will pitch for the AppleSox. 

APPLESOX TARGET SERIES WIN AT BELLINGHAM

The AppleSox are playing their only day game of 2016, with a 3:05 p.m. first pitch at Bellingham, Sunday. 

WENATCHEE APPLESOX at Bellingham Bells
Joe Martin Field |       3:05 p.m.  
L- Matt Young (2-0) vs. R- Gio Lopez (1-0)
GAME NOTES       |       APPLESOX STATS       |       LISTEN LIVE

The Wenatchee AppleSox (15-28, 5-11, 5-8 North), fifth place in the North Division are visiting the Bellingham Bells (22-18, 7-6, 7-6) after beating the North second-half leaders last night...Wenatchee lost a three game series to the Bells last year 2-1 at Joe Martin Fieldis playing at the former minor league park of Ken Griffey Jr. on his Hall of Fame Induction weekend...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (43-59) (.422), who is in his 4th season with the Sox...Proszek is assisted by Kyle Hunt and Colton Loomis, both in their first seasons.

LAST NIGHT - APPLESOX 6, BELLINGHAM 1
BELLINGHAM –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (15-28, 5-11 Second Half), brought down the Bellingham Bells (22-18, 7-6), 6-1, in a series-opening win, Saturday night at Joe Martin Field...Grady Miller (3-2) gave the AppleSox the lift they needed early, facing the minimums in his first three innings of work against the Bells...meanwhile, Wenatchee stockpiled a lead for their lefty, scoring once in the second on a Ryan Kreidler RBI single, and again in the third on a Michael Toglia RBI double...Bellingham got its lone run in the fourth inning on back-to-back doubles off of Miller...offensively, Hanon had a standout night for Bellingham, going 3-for-4...the AppleSox expanded their lead off of Connor Johnson in the fifth inning with an RBI triple for Toglia, who scored Sheldon Liikala following Liikala’s third hit of the night...Toglia scored in the next at bat on a failed suicide squeeze and a pitch in the dirt that bounced off of Bellingham’s catcher, ahead of a play at the plate...Toglia received credit for stealing home...Liikala finished 4-for-4 with a walk, and Toglia picked up his WCL-leading fifth triple and his North-leading 26th and 27th RBI...Wenatchee’s pitching was nearly lights-out the rest of the way, blanking the Bells...Miller finished with seven one-run innings, earning his team-best fifth quality start of the season...it was also his third start of seven-or-more innings...Jimmy Dobrash covered the last two innings for the AppleSox...the AppleSox offense added two insurance runs in the sixth inning, which came unearned on a pair of errors and a Liikala walk and Alex Gonzales single.  

TONIGHT'S NOTES
TREMENDOUS TOGLIA
Michael Toglia continues to make waves in his first season of WCL Baseball...after last night’s win, (double, triple, RBI, SB), Toglia is now the WCL leader in the following categories...home runs: 5 (tied)...triples: 5...extra-base hits: 17...total bases: 68 (19 singles (19), 7 doubles (14), 5 triples (15), 5 home runs (20))...and slugging percentage: .527.

BEATING THE BEST
Wenatchee beat a WCL-North leading team for the first time in 2016 last night...Wenatchee is now 1-3 against leaders of the North and 2-8 against leaders of the South...3-11 overall. 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
With the victory last night, Wenatchee has tied it’s mark for most consecutive road wins (2)...the AppleSox have won back-to-back on the road two other times this season, and are gunning for their first 3-game road winning streak this season. 

WENATCHEE’S BEST
Grady Miller certainly has been impressive for the AppleSox in 2016...the freshman left-hander has tossed a team-leading 6.46 innings-per-start, while recording a team-best five quality starts (next closest: Justin Blatner, 2)...last night he also improved his record to 2-0 when following a losing outing. 

LOG JAMMED
Wenatchee is now trying to race the top division teams in the WCL North...the Sox are just 3.5 games back, trailing all other four North opponents, who are tied atop the WCL North second-half standings 

NORTH ROAD SERIES
The AppleSox are going for their first divisional road series win since July 28-30, 2015 at Kelowna (2-1)...359 days ago.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED
Bet you didn’t know that when the AppleSox began their season 17 years back, it was in Bellingham at Joe Martin Field...June 2, 2000...a 2-1 AppleSox win. 

CLOSE CALLS
Since the WCL series between Bellingham and Wenatchee began in 2005, the teams have played over a third of their games to a one-run finishes...23-of-64...35.9 percent...last season the AppleSox lost two games of a three-game set to Bellingham 5-3 and 5-4...Wenatchee won the third game 5-1. 

HEADED NORTH
Wenatchee is done playing opponents from the WCL South in the 2016 regular season...after the Kitsap series, the AppleSox wrapped up their record vs. the South at 10-20.

GET FAMILIAR
Bellingham and Wenatchee will see each other plenty of times to finish the 2016 season...five of the AppleSox final 11 regular season league games this year will be against the boys from Whatcom County. 

A TALE OF TWO TIMES
Wenatchee was 16-4 in the first 20 meetings between the two franchises...Bellingham was 14-6 in the last 20 meetings, coming into last night’s game.

GRADY MILLER’S STRONG OUTING, GOOD OFFENSE FUEL SERIES-OPENING WIN

Grady Miller, Michael Toglia, and Sheldon Liikala all chipped in during a strong team win in game one at Bellingham, Saturday.

BOX SCORE

BELLINGHAM –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (15-28, 5-11 Second Half), brought down the Bellingham Bells (22-18, 7-6), 6-1, in a series-opening win, Saturday night at Joe Martin Field.

Grady Miller (3-2) gave the AppleSox the lift they needed early, facing the minimums in his first three innings of work against the Bells. 

Meanwhile, Wenatchee stockpiled a lead for their lefty, scoring once in the second on a Ryan Kreidler RBI single, and again in the third on a Michael Toglia RBI double. 

Bellingham got its lone run in the fourth inning on back-to-back doubles off of Miller. Shane Hanon scored after Chase Strumpf brought him home. Offensively, Hanon had a standout night for Bellingham, going 3-for-4. 

The AppleSox expanded their lead off of Connor Johnson in the fifth inning with an RBI triple for Toglia, who scored Sheldon Liikala following Liikala’s third hit of the night. 

Toglia scored in the next at bat on a failed suicide squeeze and a pitch in the dirt that bounced off of Bellingham’s catcher, ahead of a play at the plate. Toglia received credit for stealing home. 

Liikala finished 4-for-4 with a walk, and Toglia picked up his WCL-leading fifth triple and his North-leading 26th and 27th RBI. 

Wenatchee’s pitching was nearly lights-out the rest of the way, blanking the Bells. Miller finished with seven one-run innings, earning his team-best fifth quality start of the season. It was also his third start of seven-or-more innings.

Jimmy Dobrash covered the last two innings for the AppleSox, throwing shutout frames. The AppleSox offense added two insurance runs in the sixth inning, which came unearned on a pair of errors and a Liikala walk and Alex Gonzales single. 

Game two of the series is Sunday at 3:05 p.m. Matt Young (2-0) will pitch for Wenatchee. 

APPLESOX VISIT JOE MARTIN FIELD, SATURDAY

The AppleSox have game faces on and are in Bellingham for game one against the Bells, Saturday.

WENATCHEE APPLESOX at Bellingham Bells
Joe Martin Field |       7:05 p.m.  
L- Grady Miller (2-2) vs. L- Connor Johnson (2-2)
GAME NOTES       |       APPLESOX STATS       |       LISTEN LIVE

The Wenatchee AppleSox (14-28, 4-11, 4-8 North), fifth place in the North Division are visiting the Bellingham Bells (22-17, 7-5, 7-5) for their first meeting of the season with the North second-half leaders...Wenatchee lost a three game series to the Bells last year 2-1 at Joe Martin Field in the teams’ only meeting...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (42-59) (.416), who is in his 4th season with the Sox...Proszek is assisted by Kyle Hunt and Colton Loomis, both in their first seasons.

LAST NIGHT - APPLESOX 6, KITSAP 3
WENATCHEE –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (14-28, 4-11 Second Half), used two big innings to beat the Kitsap BlueJackets (12-30, 4-11), 6-3, Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium...despite falling behind 3-0, early, the AppleSox had all the answers in the third game of the series...Mac Lardner was making his first start of 2016, and did give up a first-inning two-RBI double to Marten Pauwels, and a second-inning run to Luke Stampfl on a sacrifice fly, but that was all the BlueJackets would get...Lardner finished a five-inning start retiring 12 of the final 13 batters to face him, including seven-in-a-row, to help out an AppleSox offense that connected on a big inning in the fourth to tie the game at three...Wenatchee was patient at the plate, waiting out Kitsap miscues, which included a bases-loaded balk by starter Jake Prizina...the play brought home Sheldon Liikala, and Haydan Hastings and Otis Statum followed with RBI in the frame on a fielder’s choice groundout and sacrifice fly...Prizina held things scoreless into the seventh, while Taylor Borchers (1-2) also threw two scoreless innings for Wenatchee...in the seventh, again, Kitsap was in trouble when reliever Garrett Smith (0-1) allowed the bases loaded and started a 1-0 count to Michael Toglia...Kitsap called on Jordan Knoll to try to end the jam, but Knoll completed a four-pitch walk to bring home the go-ahead run for Wenatchee...Sheldon Liikala singled a 3-2 pitch over the second base bag in the next at bat to give the AppleSox their final 6-3 score...the cushion worked out beautifully for Borchers and Nick Hoefling, who picked up his team-leading third save.  

TONIGHT'S NOTES
PERFECT
Last night, the AppleSox played an error-free game for the seventh time this season...Wenatchee is 5-2 when they do not commit an error.

STREAKS AND SAVES
Nick Hoefling stretched his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 6 1/3 on the mound last night, and also picked up his team-leading third save of the season...Hoefling’s streak started July 10.

COMING FROM BEHIND
Wenatchee came back from a 3-0 deficit last night in their sixth come-from-behind win on the season.

AS LONG AS IT’S NOT YAKIMA
Grady Miller should be fine tonight in the win-loss column...of his 2-2 record in 2016, the only two losses came to the Yakima Valley Pippins (in his first start of the summer, and his most recent start of the summer).

WHERE IT ALL STARTED
Bet you didn’t know that when the AppleSox began their season 17 years back, it was in Bellingham at Joe Martin Field...June 2, 2000...a 2-1 AppleSox win.

CLOSE CALLS
Since the WCL series between Bellingham and Wenatchee began in 2005, the teams have played over a third of their games to a one-run finishes...23-of-63...36.5 percent...last season the AppleSox lost two games of a three-game set to Bellingham 5-3 and 5-4...Wenatchee won the third game 5-1.

HEADED NORTH
Wenatchee is done playing opponents from the WCL South in the 2016 regular season...after last night’s win, the AppleSox wrapped up their record vs. the South at 10-20.

GET FAMILIAR
Bellingham and Wenatchee will see each other plenty of times to finish the 2016 season...six of the AppleSox final 12 regular season league games this year will be against the boys from Whatcom County. 

A TALE OF TWO TIMES
Wenatchee was 16-4 in the first 20 meetings between the two franchises...Bellingham is 14-6 in the last 20 meetings.

ODD...ERRR...EVEN
Last night marked the first time the AppleSox and an opponent finished even in the hit column in 44 2016 games...both sides collected 6 hits...Wenatchee has been out-hit in 27 games (3-24) and out-hit its opponent in 14 games (10-4). 

GETTIN ‘EM AHEAD
Michael Toglia walked with the bases loaded in the seventh inning to put the Sox up 4-3 in the win...it was Toglia’s 4th go-ahead RBI of the season...good for the AppleSox team lead...Toglia also leads the WCL North in total runs batted in with 26...he is returning to Joe Martin Field after his Gig Harbor Tides played there in the WIAA 4A State Championships, May, 2015...his junior season...Gig Harbor was upended a game shy of the State Championship. 

APPLESOX WIN BEHIND OPPORTUNE HITTING

The AppleSox capped a series with the Kitsap BlueJackets, winning 6-3 at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium, Friday.

BOX SCORE

WENATCHEE –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (14-28, 4-11 Second Half), used two big innings to beat the Kitsap BlueJackets (12-30, 4-11), 6-3, Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium, close a three-game home series.

Despite falling behind 3-0, early, the AppleSox had all the answers in the third game of the series. Mac Lardner was making his first start of 2016, and did give up a first-inning two-RBI double to Marten Pauwels, and a second-inning run to Luke Stampfl on a sacrifice fly, but that was all the BlueJackets would get. 

Lardner finished a five-inning start retiring 12 of the final 13 batters to face him, including seven-in-a-row, to help out an AppleSox offense that connected on a big inning in the fourth to tie the game at three. 

Wenatchee was patient at the plate, waiting out Kitsap miscues, which included a bases-loaded balk by starter Jake Prizina. The play brought home Sheldon Liikala, and Haydan Hastings and Otis Statum followed with RBI in the frame on a fielder’s choice groundout and sacrifice fly. 

Prizina held things scoreless into the seventh, while Taylor Borchers (1-2) also threw two scoreless innings for Wenatchee. In the seventh, again, Kitsap was in trouble when reliever Garrett Smith (0-1) allowed the bases loaded and started a 1-0 count to Michael Toglia. 

Kitsap called on Jordan Knoll to try to end the jam, but Knoll completed a four-pitch walk to bring home the go-ahead run for Wenatchee. Sheldon Liikala singled a 3-2 pitch over the second base bag in the next at bat to give the AppleSox their final 6-3 score. 

The cushion worked out beautifully for Borchers and Nick Hoefling, who picked up his team-leading third save. The defense was stout behind them as well, playing an error-free game for the seventh time this season. 

The AppleSox hit the road Saturday night to start a three-game series with the Bellingham Bells. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. 

APPLESOX READY FOR SERIES FINALE WITH KITSAP

The AppleSox wrap up series play with the Kitsap BlueJackets, Friday night at 7:05 p.m.

WENATCHEE APPLESOX vs Kitsap BlueJackets
Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium     |       7:05 p.m.  
L- Mac Lardner (0-2) vs. L- Jake Prizina (2-3)
GAME NOTES       |       APPLESOX STATS       |       LISTEN LIVE

The Wenatchee AppleSox (13-28, 3-11, 4-8 North), fifth place in the North Division are hosting the Kitsap BlueJackets (12-29, 4-10, 8-13) for a three-game series after the All Star break...Wenatchee lost its first series against the BlueJackets since 2010 last night, behind the 6-2 final...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (41-59) (.410), who is in his 4th season with the Sox...Proszek is assisted by Kyle Hunt and Colton Loomis, both in their first seasons.

LAST NIGHT - APPLESOX 2, KITSAP 6
WENATCHEE –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (13-28, 3-11 Second Half), held close to the Kitsap BlueJackets (12-29, 4-10), for much of Thursday night’s contest at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium, but fell 6-2, after the BlueJackets took advantage of late-game opportunities...Kitsap jumped out to an early lead in game two, with Marten Pauwels doubling in the second inning off of Justin Blatner (3-2), and later coming home to score on an Omar Maldanado RBI single...the AppleSox responded in the bottom half of the frame, when Michael Toglia led off with a double to tie for the team lead with six on the season...he later came to score on a Haydan Hastings RBI groundout to second base...Adam Paulson, making his AppleSox debut alongside Wenatchee native Dalton Harum, entered the contest in relief in the sixth inning, backing Blatner’s three-run effort...he held things scoreless for two frames and Wenatchee got closer in the seventh, after Nick Caudillo (1-1), left the game for Kitsap...a Sheldon Liikala RBI single brought home Shane Martinez, who doubled earlier for a 4-2 score, but with runners at the corners and one out, Wenatchee was unable to cash-in further...Joey Angyus, the second reliever of the inning, got the final two outs to hold the score at 4-2...Kitsap added two more runs off of Dylan Riddle in the eighth inning, in Riddle’s final slated appearance of the summer...the UC Irvine left-hander reached his summer pitching limit...Joe Siegel held on in the ninth for Kitsap, despite allowing two runners on with two outs, and Kitsap secured its first series win over the AppleSox dating back to 2010. 

TONIGHT'S NOTES
ERROR-FREE
The Kitsap BlueJackets played back-to-back games to zero errors, after last night’s contest. Kitsap is the first team to play back-to-back error free games against the AppleSox in succession this season. 

NUMBERS DON’T LIE
Some telling numbers from the AppleSox season are trending in the opponents’ favor...Wenatchee is 2-15 when scoring three runs or fewer, as they did in the first two games of the series...the AppleSox are also 0-22 after trailing in games after the seventh inning...also, last night, Kitsap totaled 10 hits, meaning when opponents collect 10 or more hits, the AppleSox are 1-18. 

HIS FIRST APPEARANCE
Adam Paulson threw an impressive two innings out of the bullpen last night for the Wenatchee AppleSox...Paulson allowed just one hit and no runs in the stint. 

NUMBER 100
Last night, AJ Proszek leads the AppleSox out onto the diamond in his 100th career game as the AppleSox head coach...he currently holds a 41-59 head-coaching record with the AppleSox.  

PRE ALL-STAR STUFF
Sunday, the AppleSox completed their pre-All Star portion of the schedule with a 13-26 record, following a game-three win over the Yakima Valley Pippins...Wenatchee is 3-9 in WCL North second-half play. 

ALL STARS
Michael Toglia, Evan Douglas, and Matt Young played in the West Coast League All Star Game at Longview, last night...Toglia finished with one home run in the opening round of the WCL Home Run Derby...the South ended up shutting out the North 4-0...

AGAINST THE SOUTH
After tonight, the AppleSox will play all of their games against WCL North Opponents, with Kitsap marking the final North-South series...Wenatchee is 9-20 vs. the South. 

ONE LEFT
After last night’s game, upcoming opponent, Bellingham, is the only WCL team the AppleSox haven’t played in 2016.

Team Autograph Party A Hit

The AppleSox unveiled their 2016 team poster, Wednesday at Pybus Market. 

The Wenatchee AppleSox released their 2016 team poster, Wednesday afternoon at Pybus Market. All of the players and coaches were on hand to sign copies for eager fans, like those pictured above. 

The AppleSox would like to thank the event sponsors, Pybus Market, Parsons Photography, Sunny FM, and Weinstein Beverage for another great year of capturing memories (and autographs) at one of Wenatchee's central landmarks. 

For fans who couldn't pick up a poster, Wednesday, additional copies are available at the Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium souvenir stand for a limited time! Stop by at an upcoming game, and be sure to take your very own home from the park with you!

APPLESOX CAN'T BATTLE PAST 'JACKETS PITCHING IN LOSS

The AppleSox were held to just six hits and fell to the Kitsap BlueJackets by four runs, Thursday. 

BOX SCORE

WENATCHEE –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (13-28, 3-11 Second Half), held close to the Kitsap BlueJackets (12-29, 4-10), for much of Thursday night’s contest at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium, but fell 6-2, after the BlueJackets took advantage of late-game opportunities.

Kitsap jumped out to an early lead in game two, with Marten Pauwels doubling in the second inning off of Justin Blatner (3-2), and later coming home to score on an Omar Maldanado RBI single. 

The AppleSox responded in the bottom half of the frame, when Michael Toglia led off with a double to tie for the team lead with six on the season. He later came to score on a Haydan Hastings RBI groundout to second base. 

Adam Paulson, making his AppleSox debut alongside Wenatchee native Dalton Harum, entered the contest in relief in the sixth inning, backing Blatner’s three-run effort. He held things scoreless for two frames and Wenatchee got closer in the seventh, after Nick Caudillo (1-1), left the game for Kitsap. 

A Sheldon Liikala RBI single brought home Shane Martinez, who doubled earlier for a 4-2 score, but with runners at the corners and one out, Wenatchee was unable to cash-in further. Joey Angyus, the second reliever of the inning, got the final two outs to hold the score at 4-2. 

Kitsap added two more runs off of Dylan Riddle in the eighth inning, in Riddle’s final slated appearance of the summer. The UC Irvine left-hander reached his summer pitching limit. 

Joe Siegel held on in the ninth for Kitsap, despite allowing two runners on with two outs, and Kitsap secured its first series win over the AppleSox dating back to 2010. 

Game three of the series is Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. Mac Lardner (0-2) will make his first 2016 start for the AppleSox.

APPLESOX CONTINUE SET WITH BLUEJACKETS

The AppleSox continue a three-game set with the Kitsap BlueJackets, Thursday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. First pitch will be thrown at 7:05 p.m. 

WENATCHEE APPLESOX vs Kitsap BlueJackets
Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium     |       7:05 p.m.  
L- Justin Blatner (3-1) vs. R- Nick Caudillo (0-1)
GAME NOTES       |       APPLESOX STATS       |       LISTEN LIVE

The Wenatchee AppleSox (13-27, 3-10, 4-8 North), fifth place in the North Division are hosting the Kitsap BlueJackets (11-29, 3-10, 8-13) for a three-game series after the All Star break...Wenatchee lost the first game of the series last night to the BlueJackets and has now lost its last five series openers...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (41-58) (.414), who is in his 4th season with the Sox...Proszek is assisted by Kyle Hunt and Colton Loomis, both in their first seasons.

LAST NIGHT - APPLESOX 2, KITSAP 5
WENATCHEE –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (13-27, 3-10 Second Half), struggle to throw strikes late, and fell to the Kitsap BlueJackets (11-29, 3-10), 5-2 in the first game of a three-game series at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium, Wednesday...the AppleSox walked four batters in the ninth inning, to help spur the BlueJackets to a late run-scoring rally...at first, Wednesday’s contest was all about solid pitching and defense with each team holding the other to four hits through six innings. Neither side had committed an error...with neither offense able to score, Luke Mattson (1-6) and Jake Suddreth (3-3) each earned no decisions...Mattson tossed five innings, while Suddreth lasted 5 2/3...the bullpens kept the game at bay until the eighth inning when Joey Galeno hit a two-run home run over the right field wall against AppleSox reliever Miceal Taylor...it gave the BlueJackets what looked to be plenty of cushion, however in the bottom of the frame, Gerred Smith struggled to locate his pitches...Wenatchee plated two runs, following a one-out double for Ryan Kreidler, after a wild pitch got him in scoring position to score on a passed ball...later in the inning, Michael Toglia scored on a wild pitch to even the score...in the ninth, reliever Tyler Burch (0-2), fell into a similar hole, walking four batters...he allowed three runs on two passed balls, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly, and Kitsap was able to walk away with game one, after their closer Bryce Peterson (the game’s starting right fielder), struck out the side in order to complete his victory. 

TONIGHT'S NOTES
NUMBER 100
Tonight, AJ Proszek leads the AppleSox out onto the diamond in his 100th career game as the AppleSox head coach...he currently holds a 41-58 head-coaching record with the AppleSox.  

JUST THE FIRST TIME
Wenatchee played its fourth game of the season with a better record than its opponent last night, but Wenatchee lost that matchup for the first time...the AppleSox are now 3-1 in games in which they have a better overall record than their opposition. 

PITCHING STREAK SNAPPED
When Kitsap’s Joey Galeno connected for a two-run home run in the eighth inning last night, the BlueJackets ended a consecutive scoreless innings streak for the AppleSox pitching staff that lasted 20.1 innings, dating back to Saturday’s loss at Yakima Valley...the bullpen also gave up its first run since last Thursday, 

PRE ALL-STAR STUFF
Sunday, the AppleSox completed their pre-All Star portion of the schedule with a 13-26 record, following a game-three win over the Yakima Valley Pippins...Wenatchee is 3-9 in WCL North second-half play. 

ALL STARS
Michael Toglia, Evan Douglas, and Matt Young played in the West Coast League All Star Game at Longview, last night...Toglia finished with one home run in the opening round of the WCL Home Run Derby...the South ended up shutting out the North 4-0...

AGAINST THE SOUTH
From here on out, the AppleSox will play all of their games against WCL North Opponents, with Kitsap marking the final North-South series...Wenatchee is 9-19 this year against the South. 

ONE LEFT
After last night’s game, upcoming opponent, Bellingham, is the only WCL team the AppleSox haven’t played in 2016.

APPLESOX DOWNED IN GAME ONE BY BLUEJACKETS

Wenatchee and Kitsap combined all of the game's seven runs in the last two innings.

BOX SCORE

WENATCHEE –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (13-27, 3-10 Second Half), struggle to throw strikes late, and fell to the Kitsap BlueJackets (11-29, 3-10), 5-2 in the first game of a three-game series at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium, Wednesday.

The AppleSox walked four batters in the ninth inning, to help spur the BlueJackets to a late run-scoring rally.

At first, Wednesday’s contest was all about solid pitching and defense with each team holding the other to four hits through six innings. Neither side had committed an error.

With neither offense able to score, Luke Mattson (1-6) and Jake Suddreth (3-3) each earned no decisions. Mattson tossed five innings, while Suddreth lasted 5 2/3.

The Bullpens kept the game at bay until the eighth inning when Joey Galeno hit a two-run home run over the right field wall against AppleSox reliever Miceal Taylor. It gave the BlueJackets what looked to be plenty of cushion, however in the bottom of the frame, Gerred Smith struggled to locate his pitches.

Wenatchee plated two runs, following a one-out double for Ryan Kreidler, after a wild pitch got him in scoring position to score on a passed ball. Later in the inning, Michael Toglia scored on a wild pitch to even the score.

In the ninth, reliever Tyler Burch (0-2), fell into a similar hole, walking four batters. He allowed three runs on two passed balls, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly, and Kitsap was able to walk away with game one, after their closer Bryce Peterson (the game’s starting right fielder), struck out the side in order to complete his victory.

Game two of the series is Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. Justin Blatner (3-1) will get the start for Wenatchee. 

APPLESOX FACE BLUEJACKETS FOR THREE

The AppleSox are back home following the 2016 WCL All Star break to face the Kitsap BlueJackets in a three-game series, starting Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. 

WENATCHEE APPLESOX vs Kitsap BlueJackets
Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium     |       7:05 p.m.  
R- Luke Mattson (1-6) vs. R- Jack Suddreth (2-0)
GAME NOTES       |       APPLESOX STATS       |       LISTEN LIVE

The Wenatchee AppleSox (13-26, 3-9, 4-8 North), fifth place in the North Division are hosting the Kitsap BlueJackets (10-29, 2-10, 8-13) for a three-game series after the All Star break...Wenatchee played at Kitsap after the All Star break in 2015, and won a three-game series 2-1...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (41-57) (.418), who is in his 4th season with the Sox...Proszek is assisted by Kyle Hunt and Colton Loomis, both in their first seasons.

SUNDAY - APPLESOX 3, YAKIMA VALLEY 0
YAKIMA –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (13-26, 3-9 Second Half), continued a masterful pitching weekend against the Yakima Valley Pippins (23-16, 8-4), in a 3-0 pre-All Star break victory at County Stadium, Sunday...Ryan Kreidler brought home Matt Fraizer, aboard on a leadoff single, with an RBI groundout...the RBI followed a sac bunt and a wild pitch that put Fraizer in position...later in the top of the first, Michael Toglia doubled home Evan Douglas for the second run of the game. Douglas was on earlier hit by pitch...after back-to-back 1-2-3 innings at the plate, Wenatchee was back at it in the fourth, again, with Douglas scoring on Toglia’s second RBI of the night; a groundout to second base...Douglas opened the inning with a leadoff triple to go 2-for-3 with two runs scored...Toglia extended his lead as the North Division’s top hitter by RBI. He drove in his 24th and 25th runs of the season, Sunday night...Dylan Riddle (1-3) was making his first AppleSox start of the summer, and looked to be in control from the start...he allowed just three hits and ended his five innings with a double play to finish his start on 63 pitches...his bullpen picked up where he left off. Eli Thornquist and Jimmy Dobrash each threw two scoreless innings, and Dobrash picked up his first save, on a weekend when the Wenatchee bullpen didn’t allow a run...defensively, the AppleSox were stout, committing zero errors for just the sixth time this season. Wenatchee is now 4-2 in games in which it does not commit an error

TONIGHT'S NOTES
PRE ALL-STAR STUFF
Sunday, the AppleSox completed their pre-All Star portion of the schedule with a 13-26 record, following a game-three win over the Yakima Valley Pippins...Wenatchee is 3-9 in WCL North second-half play.

ALL STARS
Michael Toglia, Evan Douglas, and Matt Young played in the West Coast League All Star Game at Longview, last night...Toglia finished with one home run in the opening round of the WCL Home Run Derby...the South ended up shutting out the North 4-0...

AGAINST THE SOUTH
From here on out, the AppleSox will play all of their games against WCL North Opponents, with Kitsap marking the final North-South series...Wenatchee is 9-18 this year against the South. 

APPLESOX BLANK PIPPINS, HEAD TO ALL STAR BREAK ON WINNING NOTE

The AppleSox bullpen didn't get charged for a run on the weekend at Yakima Valley, and the AppleSox pitched their way to a third shutout of the season in a 3-0 win. 

BOX SCORE

YAKIMA –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (13-26, 3-9 Second Half), continued a masterful pitching weekend against the Yakima Valley Pippins (23-16, 8-4), tossing their third shutout of the season in a 3-0 pre-All Star break victory at County Stadium, Sunday.

After not scoring an earned run against the Pippins since June 4 in the teams’ season-opening series (28 2/3 innings), the AppleSox jumped out to an early lead on Pippin starter Andrew Bernstein (2-1). Ryan Kreidler brought home Matt Fraizer, aboard on a leadoff single, with an RBI groundout. The RBI followed a sac bunt and a wild pitch that put Fraizer in position. 

Later in the top of the first, Michael Toglia doubled home Evan Douglas for the second run of the game. Douglas was on earlier hit by pitch. 

After back-to-back 1-2-3 innings at the plate, Wenatchee was back at it in the fourth, again, with Douglas scoring on Toglia’s second RBI of the night; a groundout to second base. Douglas opened the inning with a leadoff triple to go 2-for-3 with two runs scored. 

Toglia extended his lead as the North Division’s top hitter by RBI. He drove in his 24th and 25th runs of the season, Sunday night. 

Dylan Riddle (1-3) was making his first AppleSox start of the summer, and looked to be in control from the start. He allowed just three hits and ended his five innings with a double play to finish his start on 63 pitches. 

His bullpen picked up where he left off. Eli Thornquist and Jimmy Dobrash each threw two scoreless innings, and Dobrash picked up his first save, on a weekend when the Wenatchee bullpen didn’t allow a run. 

Defensively, the AppleSox were stout, committing zero errors for just the sixth time this season. Wenatchee is now 4-2 in games in which it does not commit an error. 

The AppleSox will break Monday and Tuesday, while Matt Young, Douglas, and Toglia all head to the West Coast League All Star Game in Longview, Wash. With skipper AJ Proszek. Wenatchee returns to WCL action Wednesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. First pitch against the Kitsap BlueJackets is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. 

APPLESOX WRAP UP PRE-ALL STAR SCHEDULE

Wenatchee completes its pre-All Star schedule Sunday at 5:05 p.m. vs. the Yakima Valley Pippins.

WENATCHEE APPLESOX at Yakima Valley Pippins
County Stadium     |       5:05 p.m.  
L- Dylan Riddle (0-3) vs. R- Andrew Bernstein (2-0)
GAME NOTES       |       APPLESOX STATS       |       LISTEN LIVE

The Wenatchee AppleSox (12-26, 2-9, 4-8 North), fifth place in the North Division are visiting the Yakima Valley Pippins (23-15, 8-3, 12-9) to complete the final portion of the pre-All Star schedule...the AppleSox lost their sixth-consecutive game to Yakima Valley last night...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (40-57) (.412), who is in his 4th season with the Sox...Proszek is assisted by Kyle Hunt and Colton Loomis, both in their first seasons.

LAST NIGHT - APPLESOX 1, YAKIMA VALLEY 2
YAKIMA –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (12-26, 2-9 Second Half), struggled to get their bats going against the Yakima Valley Pippins (23-15, 8-3), in a 2-1 loss at County Stadium, Saturday...Ross Clevenger (1-3) opened the night, throwing five innings of two-run baseball...the Pippins did reach him for a run in the opening inning on a Jace Van De Brake RBI single...the AppleSox struggled to figure out Tanner Simpson (1-1), who faced the minimum number of batters through five innings...he had given up two hits, but erased both runners on a pick off and a runner caught stealing...Clevenger allowed a second run in the fifth inning, when the Pippins strung together three hits, including an RBI single for Christian Koss...it would end up being the game-winning RBI for Yakima Valley...after Simpson generated six innings of shutout baseball on just two AppleSox hits, the bullpen for the Pippins took over in an up-and-down stint...in the seventh, Matthew Fish retired the Sox in order, but in the eighth, he walked two men with one out, giving way to Ryan Garcia who got a second out, but an error at shortstop allowed Evan Douglas to score from second to cut the deficit to 2-1...the Pippins’ right-hander got out of the eighth with just the one run scoring, and Connor Zwetsch shut down the Sox in the ninth after allowing a tying run into scoring position...Zwetsch struck out the game’s final two batters to pick up his third save...All-Star arm Matt Young did toss a scoreless 1-2-3 inning on nine pitches...Nick Hoefling also threw a scoreless two innings, striking out three batters, while walking two. 

TONIGHT'S NOTES
SCORELESS
Wenatchee snapped a 27-inning scoreless streak to the Pippins with Evan Douglas scoring on an E6 in the eighth inning last night...however, Wenatchee hasn’t gotten an earned run off of Yakima Valley since June 4, 2016 (game two of season-opening series) on a ninth-inning RBI walk for Sheldon Liikala...a stretch of 28.1 innings. 

LOWEST OUTPUT
Last night’s two hits was the lowest offensive production for the AppleSox this season, since getting two hits at Bend, June 23...Wenatchee was also held to a 3-hit night against the Elks in a second series in Wenatchee four nights ago. 

GOOD PITCHING
Once again, the AppleSox pitching staff was in a groove Saturday night, following up the scoreless 8 2/3 innings to begin the series two nights ago...in each of Ross Clevenger’s tough three losses this season, he has only allowed an average of 2.3 runs-per-start. 

RIDDLE’S FIRST START
Dylan Riddle, who was exclusively a relief pitcher for the UC Irvine Anteaters in 2016, will get his first start of the summer, tonight...the left-handers longest outing of the season was 3 1/3 innings at home against Gresham two appearances back. 

NOT ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE PIPPINS
The Yakima Valley Pippins have a 0.59 ERA against the AppleSox in five games in 2016...Wenatchee has only scored seven runs this season against the Pippins, and only three of those runs have been earned....the worst margin against any opponent the AppleSox have played this season...the offense is only hitting .164 off of the Pippins and has tallied just one extra-base hit, and no extra base hits in the current series...again, the worst for the AppleSox against any 2016 opponents. 

ONE-RUN WOES
After last night’s final, the AppleSox are now 2-8 in one run games this season, and 3-15 in games decided by two runs or fewer.

OPPORTUNITIES
It took the AppleSox until the eighth inning last night to get a runner into scoring position against the Yakima Valley Pippins...it came when Evan Douglas was forced to second base on a Taylor Borchers walk. 

APPLESOX FALL IN ANOTHER ONE-RUN GAME

Wenatchee tied its season low with only two hits, Saturday, against the Yakima Valley Pippins. 

BOX SCORE

YAKIMA –  The Wenatchee AppleSox (12-26, 2-9 Second Half), struggled to get their bats going against the Yakima Valley Pippins (23-15, 8-3), in a 2-1 loss to the West Coast League’s leading pitching staff at County Stadium, Saturday.

Again, the AppleSox received a solid pitching performance from their staff. Ross Clevenger (1-3) opened the night, throwing five innings of two-run baseball. The Pippins did reach him for a run in the opening inning on a Jace Van De Brake RBI single. 

The AppleSox struggled to figure out Tanner Simpson (1-1), who faced the minimum number of batters through five innings. He had given up two hits, but erased both runners on a pick off and a runner caught stealing. 

Clevenger allowed a second run in the fifth inning, when the Pippins strung together three hits, including an RBI single for Christian Koss. It would end up being the game-winning RBI for Yakima Valley. 

After Simpson generated six innings of shutout baseball on just two AppleSox hits, the bullpen for the Pippins took over in an up-and-down stint. In the seventh, Matthew Fish retired the Sox in order, but in the eighth, he walked two men with one out, giving way to Friday night’s winning pitcher Ryan Garcia.

Garcia got a second out, but an error at shortstop allowed Evan Douglas to score from second on the play, bringing home an unearned run to cut the deficit to 2-1. 

The Pippins’ right-hander got out of the eighth with just the one run scoring, and Connor Zwetsch shut down the Sox in the ninth after allowing a tying run into scoring position on a batter hit by pitch and wild pitch. Zwetsch struck out the game’s final two batters to pick up his third save. 

The AppleSox bullpen was also impressive, with All-Star arm Matt Young tossing a scoreless 1-2-3 inning on nine pitches. Nick Hoefling also threw a scoreless two innings, striking out three batters, while walking two. 

Wenatchee hasn’t scored an earned run against Yakima Valley since the ninth inning of June 4, in the season-opening series against the Pippins; a span of 28 1/3 innings. 

APPLESOX READY FOR SATURDAY SHOWDOWN

The Yakima Valley Pippins and the Wenatchee AppleSox play for a second time on the weekend, Saturday night at County Stadium.

WENATCHEE APPLESOX at Yakima Valley Pippins
County Stadium     |       7:05 p.m.  
R- Ross Clevenger (1-2) vs. R- Tanner Simpson (0-1)
GAME NOTES       |       APPLESOX STATS       |       LISTEN LIVE

The Wenatchee AppleSox (12-25, 2-8, 4-8 North), fifth place in the North Division are visiting the Yakima Valley Pippins (22-15, 7-3, 12-9) to complete the final portion of the pre-All Star schedule...the AppleSox fell in their second shutout loss to the Pippins on the season and all-time last night...the AppleSox are playing their 17th franchise season (12th in the WCL) and are led by second-year skipper, AJ Proszek (40-56) (.417), who is in his 4th season with the Sox...Proszek is assisted by Kyle Hunt and Colton Loomis, both in their first seasons.

LAST NIGHT - APPLESOX 0, YAKIMA VALLEY 1
YAKIMA –  Grady Miller threw 8 2/3 innings for Wenatchee AppleSox (12-25, 2-8 Second Half), but it wasn’t enough in a 1-0 loss to the Yakima Valley Pippins (22-15, 7-3), in a tightly contested contest at County Stadium, Friday...both Miller and Pippin starter, Zach Draper were locked in from the start at County Stadium in Yakima...each pitcher threw a scoreless opening eight innings, but reached the ninth following different paths...Draper struk out seven batters en-route to his shutout no-decision, while Miller kept the ball in the field of play, particularly at shortstop, recording ten outs through Ryan Kreidler...notably, the AppleSox squandered scoring opportunities in the fifth and sixth innings with runners in scoring position...the best possible spot to get a run off of Draper came in the sixth inning with runners at the corners and one out...a 1-6-3 double play ended the AppleSox threat...in the ninth inning, with Miller nearing the century mark in pitches, and a runner at first base, the left-hander had to leave the contest with two outs...the Pippins’ next batter was hit by a pitch and Michael FIlia blooped in an RBI single for the Pippins’ game-winning run...Ryan Garcia (3-3), who moved from designated hitter to pitcher in the ninth inning, picked up the win for the Pippins...the loss was charged to Miller, as the runner at second base was his responsibility...Miller only allowed four hits over his innings of work, and held Yakima Valley to just two hits through eight innings...unfortunately, his offense had no answer for the West Coast League’s leading pitcher. 

TONIGHT'S NOTES
A SUMMER TO REMEMBER
Since allowing 7 earned runs to the Yakima Valley Pippins in his first start of the summer, June 5, Grady Miller has been the AppleSox’ most consistent starting pitcher...in his next six league starts he has pitched 39.1 innings, allowing only eight earned runs and only an average of 5.3 hits per start....Miller is the AppleSox leader in innings-per-start (6.38), and average pitches-per-start (91.6)...last night he was the definition of a tough-luck losing pitcher, throwing 8.2 innings while allowing only 4 hits and a run that was charged to his line but driven in off of Miceal Taylor. 

STREAKS SNAPPED
Last night, Jordan Rahbone had an on-base streak of 11 games snapped...and before the run came home in the ninth off of Grady Miller, he had thrown 13.2 consecutive-scoreless innings. 

NEEDING THE ‘O’
Wenatchee has been shutout in its last two games versus the Yakima Valley Pippins...the AppleSox have been outscored 12-0 in the contests.

CLOSE GAMES
In the all-time series with the Pippins, 11-of-22 meetings have been decided by two runs or fewer...the AppleSox are 0-2 in one-run games versus Yakima Valley this season...all-time the AppleSox are 2-5 in one run games and 3-1 in games decided by two runs or fewer...a total record of 5-6 in games decided by two runs or less. 

A SLIVER
This year, in 25 total losses, Wenatchee has fallen by two runs or less 17 times...the AppleSox are now 2-7 in one-run games and 1-7 in two-run games after last night...since an 8-2 stretch following a seven-game losing streak to start the season, Wenatchee is 4-16 over its last 20 games, and the 16 losses have been decided by an average of 2.4 runs-per-game. 

LOSING STREAKS
Right now the AppleSox have lost five-straight games to the Pippins, tied for the longest negative streak in the all-time series for the Sox (Aug. 9, 2014-June 25, 2015)...the AppleSox have also lost eight-consecutive games on the road...the team’s longest home/road losing streak of the year. 

PITCHERS' DUEL FALLS PIPPINS' WAY

Grady Miller turned in 8 2/3 innings, before the Yakima Valley Pippins walked off the AppleSox, Friday. 

BOX SCORE

YAKIMA –  Grady Miller (2-2) threw 8 2/3 innings for Wenatchee AppleSox (12-25, 2-8 Second Half), but it wasn’t enough in a 1-0 loss to the Yakima Valley Pippins (22-15, 7-3), in a tightly contested contest at County Stadium, Friday.

Both Miller and Pippin starter, Zach Draper, who leads the WCL in wins and ERA were locked in from the start at County Stadium in Yakima. 

Each pitcher threw a scoreless opening eight innings, but reached the ninth following different paths. Draper struk out seven batters en-route to his shutout no-decision, while Miller kept the ball in the field of play, particularly at shortstop, recording ten outs through Ryan Kreidler. 

Notably, the AppleSox squandered scoring opportunities in the fifth and sixth innings with runners in scoring position. The best possible spot to get a run off of Draper came in the sixth inning with runners at the corners and one out. A 1-6-3 double play ended the AppleSox threat. 

In the ninth inning, with Miller nearing the century mark in pitches, and a runner at first base, the left-hander had to leave the contest with two outs.

The Pippins’ next batter was hit by a pitch and Michael FIlia blooped in an RBI single for the Pippins’ game-winning run. It was a tough loss for the AppleSox, who got their longest start of the season from Miller at 8 2/3 innings, and were shut out for the third time this year. 

The Pippins improved to 4-0 over the AppleSox in 2016, and got the first win of the three-game set at County Stadium. Ryan Garcia (3-3), who moved from designated hitter to pitcher in the ninth inning, picked up the win for the Pippins. The loss was charged to Miller, as the runner at second base was his responsibility. 

Miller only allowed four hits over his innings of work, and held Yakima Valley to just two hits through eight innings. Unfortunately, his offense had no answer for the West Coast League’s leading pitcher. 

Game two of the series is Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Ross Clevenger (1-2) will take to the mound for Wenatchee.