AppleSox Can’t Hold Early Lead At Edmonton

The Wenatchee AppleSox scored twice in the first inning but fell to the Edmonton Riverhawks, 8-2, on Saturday night at RE/MAX Field.

Edmonton struck five times with only two hits in the bottom of the sixth to break a 2-2 tie. A pair of infield singles as well as a bases-loaded hit by pitch preceded a 2-RBI single. The Riverhawks tied the game in the bottom of the fourth after the AppleSox failed to strike with the bases loaded and one out.

James Castagnola extended his hitting streak to six games with his fourth consecutive multi-hit game. He drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single in the top of the first. Evan Cloyd hit a sacrifice fly a batter later to give Wenatchee a 2-0 lead.

The two teams match up again at 12:05 on Sunday in the series finale.

AppleSox Go For Series Win At Edmonton Saturday

First Pitch: 6:05 p.m.
Park: RE/MAX Field
Watch: wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv
Listen: kcsyfm.com

GAME NOTES

Wenatchee Probable Pitcher: Garrett Ahern starts on the road for just the second time this season and for the first time since June 19… The right-hander from Grand Canyon is 2-0 with a 2.68 ERA, 25 strikeouts, eight walks and 23 hits over 25 innings in six games (all starts)… Ahern tossed two scoreless innings against Yakima Valley on Sunday and struck out two, walked one and allowed one hit… He previously faced Edmonton July 10, tossing a season-high 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, two walks and six strikeouts… The AppleSox have won every game that the 2024 All-Star has pitched in…

Edmonton Probable Pitcher: Fernando Palencia gets the ball for his fifth start and sixth appearance tonight… The incoming freshman at San Diego is 2-1 with a 4.64 ERA, 10 strikeouts, eight walks and 22 hits over 21.1 innings… Palencia slowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits, one walk and two strikeouts over six innings last Sunday but suffered the loss vs. Springfield…

Last Night: The AppleSox opened up the six-game road trip with a 7-1 victory… Cannon Peery and Kanoa Morisaki doubled in runs in the fourth before Aidan Dougherty tripled in three runs in the seventh… Ryan Martinez allowed one run over a season-high matching six innings to get his first victory of the summer and third in his career vs. Edmonton…

Another Day, Another Dougherty Achievement: WCL MVP candidate Aidan Dougherty recorded his league-leading fifth triple last night and moved into a tie with teammate Garrett Cutting (‘21, ‘24) and Michael Toglia (‘16) for the second-most in AppleSox history… Dougherty is one away from tying Keston Hiura (‘15) and Joichiro Oyama (‘22) for the most tripled in both a single season and in franchise history… The WCL record is eight by Brandon Hupe of Nanaimo last summer… Dougherty also leads the WCL in RBI (39), is fifth in stolen bases (18), sixth in runs (34), tied for sixth in batting average (.346) and eighth in hits (47)…

First Half Champs: For the first time since the two-half playoff berths began being awarded in 2016 the AppleSox have won the North Division first half title and have locked up home-field advantage as the top seed in the first round of the playoffs… This is the 16th playoff berth in franchise history and the fourth in the last five seasons… Wenatchee had to wait for the result of Edmonton's game on Monday before officially claiming the title… The AppleSox and the Riverhawks both finished with 18-9 records in the first half but Wenatchee (+37) held a better run differential than the Riverhawks (+35)…

Stretch Run: Only 11 games remain in the regular season and the AppleSox are still pushing to lock up home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game and the West Coast League Championship Game, if they can reach them... Wenatchee’s 29-14 mark is currently tops in the entire North Division and would earn them home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game if the season ended today and they reached it... The AppleSox have the third-best record in the WCL behind Corvallis (33-10) and Portland (31-12)...

Wenatchee Opens Six-Game Road Trip With A Win At Edmonton

Ryan Martinez earned his third victory in as many career appearances against the Edmonton Riverhawks as the Wenatchee AppleSox picked up a weekend-opening 7-1 victory Friday night at RE/MAX Field.

Martinez (1-0) matched a season-high with six innings and punched out a pair to earn his first win of 2024 and fourth in two seasons.

Aidan Dougherty tripled home three runs in a four-run seventh to help the AppleSox blow the game open. Cannon Peery and Kanoa Morisaki hit RBI doubles in the fourth to break a 1-1 tie and put Wenatchee (29-14, 11-5 second half) in the lead for good.

Dougherty stepped up to the plate with the bases-loaded and nobody out after three straight singles to open the seventh. He plated all three runners on a hot shot down the right-field line and then scored a batter later on a groundout. Dougherty has driven in 19 runs in 10 at-bats with the bases loaded this summer and his five triples are tied for the second-most in AppleSox history.

Both teams scored in the second with Wenatchee tallying the first run thanks to four walks. Three came with two outs and Morisaki brought in the run with his first of three times reaching base and first of two RBI.

The AppleSox and Riverhawks are evened up in the season series with two more matchups. Wenatchee looks to earn its 11th series victory of the summer Saturday night when it faces Edmonton again at 6:05.

AppleSox Travel To Edmonton For Start Of Road Trip

First Pitch: 6:05 p.m.
Park: RE/MAX Field
Watch: wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv
Listen: kcsyfm.com

GAME NOTES

Wenatchee Probable Pitcher: Ryan Martinez opens the weekend for Wenatchee with his fifth start and third in his career vs. Edmonton… Martinez surrendered two runs (one earned) with a season-high matching five strikeouts in 6.2 innings June 30 last year and then matched another season high with seven innings while only allowing an unearned run July 29 for two of his three victories last season... Martinez most recently gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks over 4.1 innings last Friday vs. Yakima Valley... The outing marked the first time in his 12 starts with Wenatchee that he did not record at least one strikeout...

Edmonton Probable Pitcher: Third-year RiverHawk Brady Kobitowich makes his sixth start and eighth appearance of 2024 tonight… He is 1-2 with a 3.55 ERA, 13 strikeouts, seven walks and 29 hits over 25.1 innings this season and is coming off surrendering one run over five innings last Friday vs. Springfield to get his first win of the summer... Kobitowich has a 3.86 ERA over 28 games the last three summers in Edmonton and has punched out 72 hitters over 105 innings...

Last Night: The AppleSox scored three times over the seventh and eighth innings to overcome a 4-2 deficit… Wenatchee improved to 5-7 when trailing after six innings and 8-3 in one-run games...

Quick Getaway Day: Last night’s game lasted just 2:11, good for the AppleSox’ third-fastest game of the summer... It finished behind only June 14 at Kamloops (2:02) and June 29 at Bellingham (1:50)... Last night was also the AppleSox’ fastest home game of 2024, surpassing June 12 vs. Bellingham (2:16)...

The RiverHawks: Are 3-3 six games into a nine-game homestand... Played doubleheaders Sunday and Wednesday due to poor air quality... Handed the AppleSox their only loss when leading after eight innings (23-1) with three runs in the ninth in a 6-4 win July 11... Would be first wild card and the third seed in the North Division portion of the WCL Playoffs if the season ended today... Would set a new franchise record for victories with their next win, passing their inaugural season in 2022...

League Leaders In Victories: Andrew Monson picked up his fifth victory of the summer to move into a tie with teammate Carson Boesel, Corvallis’s Kaden Segel and Edmonton’s Vicarte Domingo for the most wins in the WCL... David James is one victory away from becoming the third AppleSox pitcher to reach five victories and if he does it would mark the first time that three AppleSox pitchers recorded at least five wins apiece since 2012 (KJ Edson, 6-0; Derek Callahan, 6-2; Bryce Jackson, 5-1)... Wenatchee has not had a pitcher led or tie for the the WCL lead in victories since Hunter Boyd tied six other players with five wins in 2018... The WCL single-season record wins is eight, set by Eli Morgan of Yakima Valley and Jackson Lockwood of Corvallis in 2014 and matched by Zach Draper of Yakima Valley in 2016...

First Half Champs: For the first time since the two-half playoff berths began being awarded in 2016 the AppleSox have won the North Division first half title and have locked up home-field advantage as the top seed in the first round of the playoffs… This is the 16th playoff berth in franchise history and the fourth in the last five seasons… Wenatchee had to wait for the result of Edmonton's game on Monday before officially claiming the title… The AppleSox and the Riverhawks both finished with 18-9 records in the first half but Wenatchee (+37) held a better run differential than the Riverhawks (+35)…

Stretch Run: Only 14 games remain in the regular season and the AppleSox are still pushing to lock up home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game and the West Coast League Championship Game, if they can reach them... Wenatchee’s 27-13 mark is currently tops in the entire North Division and would earn them home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game if the season ended today and they reached it... The AppleSox have the third-best record in the WCL behind Corvallis (32-10) and Portland (31-11)... Wenatchee is also ahead of Bellingham by a game for first place in the North in the second half...

AppleSox Earn 10th Series Win

The Wenatchee AppleSox rallied for three runs over the final two innings and defeated the Kamloops NorthPaws, 5-4, Thursday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Wenatchee (28-14, 10-5 second half) improved to 12-2 in the third game of a series and 14-4 when being out-hit by its opponent as it won its fourth series in five opportunities in the second half. A day after being held to less than five runs for the first time since July 11, the AppleSox scored exactly five runs despite hitting .185 for the game.

James Castagnola led the offense with two hits, including a solo home run in the fourth for his second of the summer. Both of those home runs came in the series with the NorthPaws after he launched his first of the season Tuesday night. He tied the game up 2-2 in the fourth with the opposite-field shot.

The AppleSox scored first thanks to an Aidan Dougherty sacrifice fly in the first inning but would not hold a lead again until the eighth. The NorthPaws scored twice in the second on a pair of back-to-back two-out singles after two walks to open the inning. Kamloops regained the lead in the sixth before adding an insurance run on a pair of doubles in the seventh.

Wenatchee answered with two runs in the bottom of the seventh before taking the lead again for good the next inning. Max Hartman hit an RBI single to the gap between first and second before Aidan Dougherty reached on a fielder’s choice a batter later to tie the game up, 4-4. Brady Bean drove in the eventual winning run on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth. Wenatchee filled up the bases with two walks and an error on a sacrifice bunt but only got one run.

Caleb Costa struck out three over a season-high five innings. Andrew Monson (5-0) surrendered a run in the seventh but recovered to toss back-to-back 1-2-3 innings to close out the game. He punched out five and moved into a tie with teammate Carson Boesel, Corvallis’s Kaden Segel and Edmonton’s Vicarte Domingo for the WCL lead in victories.

Wenatchee battles Edmonton on the road Friday night for the first game of a six-game road trip. The AppleSox dropped a home series to the Riverhawks two weeks ago for their only series loss of the second half. First pitch Friday night is at 6:05.

AppleSox Host NorthPaws For Host Parent Appreciation Night

First Pitch: 6:35 p.m.
Park: Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium
Tickets: applesox.com/schedule
Watch: wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv
Listen: kcsyfm.com


GAME NOTES

Wenatchee Probable Pitcher: Caleb Costa makes his third start of the summer and second against the NorthPaws tonight… The right-hander’s first start of the summer came at Kamloops June 16 when he allowed three runs in four innings… Costa last pitched in league play July 5 at Nanaimo when he gave up four runs in four innings in his second start… The incoming sophomore at Anderson University is 1-0 with a 9.23 ERA, six strikeouts, 10 walks and 16 hits over 12.2 innings in five games…

Kamloops Probable Pitcher: Kolby Lukinchuk makes his team-leading ninth start tonight for the rubber match… The incoming senior at Thompson River is 2-4 with a 5.48 ERA, 28 strikeouts, 10 walks and 49 hits over 41 innings in eight games… Lukinchuk has given up two earned runs over at least six innings in each of his last two starts but has suffered the loss both times… The right-hander is in his third summer with the NorthPaws and is 3-7 with a 3.55 ERA over 43 games…

Last Night: The AppleSox committed five errors and lost to the NorthPaws, 9-3… Wenatchee surrendered six runs in the top of the second after both teams struck twice in the second… The AppleSox’ four-game winning streak came to an end as they lost for the first time since July 11… Cannon Peery drove in two of Wenatchee’s three runs and Jackson Campbell fired 3.2 scoreless innings in relief…

Rubber Match: Wenatchee will need to improve to 6-2 in rubber matches in order to earn its 10th series victory of 2024… Kamloops is looking to earn its first series victory since July 5-7 at Edmonton… A win tonight would also give the NorthPaws their first ever series win against the AppleSox… Kamloops snapped a 12-game losing streak heading into-to-head vs. Wenatchee and won for the first time in the series since July 31, 2022… Tonight is the first-ever rubber match between these two teams…

Peery Produces: Cannon Peery picked up two more RBI last night and is second on the AppleSox with 29 RBI… Peery is tied for fifth in the WCL with a .357 batting average and is tied for eighth with a .449 on-base percentage… He is batting .333 this month with seven doubles and 14 RBI in 13 games this month…

First Half Champs: For the first time since the two-half playoff berths began being awarded in 2016 the AppleSox have won the North Division first half title and have locked up home-field advantage as the top seed in the first round of the playoffs… This is the 16th playoff berth in franchise history and the fourth in the last five seasons… Wenatchee had to wait for the result of Edmonton's game on Monday before officially claiming the title… The AppleSox and the Riverhawks both finished with 18-9 records in the first half but Wenatchee (+37) held a better run differential than the Riverhawks (+35)…

Stretch Run: Only 13 games remain in the regular season and the AppleSox are still pushing to lock up home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game and the West Coast League Championship Game, if they can reach them... Wenatchee’s 27-14 mark is currently tops in the entire North Division and would earn them home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game if the season ended today and they reached it... The AppleSox have the third-best record in the WCL behind Corvallis (31-10) and Portland (30-11)... Wenatchee is also ahead of Edmonton by a game-and-a-half for first place in the North in the second half...

Poor Defense Costs AppleSox Wednesday Night

The Wenatchee AppleSox committed five errors and fell to the Kamloops NorthPaws, 9-3, on Wednesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Cannon Peery drove in two runs and Jackson Campbell fired 3.2 scoreless innings relief but the AppleSox could not overcome surrendering eight runs in the first two innings. Wenatchee (27-13, 9-5 second half) suffered its first loss since July 11, which was also the last time that it scored less than five runs.

During to the game Jack DeDonato was honored as the recipient of the 2024 Tommy Watanabe Award. DeDonato became the second player in Wenatchee AppleSox history to play for the team in four different seasons by suiting up for a fourth straight season in Wenatchee this summer. DeDonato was shut down in late June but has remained around the team by going above and beyond with field work, hosting the team at his parent’s house after games and off days and being a constant presence in the dugout to cheer on his teammates. He is heading into his junior year at Marshall this fall.

The AppleSox wrap up the series against the NorthPaws Thursday night on Host Parent Appreciation Night. First pitch is at 6:35 and host parents will be honored before the game on the field. Tickets are available at applesox.com/schedule

AppleSox Host NorthPaws On Mental Health Awareness Night

First Pitch: 6:35 p.m.
Park: Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium
Tickets: applesox.com/schedule
Watch: wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv
Listen: kcsyfm.com

GAME NOTES

Wenatchee Probable Pitcher: Hunter Gibson makes his second start of the summer and first since June 25 tonight… The right-handed from Northern Colorado has no record and a 7.71 ERA in three games this summer… Gibson has struck out six, walked four and allowed 11 hits over 9.1 innings… The Ellensburg native surrendered three runs in 3.1 innings July 9 vs. Edmonton in his most recent outing… Gibson has a 4.39 ERA with 46 strikeouts, 13 walks and 54 hits allowed over 55.1 innings in 16 games over three seasons with the AppleSox…

Kamloops Probable Pitcher: Cade Webber makes his second start and 11th appearance of the summer for the NorthPaws… The right-hander from Arizona Western is 1-1 with a 5.47 ERA, 20 strikeouts, 10 walks and 21 hits over 23 innings… His numbers have been hurt by surrendering seven runs in three innings June 28 vs. Walla Walla but has surrendered three earned runs or less in each of his nine other outings… Webber has not allowed a run, earned or unearned, over his last four games, spanning 10.2 innings…

Last Night: The AppleSox finished three runs away from setting their season-high single-game run output with a 15-0 win over the NorthPaws… Wenatchee recorded its second shutout of the summer (third, including non-league play) and improved to 17-1 in three seasons against Kamloops…

New Strikeout King: Quincy Vassar became the AppleSox’ all-time leader in strikeouts with six punchouts over six innings last night… The Brewster native passed 2017-18 right-hander Hunter Boyd with his third strikeout of the night and 111th of his career… Vassar is now three innings away from also becoming the AppleSox’ all-time leader in innings pitched as he currently sits at 119.2… Fellow active AppleSox pitcher Evan Canfield is third in franchise history with 100 strikeouts…

Runs, Runs, Runs: The AppleSox are now 80 runs away from topping their single-season runs scored record of 388 from 2022… Last night was Wenatchee’s third straight game and 14th time overall scoring double-digit runs and improved to 13-1 when striking at least 10 times… The AppleSox plated five runs in the third and four in the fifth to score at least four runs in an inning for the fifth and sixth times in the last four games… Wenatchee just needs to average 5.7 runs per game over the final 14 games to set a new franchise record for the second time in the Mitch Darlington era…

Dougherty Does It Again: Aidan Dougherty moved into a tie for second in the WCL in RBI with six runs driven in last night… He recorded the most RBI in a single game by an AppleSox player since Aiva Arquette on July 29, 2022 at Kamloops… Dougherty is making a serious case for WCL MVP with a .360 batting average (third in the WCL), 18 stolen bases (second), a .455 on-base percentage (fifth), 32 runs (sixth) and 45 hits (tied for seventh)… His two steals last night moved him into a tie with Izzy Lopez (2023 alum) and Kyle Johnson (2009 alum) for the fourth-most in a single summer in franchise history… Dougherty’s next steal will tie him with Stephen Ventimilla (2012) alum for the third place…

First Half Champs: For the first time since the two-half playoff berths began being awarded in 2016 the AppleSox have won the North Division first half title and have locked up home-field advantage as the top seed in the first round of the playoffs… This is the 16th playoff berth in franchise history and the fourth in the last five seasons… Wenatchee had to wait for the result of Edmonton's game on Monday before officially claiming the title… The AppleSox and the Riverhawks both finished with 18-9 records in the first half but Wenatchee (+37) held a better run differential than the Riverhawks (+35)…

Stretch Run: Only 14 games remain in the regular season and the AppleSox are still pushing to lock up home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game and the West Coast League Championship Game, if they can reach them... Wenatchee’s 27-13 mark is currently tops in the entire North Division and would earn them home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game if the season ended today and they reached it... The AppleSox have the third-best record in the WCL behind Corvallis (30-10) and Portland (29-11)... Wenatchee is also ahead of Edmonton by a game-and-a-half for first place in the North in the second half...

Vassar Sets AppleSox’ Strikeout Record In Shutout Win Over Kamloops

The Wenatchee AppleSox earned their fourth straight victory with a 15-0 triumph over the Kamloops NorthPaws on Tuesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Quincy Vassar (2-3) struck out six in six scoreless innings to earn his first win at home this summer and second vs. Kamloops. His third strikeout of the game was the 111th in his AppleSox’ career to move him past Hunter Boyd (2017-18) for the most strikeouts in team history.

Karsten Sweum, Josh Mejia and Conner Ashworth followed Vassar with singular scoreless innings apiece. Sweum retired the side in order in the seventh, Mejia punched out while stranding two runners in the eighth and Ashworth punched out the side in the ninth.

Wenatchee () scored in every inning from the second through the sixth and scored nine-or-more runs for a fourth straight game. The AppleSox plated five runs in the third and four in the fifth to plate at least four runs in an inning for the fifth and sixth times in the last four games.

Aidan Dougherty led the offensive onslaught with a 6-RBI game. He also walked twice to reach base safely in all five of his plate appearances. Dougherty finished 3 RBI away from breaking Wenatchee’s single-game record. He singled in a run in the fourth and later scored on a steal of third and a throwing error into left field. The incoming junior at UConn cleared the bases with a 3-RBI triple in the fifth before driving in a pair on another single in the sixth.

Dougherty drew a walk after Max Hartman’s leadoff single in the third to set the table for Evan Cloyd, who tripled both men in before scoring himself a batter later when James Castagnola launched his first home run of the season over the left-field fence. Kanoa Morisaki nearly went deep three batters later off the right-field fence but settled for a two-out RBI double for the his first knock of a three-hit night.

Matthew Henning joined the fun late by pinch-hitting for Hartman non the fifth after Hartman finished 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. Henning recorded back-to-back bases-loaded RBI singles in the fifth and sixth in his second game in WCL action.

The AppleSox still hold the best record in the North Division and remain in first place in the second half after already having won the first half and locked up a postseason berth. Wenatchee will host Game 2 of the North Division Series on Sunday, Aug. 11 at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium and goes for its 10th series win on Wednesday night at 6:35. Tickets for Mental Health Awareness Night are available at applesox.com/schedule

Vassar Looks To Make AppleSox History Tonight

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: Quincy Vassar makes his seventh start of the summer and the fifth in his career against Kamloops... He is 1-3 with a 4.02 ERA, 21 strikeouts, nine walks and 33 hits over 31.1 innings in six games... Vassar’s lone win this summer was against the NorthPaws June 15, when he allowed two runs in six innings, but none until there were two outs in the sixth... The southpaw from Brewster punched out a season-high five batters in that game and is 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA, 24 strikeouts, four walks and 14 hits over 23 innings in four starts vs. the NorthPaws over the last three seasons...

Kamloops Probable Pitcher: Sawyer Jensen has been dominant in four starts for the NorthPaws and now looks to keep his incredible work tonight... The right-hander from Trinidad State Junior College is 1-1 with a 1.22 ERA, 17 strikeouts, 11 walks and 19 hits over 29.1 innings... Jensen has pitched at least six innings in every outing, with his longest outing a complete-game victory vs. Edmonton July 7... In his last outing, Jensen hurled seven scoreless innings with two strikeouts, two walks and three hits at Port Angeles July 14...

Last Weekend: The AppleSox earned their fourth sweep of the summer by taking down the Yakima Valley Pippins at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium... Wenatchee picked up its ninth series victory by twice rallying back from deficits in the seventh inning or later... The AppleSox scored at least nine runs in all three games and have scored that many in a game 17 times this season...

The NorthPaws: Are last in the North Division in overall record and tied for last in the second half... Were swept by Nanaimo last weekend and have lost five of their last six games... Have the worst batting average in the WCL (.222) and the second-worst ERA (5.70)... Dropped all three games to the AppleSox June 14-16 at Norbrock Stadium and are 1-16 all-time vs. Wenatchee...

Vassar’s Chance At History: Quincy Vassar enters tonight’s game three strikeouts away from becoming the AppleSox all-time leader... His 108 punchouts over the last three seasons are the most by any West Coast League pitcher and are the second-most in Wenatchee history behind Hunter Boyd (110)... His 113.2 innings are third-most in AppleSox history... Vassar is nine innings away from passing Beau Kerns (122.1, 2012-13)...

Boesel Is Back: AppleSox right-hander Carson Boesel made his first appearance on Sunday since June 30 and picked up right where he left off, recording his team-leading fifth victory with 1.1 scoreless innings... He leads all active WCL players in wins and is one-of-three AppleSox pitchers to be 4-0 or better (David James, Andrew Monson)... The last time that the AppleSox had three pitchers record at least five wins apiece was 2012 (KJ Edson, 6-0; Derek Callahan, 6-2; Bryce Jackson, 5-1)...

Black and Blue: With two players hit by a pitch in the eighth inning last night, the 2024 AppleSox have passed the 2011 team for the most hit by pitches in a summer in franchise history... James Castagnola was hit by a pitch with two outs to tie the record and then Jack Haferkamp was plunked three batters later with the bases loaded to set the new franchise record with 69 hit by pitches this summer...

Swipster: Aidan Dougherty’s 16 stolen bases are tied for seventh-most in a single AppleSox season with Matt Moynihan (2009)... His next steal will move him into a tie for sixth with Breland Almadova (2011)... Joichiro Oyama (2022) is Wenatchee’s and the WCL’s single-season stolen-base record holder with 42... Dougherty has swiped seven bags in six games this month...

First Half Champs: For the first time since the two-half playoff berths began being awarded in 2016 the AppleSox have won the North Division first half title and have locked up home-field advantage as the top seed in the first round of the playoffs… This is the 16th playoff berth in franchise history and the fourth in the last five seasons… Wenatchee had to wait for the result of Edmonton's game on Monday before officially claiming the title… The AppleSox and the Riverhawks both finished with 18-9 records in the first half but Wenatchee (+37) held a better run differential than the Riverhawks (+35)…

Stretch Run: Only 15 games remain in the regular season and the AppleSox are still pushing to lock up home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game and the West Coast League Championship Game, if they can reach them... Wenatchee’s 25-13 mark is currently tops in the entire North Division and would earn them home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game if the season ended today and they reached it... The AppleSox have the third-best record in the WCL behind Corvallis (29-10) and Portland (28-11)... Wenatchee is also ahead of Edmonton by a game-and-a-half for first place in the North in the second half...

AppleSox Earn Fourth Sweep Of 2024

The Wenatchee AppleSox rallied late for a second straight day and swept the Yakima Valley Pippins, 10-8, on Sunday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Wenatchee (26-13, 8-4 second half) scored four runs in the third and four more in the seventh to come-from-behind over the final three innings for the second straight game. Yakima Valley (16-23, second half) led 6-5 after six-and-a-half innings before surrendering four runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Jack Haferkamp led all AppleSox hitters with 3 RBI despite not entering until the seventh inning. He delivered a pinch-hit two-run double with the bases loaded in the seventh to put the AppleSox up 7-6 after surrendering four runs in the top of the inning. Matthew Henning recorded three hits and drove in two runs with a 2-RBI single right after Haferkamp in the seventh.

Carson Boesel (5-0) entered in the seventh inning for his first outing in a month and got the final out before firing a scoreless with two strikeouts. It was his first outing since getting the final three outs and earning the victory to clinch the North Division first half title June 30 at Bellingham.

The Pippins clawed back from a 5-0 deficit with two runs in the sixth and four in the seventh to take a brief lead before Haferkamp and Henning’s heroics.

The AppleSox got off to a hot start thanks to an RBI double from Jonathan Fitz in the second inning to plate the game’s first run. He added a sacrifice fly to plate the final run of a four-run bottom of the third follow a 2-RBI single by James Castagnola and an opposite field RBI single from Cannon Peery.

Wenatchee drew 11 walks, two off matching its season-high of 13. The AppleSox scored at least nine runs in a game for a third straight game and 17th time this summer. Wenatchee also improved to 15-6 at home, 7-0 on Sundays and 11-2 in the final game of a three-game series.

The AppleSox capped off their ninth series victory of the summer with their fourth sweep of 2024 and first of July. Wenatchee continues a lengthy home stretch with three games against the Kamloops NorthPaws this Tuesday-Thursday. Tickets are available at applesox.com/schedule

AppleSox Look To Win Season Series vs. Pippins

First Pitch: 7:05 p.m.
Park: Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium
Tickets: applesox.com/schedule
Watch: wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv
Listen: kcsyfm.com

Wenatchee Probable Pitcher: Garrett Ahern starts after an AppleSox win for just second time in what will be his sixth start of the summer tonight... The WCL All-Star is 2-0 with a 3.13 ERA in his first five outings and is coming off tossing a scoreless fourth inning in the midsummer classic last Wednesday at Joe Martin Field... Ahern fired a season-high 5.2 innings in his most recent start on July 10 to earn the win against Edmonton... The right-hander from Grand Canyon allowed three runs on five hits, two walks and four strikeouts... Ahern fired 4.1 innings at Yakima Valley on June 19, allowing one run on three hits, two walks and two strikeouts...

Yakima Probable Pitcher: Adam Brooks looks to snap a personal three-game losing streak tonight in his seventh start of the summer… The lefty from Puyallup is 1-4 with a 6.23 ERA, 18 strikeouts, 21 walks and 19 hits allowed over 21.2 innings… Brooks last pitched on July 6 at Bend and surrendered seven runs over three innings… The incoming sophomore at Northwest Nazarene has walked at least three in five games this summer…

Last Night: The AppleSox erased a two-run deficit while down to their final six outs by scoring five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and won, 12-9… James Castagnola collected three hits and drove in two runs while Luca Boscarino plated three with two hits… Cam Hoiland earned a no-decision but struck out seven over six innings while allowing three runs and retiring 11 straight hitters at one point…

No Quit: Last night marked the fifth time that the AppleSox came back to win despite trailing after six innings… That figure is second-best in the WCL after Edmonton’s seven wins when down after six innings… Wenatchee is far more often used to leading six innings and is 17-1 in those scenarios…

Top Offense: The AppleSox lead the WCL in batting average (.289) and runs scored (271)... Wenatchee has scored 36 more runs than the next-closest team (Portland) and faces the team with the second-worst ERA in the WCL in Yakima Valley (5.57 ERA)...

Swipster: Aidan Dougherty stole his team-leading 16th base in the first last night and moved into a tie with for seventh-most in a single AppleSox season with Matt Moynihan (2009)... His next steal will move him into a tie for sixth with Breland Almadova (2011)... Joichiro Oyama (2022) is Wenatchee’s and the WCL’s single-season stolen-base record holder with 42...

First Half Champs: For the first time since the two-half playoff berths began being awarded in 2016 the AppleSox have won the North Division first half title and have locked up home-field advantage as the top seed in the first round of the playoffs… This is the 16th playoff berth in franchise history and the fourth in the last five seasons… Wenatchee had to wait for the result of Edmonton's game on Monday before officially claiming the title… The AppleSox and the Riverhawks both finished with 18-9 records in the first half but Wenatchee (+37) held a better run differential than the Riverhawks (+35)…

Stretch Run: Only 16 games remain in the regular season and the AppleSox are still pushing to lock up home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game and the West Coast League Championship Game, if they can reach them... Wenatchee’s 25-13 mark is currently tops in the entire North Division and would earn them home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game if the season ended today and they reached it... The AppleSox have the third-best record in the WCL behind Corvallis (29-9) and Portland (27-11)... Wenatchee is also ahead of Edmonton by a game-and-a-half for first place in the North in the second half...

Cloyd Commits: AppleSox first baseman Evan Cloyd announced his commitment to Cal State Bakersfield yesterday… He is on a tear at the plate, batting .360 with two home runs, six doubles and 13 RBI in 14 games… Cloyd is currently on a six-game hitting streak, batting .478 (11-for-23) with four doubles and a home run over it…

Nine-Or-More: Wenatchee has scored at least nine runs in each of the first two games of this series and now has scored nine-or-more runs in a game 16 times this summer… The AppleSox’ 283 runs lead the West Coast League and they are 13-3 when scoring at least nine times…

Five-Run Eighth Propels AppleSox Past Pippins

Trailing 9-7 entering the bottom of the eighth the Wenatchee AppleSox scored five runs to defeat the Yakima Valley Pippins, 12-9, on Saturday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

All nine hitters came to the plate and each of first four reached base before the first out was recorded. Hunter Friedberg hit a go-ahead RBI single after James Castagnola singled in one and Luca Boscarino reached on a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded to tie the game. Boscarino scored on a wild pitch and Garrett Cutting singled in another run to cap the crazy frame.

Cam Hoiland surrendered three runs over six innings and struck out a season-high seven. He recorded three straight 1-2-3 innings in the third, fourth and fifth and retired 11 straight hitters at one point.

After Hoiland’s first 1-2-3 inning in the third Wenatchee struck twice to take the lead and then tacked on two more in the fourth for insurance. That 7-3 held until Yakima Valley scored six times in the top of the seventh when seven straight hitters reached base between the first and second outs.

Yakima Valley struck first with a two-spot on an RBI double by Julian Angulo in the first but Wenatchee answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame thanks to two Pippins errors. Castagnola singled in a run and advanced to second on the throw home. The subsequent throw to second base sailed into center field and allowed another run to score. Castagnola would come across two batters later on a two-out RBI single by Jack Haferkamp.

Boscarino singled in the first run of the third before Friedberg hit a sacrifice fly as Wenatchee retook the lead. The AppleSox then added two in the fourth when Boscarino hit a 2-RBI double and Evan Cloyd scored from third on a walk.

Andrew Monson (4-0) allowed one run in Yakima Valley’s big seventh inning but recovered to face the minimum in each of the next two innings to secure the win.

The AppleSox wrap up the series with the Pippins on Sunday at 7:05 p.m. on team poster giveaway day. If you can’t make it to Pybus Public Market at 1 p.m. to meet the team, come to the game to get your own free AppleSox team poster. Tickets are available at applesox.com/schedule

AppleSox Look For Series Win vs. Pippins

First Pitch: 7:05 p.m.
Park: Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium
Tickets: applesox.com/schedule
Watch: wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv
Listen: kcsyfm.com


GAME NOTES

Wenatchee Probable Pitcher: Cam Hoiland faces Yakima Valley for the first time a day after recording three hits… The southpaw from Cal Poly is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA, eight strikeouts, seven walks and 12 hits over 13 innings in four games (three starts)… He did not allow any runs in his first three innings vs. Edmonton July 11 before surrendering three runs and getting two outs in the fourth before departing… Hoiland struck out three in that game, one off his season high from June 24…

Yakima Valley Probable Pitcher: AJ Hendrickson makes his fourth appearance and second start tonight... The righty and incoming sophomore at Everett Community College is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA, four strikeouts, five walks and 13 hits over 10 innings... He gave up three runs (one earned) in six innings vs. Cowlitz on July 4 in his first start...

Last Night: The AppleSox scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning to break a 2-2 tie and take the lead for good as they defeated the Pippins, 9-2... Aidan Dougherty led the way with three hits and 4 RBI while Cam Hoiland also delivered a three-hit game and Evan Cloyd homered and doubled in another run...

Drafted: Two AppleSox players were selected in the 2024 MLB Draft earlier this week... 2022 alum Matt Halbach was selected in the 10th Round by the Chicago Cubs and 2024 player Jace Hampson was selected in the 18th Round by the New York Mets... Halbach earned All-WCL Honorable Mention after hitting .329 with 17 multi-hit games two summers ago... Hampson played three games in WCL play and two non-league games this summer...

2024 WCL All-Stars: Garrett Ahern, Evan Canfield, Jonathan Fitz, Max Hartman and Quincy Vassar all represented the AppleSox as 2024 WCL All-Stars this past Wednesday at Joe Martin Field... Ahern helped turn a double play in a scoreless fourth inning, Vassar struck out in a scoreless sixth and Hartman walked and stole second in the third...

Top Offense: The AppleSox lead the WCL in batting average (.289) and runs scored (271)... Wenatchee has scored 36 more runs than the next-closest team (Portland) and faces the team with the second-worst ERA in the WCL in Yakima Valley (5.57 ERA)...

Swipster: Aidan Dougherty stole his team-leading 15th base in the sixth last night and moved into a tie with Enzo Apodaca (2021) for the eighth-most in a single season in franchise history... One more steal moves him into a tie for seventh with Matt Moynihan (2009) and two more steals move him into a tie for sixth with Breland Almadova (2011)... Joichiro Oyama (2022) is Wenatchee’s and the WCL’s single-season stolen-base record holder with 42...

First Half Champs: For the first time since the two-half playoff berths began being awarded in 2016 the AppleSox have won the North Division first half title and have locked up home-field advantage as the top seed in the first round of the playoffs… This is the 16th playoff berth in franchise history and the fourth in the last five seasons… Wenatchee had to wait for the result of Edmonton's game on Monday before officially claiming the title… The AppleSox and the Riverhawks both finished with 18-9 records in the first half but Wenatchee (+37) held a better run differential than the Riverhawks (+35)…

Stretch Run: Only 17 games remain in the regular season and the AppleSox are still pushing to lock up home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game and the West Coast League Championship Game, if they can reach them... Wenatchee’s 24-13 mark is currently tops in the entire North Division and would earn them home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game if the season ended today and they reached it... The AppleSox have the third-best record in the WCL behind Corvallis (29-8) and Portland (26-11)...

Three Big Innings Lead AppleSox To Weekend-Opening Win

The Wenatchee AppleSox erupted for five runs in the bottom of the third and defeated the Yakima Valley Pippins, 9-2, on Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Wenatchee (24-13, 6-4 second half) got its best production from its 2-3-4 hitters as Max Hartman, Aidan Dougherty and Evan Cloyd combined to drive in six runs and score four runs. Hartman doubled twice, walked two times and scored two runs. Dougherty drove in four with three hits while also stealing his team-leading 15th bag. Cloyd homered in the first and doubled in a run in the third.

David James (4-0) moved into a tie with Carson Boesel for the team lead in victories with a season-high matching 2.2 innings. James did not allow any runs or hits and struck out one. He entered with a runner at first and one out in the fifth before firing back-to-back shutout innings in the sixth and seventh.

The AppleSox scored five runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead for good and break a 2-2 tie. Cam Hoiland recorded a leadoff double for his first of three hits on the night and then scored three batters later on a Dougherty double before he scored on a double by Cloyd. Jonathan Fitz hit a two-out 2-RBI single before Hoiland singled in the final run as the 10th batter of the inning.

The 2-3-4 hitters put the AppleSox on the board first in the bottom of the first inning when Hartman doubled and scored on a groundout by Dougherty before Cloyd hit an opposite-field home run for his second long ball of the summer. The Pippins answered with a two-spot in the top of the second but that would be all they would get.

Wenatchee tallied two more in the bottom of the eighth when Dougherty hit a two-out 2-RBI single. His stolen base in the sixth inning marked his team-leading 15th and moved him into a tie with Enzo Apodaca (2021) for the eighth-most in a single summer with the AppleSox.

The series continues Saturday night as All-Star right-handed pitcher Garrett Ahern gets the start. First pitch for each of the final two games of this series is 7:05 and tickets are available at applesox.com/schedule

Start Time Pushed Back For Each Game This Weekend

The Wenatchee AppleSox have pushed back the start time for all three games this weekend to 7:05 p.m. due to the heat in the Wenatchee Valley.

All previously purchased tickets for this weekend are still valid. Tickets can be purchased at applesox.com/schedule.

AppleSox Host Pippins On BNCW Night

First Pitch: 7:05 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: Ryan Martinez makes his fourth start of the summer tonight and his first since July 7 at Nanaimo... Martinez fired a scoreless third inning against the Cascade Collegiate League Showcase team in non-league action last Sunday in his most recent outing... Martinez has no record with a 3.95 ERA, seven strikeouts, two walks and 18 hits over 13.2 innings... He earned All-WCL Honorable Mention in 2023 and has fired at least five innings in eight-of-11 starts with the AppleSox over the last two summers... Martinez transferred from Pacific to Utah Tech last week...

Yakima Valley Probable Pitcher: Ethan Salscheider makes his second start vs. the AppleSox this season after allowing two runs over six innings on June 18... He struck out three, walked two and allowed six hits to earn his most recent victory... Salscheider is 3-3 with a 3.23 ERA, 26 strikeouts, 12 walks and 44 hits over 39 innings in seven games... The southpaw from Hawaii-Hilo is 5-8 with a 4.03 ERA in 20 games over the last three summers with Yakima Valley...

Season Series vs. Yakima Valley: Wenatchee dropped two-of-three games against Yakima Valley June 18-20 at Yakima County Stadium... The AppleSox are 2-4 vs. South Division opponents and 21-9 against North Division opponents... After this series Wenatchee does not face another South Division foe until Aug. 6-8 when it wraps up the regular season at Bend...

Last Weekend: The AppleSox swept both non-league games against the Cascade Collegiate League Showcase team, first with a 7-0 win last Saturday and a 21-5 triumph the next day... Wenatchee finished the season 3-1 in non-league action...

The Pippins: Are 3.5 games back of the Ridgefield Raptors for the final playoff spot, the second wild card in the South... Are four games back of the Raptors for the best record in the South in the second half and the second seed in the divisional playoffs... Dropped two-of-three games against Corvallis July 10-11 in their three most recent WCL games... Defeated the CCL last Friday, split the next two days against the Northwest Star Academy and then defeated the CCL again on Monday...

Drafted: Two AppleSox players were selected in the 2024 MLB Draft earlier this week... 2022 alum Matt Halbach was selected in the 10th Round by the Chicago Cubs and 2024 player Jace Hampson was selected in the 18th Round by the New York Mets... Halbach earned All-WCL Honorable Mention after hitting .329 with 17 multi-hit games two summers ago... Hampson played three games in WCL play and two non-league games this summer but signed with the Mets...

2024 WCL All-Stars: Garrett Ahern, Evan Canfield, Jonathan Fitz, Max Hartman and Quincy Vassar all represented the AppleSox as 2024 WCL All-Stars this past Wednesday at Joe Martin Field... Ahern helped turn a double play in a scoreless fourth inning, Vassar struck out in a scoreless sixth and Hartman walked and stole second in the third...

Top Offense: The AppleSox enter the post-All-Star Break with the best batting average (.287) and the most runs scored (262) in the WCL... Wenatchee has scored 34 more runs than the next-closest team (Portland) and faces the team with the second-worst ERA in the WCL in Yakima Valley (5.45)...

First Half Champs: For the first time since the two-half playoff berths began being awarded in 2016 the AppleSox have won the North Division first half title and have locked up home-field advantage as the top seed in the first round of the playoffs… This is the 16th playoff berth in franchise history and the fourth in the last five seasons… Wenatchee had to wait for the result of Edmonton's game on Monday before officially claiming the title… The AppleSox and the Riverhawks both finished with 18-9 records in the first half but Wenatchee (+37) held a better run differential than the Riverhawks (+35)…

Stretch Run: Only 18 games remain in the regular season and the AppleSox are still pushing to lock up home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game and the West Coast League Championship Game, if they can reach them... Wenatchee’s 23-13 mark is currently tops in the entire North Division and would earn them home-field advantage for the North Division Championship Game if the season ended today and they reached it... The AppleSox have the third-best record in the WCL behind Corvallis (28-8) and Portland (26-9)...

Hampson Selected By Mets In 18th Round

Wenatchee AppleSox infielder/pitcher Jace Hampson got to realize a dream come true when he was selected by the New York Mets in the 18th round of the 2024 MLB Draft on Tuesday.

Hampson, an incoming freshman at Everett Community College, made his AppleSox debut last Tuesday by appearing at third base against the Edmonton Riverhawks. He then made back-to-back starts at shortstop before making his summer pitching debut last Saturday against the Cascade Collegiate League Showcase team, striking out three hitters on just 17 pitches. Thirteen of those pitches went for at least 90-miles per hour, including hitting 94-miles per hour on his first pitch of the game.

The Snohomish native was the eighth-best prospect in Washington and the second-best at shortstop. Perfect Game also had him as the eighth-best prospect and the best at third base. Hampson hit .393 in nine games as a senior at Lynwood High School this spring and also did not allow any runs in three appearances with 30 strikeouts, three walks and five hits allowed over 13.2 innings.

Hampson joines Matt Halbach as players to have suited up for the AppleSox to be selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. Twenty two former AppleSox players have gone on to appear in at least one MLB game.

AppleSox Alum Halbach Selected In MLB Draft

Former Wenatchee AppleSox player Matt Halbach was selected by the Chicago Cubs on Monday in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Halbach played for the AppleSox in 2022 and earned All-WCL Honorable Mention after hitting .329 with 17 multi-hit games. He showcased his versatility by playing first base, third base, left field and right field. The then-incoming sophomore at UC San Diego regularly batted either second or third in the AppleSox batting order and never went back-to-back games without collecting a base hit until his final two games of the regular season.

‘Matt The Bat,’ as he was known to be called by cheering AppleSox fans, recorded a personal-best eight-game hitting streak July 3-15 and batted .371 during it. Two of his most exciting moments of the season came during that streak when he hit a go-ahead and eventual game-winning home run in the fifth inning against Kelowna July 5 and then hit a game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the ninth against Corvallis July 15. Halbach helped the AppleSox walk off the Knights on July 16 when he reached on an error in the ninth for Wenatchee’s only walkoff victory of 2022.

The San Jose native went on to play for the Orleans Firebirds in the Cape Cod League last summer and hit .364 in 32 games to earn a spot on All-League team and an All-Star berth. Halbach helped Orleans reach the Cape Code League Championship by recording eight extra-base hits and 15 RBI.

Halbach’s success in the Cape Cod League is even more impressive after climbing from the Expedition League in 2021 to the WCL in 2022 before the last jump to the highest level of summer collegiate baseball. He hit .333 in 28 games with the Hastings Sodbusters.

In three seasons at the University of California San Diego, Halbach has batted .311 over 121 games in three seasons. He was limited due to injury in 2024 but ranked 87th overall in D1Baseball's midseason Top-100 MLB Draft prospect rankings and was named to the Big West Preseason Coaches Team. Last year Halbach hit .306 (third-best on the Tritons) while recording 15 doubles, five home runs and leading the conference with five triples to earn All-Big West First Team honors. As a freshman he recorded a team-best three triples and ranked fifth on the Tritons with a .270 batting average, fourth in slugging percentage (.432) and fifth with 29 runs scored.

Halbach becomes the second player coached by AppleSox skipper Mitch Darlington to be selected in the MLB Draft, joining Aiva Arquette, who was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022. Rounds 11-20 take place Tuesday at 11 a.m. PST and can be seen on MLB.com.

Ahern Added To All-Star Game

Wenatchee AppleSox right-hander Garrett Ahern has been added to the North Division’s roster for Wednesday’s West Coast League All-Star Game.

Ahern, an incoming sophomore at Grand Canyon, is 2-0 with a 3.13 ERA in five games. He has struck out 23, walked seven and allowed 22 hits over 23 innings. The AppleSox have won every game that he has pitched and he has tied the rubber four times after a loss.

The Gilbert, Ariz. native has recorded six strikeouts in a game twice, first in four innings against Bellingham in his season debut June 12 and again over four innings vs. Victoria July 3. Ahern tossed a season-high 5.2 innings vs. Edmonton last Wednesday in his most recent start.

Ahern joins Evan Canfield, Jonathan Fitz, Max Hartman and Quincy Vassar as AppleSox representatives in Bellingham at the All-Star Game. First pitch is at 6:35 and the game will be televised on MLB Network, MLB TV and MLB.com