Walla Walla, Wash. – The Sweets head into the All-Star break with a bang as they brought out the power bats on Saturday night. Walla Walla downed the River City A’s by a final score of 14-1 thanks to a four-homerun performance that accounted for nine of the Sweets runs.

It did not take long for Walla Walla to move out in front on the scoreboard. A leadoff single for Mitch Lesmeister in the bottom of the first was followed by a two-out, two-run homerun by Ben Fariss to left field to make it 2-0.

The Sweets added on in the bottom of the fourth off A’s starter Blake Collier. Josh Kutzke led off the frame with a single through the right side of the infield which was followed up by an Isaak Gutierrez single to put runners on the corners with nobody out.

Then a wild pitch allowed Kutzke to scamper home safely to make it 3-0. With Gutierrez on third and two outs, Lesmeister blasted a ball over the head of the centerfielder for an RBI double to extend the lead to 4-0.

A Dimick Wood walk put runners on first and second with still two outs. Then Matt Elser hammered a ball into left field that one-hopped the wall to drive in the run from second to make it 5-0.

Ty Hueckman got the start for the Sweets and was sensational out on the mound. He finished the day going five impressive innings while not allowing a run and only surrendering one base hit.

The flood gates opened up in the bottom of the fifth for Walla Walla. Tyson Quolas led off the inning with a single through the right side of the infield.

Then Kutzke drilled a two-run homerun over the left field wall that left the yard in a hurry to push the lead out to 7-0. Back-to-back singles from Willy Chang and Quentin LaFontaine put runners on first and second which ended Collier’s day on the mound as Drew Daves took over for River City.

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Wood then singled to left field to load the bases with two outs. Elser followed suit with a single to left field to drive in another run which made it 8-0.

With the bases still loaded, Fariss drew a walk on a 3-2 count which pushed across the fourth run of the inning as the lead swelled out to 9-0. River City got their only run of the game in the top of the sixth off Sweets reliever Cole Schoepke.

Carson Green smoked a ball into right field that got out to the wall for a one-out triple. Then Cody Kale flipped a single into left field to plate the run which trimmed the lead down to eight at 9-1.

With Daves still on the mound for the A’s, Walla Walla poured on some insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. A Fariss walk, a Quolas double and a Kutzke walk loaded the bases with one out in the frame.

Gutierrez then strode to the plate and crushed a ball well over the left field wall for a grand slam homerun to make it 13-1. The very next batter, Robby Teel, followed suit as he hammerd a shot deep to left field that cleared the wall for a solo homerun which gave the Sweets their final tally of the ball game and pushed the lead out to 14-1.

Bryce Moyle and Gutierrez tossed scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth respectively to end the game by the final score of 14-1.

The Sweets will have a few days off for the All-Star break before getting back to West Coast League play. They open up a three-game series on Wednesday as the first-half WCL North Division champs, the Bellingham Bells, come to town.

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