WALLA WALLA, WA- The Walla Walla Sweets fell in game two of the final homestand 9-5 to the Portland Pickles as the Pickles clinched a series win vs Walla Walla at Borleske. With the loss the Sweets move to 19-34 and 9-17 in the second half.

Walla Walla got on the board first as Aidan Espinoza worked with a pair of base runners aboard with no outs to start off the bottom of the first. Espinoza drove in Kennedy Hara on a base hit to right field giving the Sweets a 1-0 lead however the Sweets didn’t add any more runs in the inning leaving two left on base.

The Pickles answered by exploding for four runs in the top of the third taking a 4-1 lead into the bottom half of the inning. In the bottom of the third, the Sweets found a pair of runs by way of a two-run double from Andrew Graham cutting the lead to one going into the fourth.

Both teams were blanked in the fourth, but the Pickles found another massive inning in the top of the fifth. In the fifth, the Pickles drove in five runs highlighted by Dalton Mashore’s RBI double to start off the big inning.

Walla Walla had a strong relief appearance from Jeb Callaghan who tied a Sweets season-best eight strikeouts, but the Sweets struggled offensively being blanked until the ninth inning.

In the ninth Walla Walla showed life getting lead-off base runners aboard as Leo Rivera was driven in by Vicente Feliciano to cut the lead to five. Espinoza returned to the plate however hit into a 6-4-3 double play but drove in the game’s final run making the final 9-5 from Walla Walla.

Sweets by the Numbers

• Jeb Callaghan went 3.1 IP allowing striking out a season best 8 batters
• Feliciano went 3/3 with an RBI in the loss
• Walla Walla committed two errors putting the season total at 101

 Up Next

The Sweets finish the year tomorrow 8/6/23 vs Portland at 7:05 PM