WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The Sweets bounced back after dropping their final two games on the road and won their series opener against the Cowlitz Black Bears 1-0. It is the fifth shutout of the season for Sweets’ pitching, which is tied for a season-high in franchise history. Walla Walla has recorded five shutouts in three other seasons: 2013, 2016, and most recently, 2018.

Walla Walla was powered by two great performances on the mound. Zach Hangas made his ninth start of the season and tossed a solid seven innings. Four hits and a walk were scattered throughout the outing, but for the most part, Hangas dominated with four 1-2-3 innings.

Hangas also tied a career-high of his with six strikeouts. It is the third time he has recorded six punchouts in an outing, with the last being June 7 against the Portland Pickles.

With the seven innings pitched, Hangas’ career totals move up to 115.2, one inning away from tying the franchise record. For the time being, Ryan Richardson (2010-11) is still the all-time Sweets leader in career innings pitched.

At the plate, the Sweets didn’t get many hits, but they made the ones they did get count. In the fourth inning, Cort MacDonald got aboard with a leadoff single. It was his second hit of the game, giving him nine multi-hit games on the year.

Logan Meyer drew a two-out walk a few plate appearances later to extend the inning and put two runners aboard. JJ Moran then stepped up to the plate and delivered the final hit of the game for the Sweets: an RBI single to left field. MacDonald scored easily on the knock giving the Sweets a 1-0 lead.

Nate Naccarato pitched the final two innings of the game for the Sweets to keep the shoutout intact. One hitter got on, but outside of that lone hit, Naccarato cruised through the final batters, getting two strikeouts and recording a 1-2-3 ninth inning to get the win.

Hangas got the win, improving his record to 3-1, and Naccarato got his second save of the season.

With the win, the Sweets improve to 8-15 in the second half and 17-32 overall. The Sweets move one game closer to their mark set last season and are now three wins away from tying to 2023 team. Walla Walla has also won their last four series openers in a row, dating back to their July 23 win over the Yakima Valley Pippins.

Game two of the series is set for Saturday, August 3. The Sweets look to clinch their fifth series of the season. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. and Sweets’ coverage of the game can be found on their YouTube channel.