YAKIMA, Wash. (May 30, 2026) – The Walla Walla Sweets played a much cleaner game defensively on Saturday night and got another solid strikeout showing from the pitching staff, but the offense had a tougher time getting going in a 7-1 loss to the Yakima Valley Pippins at Yakima County Stadium.

After Friday’s 11-9 opener, Saturday’s game settled into a slower pace early. The Sweets kept the Pippins off the board through the first four innings, with DJ Kauahi working through traffic and giving Walla Walla a chance to stay close.

Kauahi made his first start of the summer and finished with five innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking just one. The right-hander held Yakima Valley scoreless until the fifth, when the Pippins broke through for three runs to take the lead.

Walla Walla’s best offensive chance came in the eighth. Landon Runyan started things with a double, and Austin Owens followed with a single to put the Sweets in business. Payton Knowles then came through with an RBI single to center, bringing home Runyan and cutting the deficit to 3-1.

Knowles has been a bright spot through the first two games of the series. After homering and driving in three runs on Opening Day, he added another RBI on Saturday and is now 2-for-6 in the series with four RBIs, two walks and a .500 on-base percentage.

Runyan also continued to make an impact when called on, following up his RBI single Friday night with a double and a run scored Saturday.

Out of the bullpen, Andrew Cohen gave the Sweets 1.1 hitless innings and struck out three, while Nakoa Moses-Gomera worked a scoreless eighth. As a staff, Walla Walla finished with 10 strikeouts for the second straight night.

Yakima Valley added four runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull away, but the Sweets did show some positives to carry into the series finale, especially with the cleaner defense, better communication and continued swing-and-miss from the pitching staff.

The Sweets will wrap up the opening series on Sunday, May 31, against the Yakima Valley Pippins. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. at Yakima County Stadium.