WALLA WALLA, Wash. (June 18, 2026) – After two nights packed with offense, the Walla Walla Sweets made sure the final word belonged to them.

The Sweets bounced back from Wednesday’s wild finish with a 9-6 win over the Marion Berries on Thursday night at Borleske Stadium, claiming their third consecutive home series and wrapping up a three-game set in which they scored 43 runs.

Marion brought home the first run of the night, but Walla Walla quickly answered in the bottom of the first. Payton Knowles, Trevor Tse and Mateo Rickman all reached to load the bases before Gaines Haussin and Gunner Geile drew back-to-back walks, giving the Sweets a 2-1 lead.

Sam Kane added to that advantage in the second, launching a solo home run to make it 3-1. Kane has now homered in back-to-back games and leads the Sweets with three long balls this summer.

Walla Walla kept building in the fourth. Knowles and Tse reached ahead of Rickman, who brought home Knowles with an RBI groundout. Royce Hale followed with an RBI single to right field, scoring Tse and stretching the lead to 5-1.

After Marion cut into the lead in the fifth, the Sweets responded with their biggest inning of the night.

Kane opened the frame with a double before Knowles drove him home with a double of his own. Tse and Rickman then reached to load the bases for Hale, who lined his second RBI single of the night into right field. The play brought home three runs after an error in the outfield, giving Walla Walla a 9-2 advantage.

Hale finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, putting the finishing touches on an impressive first series in a Sweets uniform. The newcomer went 7-for-14 with four extra-base hits and seven RBIs over the three games against Marion.

Kane also collected two hits, scored twice and drove in a run. Knowles reached four times with a double, three walks and three runs scored, while Tse walked twice and scored twice. Geile reached base three times and added an RBI and a stolen base.

On the mound, DJ Kauahi gave Walla Walla five strong innings to earn his second win of the season. He allowed two runs on four hits while striking out eight.

Curtis Ellis struck out two in a clean inning of relief, and Carson McKinney added two more strikeouts in the seventh. Isaac Hallam handled the final two frames, allowing one run and striking out two to finish the win.

The Sweets pitching staff totaled 14 strikeouts, giving the club double-digit punchouts for the 13th time in 16 games this season.

Walla Walla’s offense scored 15 runs Tuesday, a season-high 19 Wednesday and nine more in Thursday’s finale. The 43 runs marked the Sweets’ highest total in a three-game series this summer.

The Sweets now head back on the road for a matchup with the current WCL South Division-leading Ridgefield Raptors. The three-game series begins Friday, June 19, at 6:35 p.m. at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex.