After a quiet top of the first, the Sweets wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Trevor Tse singled to center to lead off the inning, followed by a single from Landon Young. Dominic Cadiz drew a walk to load the bases, and Billy Scaldeferri’s sacrifice fly to right brought Tse home for the game’s first run. Owen Estabrook flied out to center for the second out, but Tanner Kern singled to center to score Young after a fielding error, giving Walla Walla a quick 2-0 lead.

Portland answered in the top of the third. After a strikeout from Petey Soto Jr., Jordan Lewis worked a walk and stole second. Aiden Taurek followed with a two-run homer to left to tie the game at 2-2.

The Sweets quickly reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Cadiz launched his team-leading fourth home run of the season over the left field fence to make it 3-2. He finished the night with two hits and a walk, raising his season batting average to .433.

The Pickles evened it up again in the fourth as West Coast League home run leader Josh Schleichardt blasted his 12th homer of the season — a solo shot to left. It marked his eighth home run in the last 10 games, pulling him within three of tying the WCL single-season record of 15.

After four innings, Aidan Rady’s night was done. The Sweets starter allowed three earned runs over four innings with a pair of strikeouts.

In the bottom of the sixth, Walla Walla took the lead for good. Estabrook led off with a walk, and after a flyout by Kern, Gunner Giele crushed a two-run homer to left in his Sweets debut, making it a 5-3 ballgame.

The Sweets added insurance in the seventh. Cadiz singled, and Scaldeferri was hit by a pitch to put two aboard. Estabrook moved them up with a sacrifice bunt before Kern reached on an error, allowing Cadiz to score. A wild pitch later in the at-bat brought Scaldeferri home to give Walla Walla a 7-3 advantage.

From there, Alex Figueroa closed it out, tossing two scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and a walk to lower his ERA to 2.18 on the season.

With the win, the Sweets improved to 2-2 on the year against Portland. Both of the Pickles’ losses this season have now come at the hands of Walla Walla.

The series continues Wednesday night at Borleske Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Coverage will begin at 6:20 on the Walla Walla Sweets YouTube channel.