Walla Walla, Wash. – It was another great season of Sweets baseball at Borleske Stadium in 2018 thanks to the tremendous support of the Walla Walla community. For the ninth consecutive season, the Sweets ranked in the top 50 of Ballpark Business’s 2018 Summer Collegiate Top 100 Attendance Rankings.

“The continued support for this team from the community has been truly incredible,” said Sweets team president Zachary Fraser. “Year in and year out our fans pack Borleske Stadium and make it such a fun and electric environment. It means a great deal to all of us to have such a passionate fan base that continues to get acknowledgement as one of the top draws in collegiate summer baseball.”

The Sweets came in at 49 on this year’s Ballpark Business attendance rankings with an average of 1,255 fans per game. Including non-league games, Walla Walla drew over 38,000 fans to Borleske Stadium this summer.

Fans that came out to watch the Sweets play at home this season were treated to a lot of winning. Walla Walla finished with an impressive overall record of 24-8 at Borleske Stadium in addition to going 9-0 in series at home against West Coast League opponents.

There were a lot of exciting promotions throughout the 2018 season at home for the Sweets as well. Adam West Night featured caped crusader inspired uniforms, a commemorative Sweets statue giveaway, and a fantastic post-game firework display.

The famous ‘Who’s on First?’ skit was brought to life on Abbott and Costello Night with St. Louis Wolves jerseys that featured players’ names from the routine. Fans saw what could have been with the three-game Walla Walla Wallabies series where the Sweets wore alternate reality Wallabies uniforms.

Mariner Moose came out and put on a show for Walla Walla fans while terrorizing the team’s on-field emcee Sean McKillip. There were Terrific Tuesdays, BOGO Wednesdays, Throwback Thursdays, Bud Light Batting Practices and much more.

The collective efforts of the team’s management and staff culminated into what was yet another terrific season of Walla Walla Sweets baseball, which as always was made entirely possible by the team’s incredible fan base. With the team’s tenth season upcoming in 2019, expect more of the same in what will undoubtedly be another fun and thrilling summer of Walla Walla Sweets baseball.

Longview, Wash. – For the second time in three games, the Sweets offense fell silent against the Black Bears. Walla Walla dropped the season finale to Cowlitz by the final score of 3-0 at Story Field on Wednesday night.

Michael Peterson got the start for the Sweets and ran into some trouble in the bottom of the first inning. A walk, a single and an error loaded the bases with two outs.

Then a weakly hit fly ball into right field looked as though it was going to drop in to score multiple runs. Instead, Cesar Lopez laid out and made a miraculous diving catch to end the inning which kept the Black Bears off the scoreboard.

Cowlitz finally broke through though in the bottom of the third. A single through the left side of the infield put a runner on first with two outs in the frame.

Andrew Walling then laced a ball into the left-centerfield gap that got out to the wall for an RBI double to give Cowlitz the lead at 1-0.

The only other offense in the game came in the bottom of the fourth inning. With Peterson still on the mound, back-to-back walks to start the frame put runners on first and second with nobody out.

A questionable balk to the next batter then moved both runners into scoring position at second and third. After a flyout, the infield was drawn in with two strikes on the batter Jonathan Hodo.

He then flipped a base hit just over the head of Jack Filby at shortstop for an RBI single to make it 2-0. That brought Brayde Hirai to the mound for Walla Walla as he inherited a one out, runners on the corners situation.

On an 0-1 count, a ball in the dirt was blocked down by Josh Prizina behind the plate. The runner from third took an aggressive jump on the low pitch, and Prizina came up throwing to third.

He ended up launching the throw into left field which allowed the runner from third to score easily to make it 3-0. It was nothing but goose eggs on the scoreboard for the remainder of the way for both teams.

Hirai finished his outing on the mound tossing three and two-thirds innings with just three hits allowed in addition to three strikeouts. Perhaps the most entertaining aspect of the game for Walla Walla was the fact that Ryan Johnston played all nine defensive positions throughout the course of the game.

He saw limited action in positions outside his usual left field spot. He did flag down a fly ball in right field, and then he had to make an impressive stretch at first base to reel in a wide throw.

Johnston even looked sharp behind the plate in the bottom of the seventh with some good pitch frames in addition to holding on for a strikeout to end the inning. He then finished his evening out on the mound as he tossed a scoreless inning in the bottom of the eighth on just one hit to go along with one strikeout.

The offense for the Sweets just failed to put together any consistency throughout the course of the game as the Black Bears pitching staff kept hitters off base all game long. Walla Walla only mustered three total baserunners throughout the course of the game on two hits and one walk.

Marty Maves got the ball in the top of the ninth for Cowlitz, and he closed the books on the game. He did allow one hit but struck out the other three batters he faced to earn the save and seal the victory for Cowlitz by the final score of 3-0.

The Sweets had a fun and entertaining campaign throughout the 2018 season. They finished with an overall record of 28-26 which included going 9-0 in WCL series at home at Borleske Stadium.

Walla Walla will return for the tenth season of Sweets baseball in 2019!

Longview, Wash. – It was not exactly pretty, but a win is a win in the dog days of the season. The Sweets took game two from the Cowlitz Black Bears by a final score of 5-3 at Story Field on Tuesday night.

The Sweets jumped out to an early lead in the top of the third inning. Tyler Pritchard led off the frame by singling into left-centerfield.

After a strikeout, Patrick Caulfield ripped a ball down into the left field corner. Pritchard tried to score from first but wound up being cut down at the plate for the second out of the inning.

With Caulfield standing on second after the double, Nick Nyquist hammered a ball into the left field corner to allow the run to score easily to make it 1-0. A wild throw in on the play put Nyquist at third, and a wild pitch to the next batter got back to the backstop to allow him to come home to make it 2-0.

It did not take long for the Black Bears to respond in the bottom of the fourth inning off Sweets starter Will Blackburn. Ryan Kim led off the inning by singling through the left side of the infield.

He then stole second base, and a low throw to the bag was kicked away and got out into left field which allowed Kim to move to third on the play. Austin Bell then drilled a single back up the middle to push across the run to make it 2-1.

Bell then stole second base as Blackburn retired the next two batters on a flyout and a strikeout. With two outs and a runner on second, Dutton Elske hit a slow roller out toward shortstop.

Matt Whitney failed to reel the ball in as it got past him for an error which allowed the runner to come all the way around and score from second base to tie the game at 2-2. The seesaw game continued as the Sweets took the lead right back in the top of the fifth.

Caulfield reached base with two outs on an error by the third baseman. Then on a 3-2 count and the runner in motion off first, Nyquist hammered a ball off the centerfield wall.

The hit resulted in an RBI double as Caulfield scored all the way from first to make it 3-2. Blackburn surrendered a leadoff walk to kick off the bottom of the fifth inning.

A pickoff attempt to first base was then wide and got out to the right field corner which moved the runner over to third base on the play. After a strikeout, a groundout to the shortstop allowed the runner from third to score to tie the game at 3-3.

It was all Walla Walla the rest of the way as the tie was short lived. Jordan Hovey strode to the plate in the top of the sixth inning and gave the Sweets the lead with one swing of the bat.

On a 3-1 count, he launched a ball over the right field wall for a solo shot to put Walla Walla back out in front at 4-3. Blackburn then came out and tossed a shutdown inning in the bottom of the sixth to end his evening on the mound.

He finished with an impressive outing, going six strong innings while allowing three runs, albeit just one earned, on three hits to go along with six strikeouts. Samuel Reed took over for the Sweets in the bottom of the seventh and put up another scoreless inning with just one hit surrendered.

Walla Walla was able to give themselves a bit of breathing room in the top of the eighth. Back-to-back singles kicked off the inning for Cesar Lopez and Hovey.

With runners on the corners and nobody out, Matt Elser lifted a ball into the deep part of left field. The hit was flagged down as the run came home to score on a sacrifice fly which extended the lead out to two at 5-3.

Jack Filby was then called on to shut the door, and he did just that. He took to the mound in the bottom of the eighth and threw back-to-back shutout innings while allowing just one base runner on a walk, in addition to striking out three.

That earned Filby a save and propelled the Sweets to victory by the final score of 5-3.

It is the final game of the 2018 season for Walla Walla on Wednesday night in Cowlitz. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – For the third time this season, the Sweets pitching staff has taken home a West Coast League award. Michael Peterson had been named WCL Pitcher of the Week for July 30 – August 5 after an impressive outing in his first start since the beginning of the season.

At Borleske Stadium on August 2, Peterson got the ball against the Kelowna Falcons and was virtually untouchable throughout the game. He tossed seven shutout innings while allowing just one hit, one walk, and struck out nine en route to earning the victory.

Peterson had his entire arsenal of pitches rolling that night and utilized his changeup frequently throughout the start to keep the Falcons hitters off balance at the plate. The Sweets needed that type of outing from Peterson on the night as they squeaked out a win behind the tremendous start by a final score of 2-0.

The tall right-hander from Walla Walla Community College has put together an excellent campaign in his first year with the Sweets. Peterson carries a 1-2 record with a 4.15 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 30.1 innings pitched on the season.

Longview, Wash. – Sometimes when it is not your night, it is really not your night. That was the case for the Sweets as they got shutout and blown out by the Cowlitz Black Bears 13-0 at Story Field on Monday night.

It looked as though it was going to be a low-scoring game early as both teams went scoreless through the first three innings. Sweets starter Luke Short then ran into a boat load of trouble in the bottom of the fourth.

A walk, a single and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out in the frame. It was then three straight RBI singles for the Black Bears to push across the first three runs of the game to make it 3-0.

With the bases still loaded and nobody out, Isaak Gutierrez took over in the inning. The first batter he faced ripped a double down the third base line.

Two runs scored on the play to extend the lead out to 5-0. With runners on second and third and still nobody out, a single drove home yet another run to cap off the six-run inning which made it 6-0.

The Black Bears’ offense erupted for a big inning once again in the bottom of the sixth. With Gutierrez still on the mound, a walk, a single and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out.

A wild pitch to the next batter got back to the backstop which pushed home a run to make it 7-0. Then a sacrifice fly into left field scored the runner from third to make it 8-0.

With a runner on second and two outs, Tony Boetto drilled a ball over the left field fence for a two-run homerun to make it 10-0. The runs kept on coming for Cowlitz in the bottom of the seventh inning.

With Cole Schoepke taking over on the mound, a single, a strikeout and a passed ball put a runner on second. Three straight singles then drove home two runs in the inning to make it 12-0.

Tyler Pritchard came on in relief in the bottom of the eighth inning for his first pitching appearance of the season with the Sweets. After getting a groundout to the first batter he faced, a double and a single put runners on the corners with one away.

A slow roller groundout to third base then pushed across the runner from third for the final run of the game to make it 13-0. The Sweets offense struggled throughout in the series opener against Cowlitz.

They accrued just five hits and drew only one walk on the night as the Black Bears rolled through game one and took home the shutout victory by the final score of 13-0.

The Sweets look to bounce back with some offense to try to even the series on Tuesday night. First pitch is slated for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – The Yakima Valley Pippins broke out their power bats in the series finale against the Sweets. The Pips offense rolled behind four homeruns as they trounced the Sweets 9-3 on Sunday night in the final home game at Borleske Stadium for the 2018 season.

The game began with a bang for Yakima Valley in the top of the first. With Brayde Hirai on the mound for the Sweets and one out in the inning, Nick DiCarlo hit a towering homerun into the trees out in left field for a solo shot to make it 1-0.

Things went from bad to worse for Hirai out on the mound in the top of the second. A hit-by-pitch, a strikeout and a walk put runners on first and second with one out.

Cam Campbell then launched a ball deep down the left field line. It cleared the manual scoreboard and got out for a three-run homerun which extended the lead out to 4-0 for the Pippins.

A single and back-to-back walks with two outs still in the inning loaded the bases. That brought Carson Woolery to the mound in relief for the Sweets.

On the second pitch he threw, it got past Matt Elser and back to the back stop which allowed the runner from third to score to make it 5-0. The offense kept rolling for Yakima Valley in the top of the fifth inning.

With Tanner Cunha on the mound, a leadoff double was followed by back-to-back flyouts. Bryce Wooldridge then laced a base hit into right field to score the runner from second to make it 6-0.

The Sweets pushed across their first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth. Ryan Johnston drew a walk to lead off the inning.

Jack Filby then roped a ball deep into the left-centerfield alley. It got out to the wall for an RBI double as Johnston scored all the way around from first to make it 6-1.

The Pippins answered right back with a big inning in the top of the sixth. With Cunha still on the hill, Kyle Dean smacked a one out double up the left field line.

Tyler Lasch then hammered a shot over the right field wall for a two-run homerun which extended the lead out to 8-1. After a groundout, Chris Arpan drilled a ball over the left field scoreboard for a solo homerun to make it 9-1.

Walla Walla tried to rally late but came up short. Johnston led off the bottom of the seventh with a double into left-centerfield.

A Quentin LaFontaine single put runners on the corners with nobody out. After a strikeout, Tyler Pritchard lifted a ball into left field that was caught.

Johnston tagged from third and made it home safely on the RBI sacrifice fly to make it 9-2. With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Nick Nyquist strode to the batter’s box for what would be his final at-bat at Borleske Stadium.

He then promptly drilled a double into right-centerfield to put himself in scoring position. Jordan Hovey then flipped a base hit into left field which scored Nyquist as the lead was trimmed down to six at 9-3.

That proved to be all the offense the Sweets would produce as Jake Moberg came to the mound for the Pippins in the bottom of the ninth. After a leadoff walk, Moberg rolled up a double play groundout.

Then a slowly hit ball back to the mound was flipped onto first in time for the final out as the Pippins sealed the victory by the final score of 9-3.

The Sweets hit the road for one final series in the 2018 season. They take on Cowlitz in a three-game series beginning at 6:35 on Monday.

Walla Walla, Wash. – After a stretch of close games, the Sweets were able to win by a more comfortable margin on Saturday night. They defeated the Yakima Valley Pippins by a final score of 7-3 at Borleske Stadium behind an all-around great team performance.

It was a fast start for the Sweets’ offense in the game. Cesar Lopez singled and stole second base in the bottom of the first inning.

With two outs, Jordan Hovey flipped a base hit into left field to drive home the run and make it 1-0. Walla Walla was able to add on in the bottom of the second inning off Pippins starter Mason Wells.

Back-to-back singles from Isaak Gutierrez and Josh Prizina put runners on first and second with two outs. It was then three straight RBI singles from Patrick Caulfied, Lopez, and Nick Nyquist to drive home three runs in the inning which extended the lead out to 4-0.

The Pips pushed across their first run of the game in the top of the third with Sweets starter Tyson Quolas out on the mound. With a runner on first and one away, Kyle Dean hammered a ball off the centerfield wall for an RBI double to make it 4-1.

The offense kept rolling for Walla Walla in the bottom of the fourth off Pips reliever Jack Gonzales. With the bases loaded and one away, Nyquist drilled a fly ball out to centerfield for an RBI sacrifice fly which scored Prizina from third to make it 5-1.

Tanner Inouye came to the mound for Yakima Valley in the bottom of the fifth, but he could not slow down the Sweets offense. With one out and runners on second and third, Prizina smoked a double into left-centerfield.

Both runners scored on the play as the lead swelled out to six at 7-1. Quolas’ strong outing was over after the fifth inning.

He allowed just one run on four hits to go along with seven strikeouts. Will Blackburn then took over for Walla Walla in the sixth and threw up a shutdown inning in addition to striking out two batters.

Cole Schoepke came on in relief for the top of the seventh inning as the Pippins tried to rally late. A pair of singles with one out put runners on first and third.

A Jake Moberg single into left-centerfield drove home a run to make it 7-2. With runners still on the corners and two outs, a wild pitch got back to the back stop which scored another run as the lead was trimmed down to four at 7-3.

Dimick Wood was called on to close the door late in the game, and he did just that. He tossed back-to-back shutout innings in the eighth and ninth on just one hit with two strikeouts to seal the victory for the Sweets by the final score of 7-3.

The final home game of the 2018 season at Borleske Stadium begins Sunday evening against the Pippins. First pitch is slated for 7:05 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – For the second time in three games, the Sweets walked-off winners. Walla Walla defeated the Yakima Valley Pippins by a final score of 4-3 at Borleske Stadium on Friday night thanks once again to some late game heroics.

Ben Fariss got the scoring started for the Sweets with another long ball to lead off the bottom of the second inning. He roped a homerun over the left field wall to make it 1-0 for what was his third homerun over the last three games.

The slim lead was short lived however as the Pippins answered in the top of the third off Sweets starter Bryce Moyle. A leadoff double was followed by an RBI single from Cody Jefferis to tie the game at 1-1.

Another big fly kept the offense rolling for the Sweets. Nick Nyquist led off the bottom of the fourth inning by hitting an absolute bomb to the deepest part of the yard out in centerfield.

The blast cleared the fence for a solo homerun to give Walla Walla the lead back at 2-1. Moyle finished what was yet another strong start going five innings with just the one run allowed and three strikeouts.

Luke Short took over on the mound for the Sweets in the top of the sixth inning. A single to lead off the frame was followed by back-to-back punchouts.

A wild pitch moved the runner over to second base with two outs. Cole Jones then flipped a single right back up the middle to drive home the run which tied the score at 2-2.

With Pippins starter Cullen Kafka still on the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Sweets took advantage for another run. Ryan Johnston led off the inning by smoking a double up the left field line.

A groundout to the second baseman moved the runner over to third base with one out. The Pippins pulled their infield in as Matt Elser came to the plate.

He then lined a base hit over the head of the second baseman and into right field for an RBI single to score Johnston which made it 3-2. The lead proved to be short lived yet again as Yakima Valley looked to break the game wide open in the top of the eighth inning.

Back-to-back singles to start off the frame with Sweets reliever Will Blackburn on the mound put runners on first and second. Fariss then took over on the bump to try to keep the lead intact.

A bunt attempt to the next batter rolled right out in front of home plate. Newly entered catcher Josh Prizina picked up the ball and threw it to third base to try to cut down the lead runner.

Jordan Hovey at third caught the ball but missed putting his foot down on the bag which left everybody safe on a fielder’s choice. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Nick DiCarlo peppered a ball into right field for an RBI single which moved everybody up 90 feet and tied the game at 3-3.

Fariss then was able to bear down with the bases still loaded by punching out the next two batters he faced. With two outs, he got a groundout to Jack Filby at shortstop to end the inning which kept the score deadlocked in a tie.

That gave the Sweets a chance to rally late yet again, and they delivered in front of a great Borleske Stadium crowd. With Bryce Wooldridge on the mound for the Pippins in the bottom of the ninth, Fariss led off the frame by drilling a long single off the left-field scoreboard.

A sacrifice bunt moved the runner into scoring position at second base. A strikeout to the next batter made it two outs, and it looked like the game may extend into extra innings.

Back-to-back great at-bats by Prizina and Filby resulted in both hitters drawing two-out walks. It was then the scenario that every young kid playing the game of baseball dreams of: bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, two outs, tie game.

Patrick Caulfield strode to the batter’s box looking to take advantage of the late-game opportunity to be the hero, and he got the job done. On an 0-1 count, Caulfield lined a base hit into right-centerfield to score Fariss from third as the Sweets won on a walk-off 4-3 over the Pippins.

Just two games remain at home on the schedule for the Sweets as they look to win their fourth straight game on Saturday night against Yakima Valley. First pitch is slated for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – The WWCC Warriors are going to have quite a pitching staff to be dealt with next year, and it was on full display Thursday night. Led by two Warriors, the Sweets shut out the Kelowna Falcons in the series finale at Borleske Stadium by a final score of 2-0.

The Sweets got their first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. After hitting the game-tying homerun last night, Ben Fariss dug in to lead off the frame against Kelowna starter Trevor Brigden.

He then promptly drilled a moonshot over the left field wall that got all the way out into the trees for a solo homerun to make it 1-0. That proved to be one of the biggest swings on the night as it was almost entirely pitching and defense the rest of the way.

Michael Peterson got the start for Walla Walla on the mound and was sensational throughout. He had all of his pitches working and was able to keep the Kelowna hitters off balance all game long.

As a result, Peterson tossed seven shutout innings for the Sweets while racking up nine strikeouts. Perhaps even more impressive was the fact that over those seven innings, he allowed just two baserunners on one hit and one walk.

The offense for the Sweets finally arrived once again in the bottom of the sixth inning. With one out in the frame, Cesar Lopez ripped a ball deep into the right-centerfield gap.

The ball got all the way out to the wall which allowed Lopez to reach third base on a triple. Ryan Johnston then lifted a ball into shallow right-centerfield.

The right fielder caught the ball and relayed the throw home with the runner tagging from third. The throw bounced in and got away from the catcher to allow Lopez to score on the RBI sacrifice fly which made it 2-0.

Brayde Hirai took over on the mound for the Sweets in the top of the eighth inning. He followed suit with an impressive performance just like his collegiate teammate Peterson.

Hirai went back-to-back scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth inning while allowing just two hits and striking out three. That secured the shutout in an all-WWCC Warrior pitching performance as the Sweets got the victory in the series finale against the Falcons by a final score of 2-0.

Walla Walla gets set to open up their final home series of the 2018 season on Friday as the Yakima Valley Pippins come to town. First pitch of game one is slated for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – Few things in sports compare to the excitement of a walk-off victory. The Sweets experienced that first hand as they walked off winners against the Kelowna Falcons at Borleske Stadium on Wednesday night by a final score of 7-6.

It was a seesaw game early as the Sweets took the lead in the bottom of the first. With Falcons starter Stone Churby on the hill, a walk and a hit-by-pitch put two runners on with one out.

A passed ball moved both runners into scoring position at second and third. Jordan Hovey then laced a double into the left-centerfield gap to plate both runs which gave the Sweets a 2-0 lead.

A pop out to the next batter left a runner on second with two outs. Cesar Lopez then drilled a ball into left-centerfield for an RBI double to extend the lead out to 3-0 early.

The bats came alive for the Falcons in the top of the second inning with a massive two-out rally. After striking out the side in the first inning, Sweets starter Trent Sellers surrendered back-to-back singles to kick off the second.

A sacrifice bunt, a walk, and a strikeout loaded the bases with two outs. Tylor Nixon then lined a shot into left-centerfield which cleared the bases on a double as the Falcons tied it up at 3-3.

A single into right field to the next batter scored the runner from second as Kelowna took the lead 4-3. A single into left field then put runners on the corners with still two outs.

Back-to-back singles to the ninth and tenth batters of the frame pushed across two more runs to cap off the scoring in a huge second inning as the Falcons moved out in front 6-3. Walla Walla was able to answer back in the bottom of the third inning.

Danny Sinatro reached on an error by the second baseman to lead things off. Back-to-back singles then loaded the bases with nobody out.

Tate Soderstrom then lifted a deep fly ball into centerfield which resulted in an RBI sacrifice fly to make it 6-4. Samuel Reed tossed an impressive two and a third innings in relief for the Sweets without allowing a single baserunner.

It was then all Ryan Johnston the rest of the way for Walla Walla as he dazzled on the mound to keep the game close. He was sensational in tossing five scoreless innings while striking out five and only allowing one hit.

Perhaps most impressive, Johnston retired the final 13 batters he faced consecutively on nothing but strikeouts and groundouts, so the ball never left the infield. That effort kept the Sweets in a position to rally back late.

In the bottom of the eighth with Kellan Richards on the mound for Kelowna, a single and a hit-by-pitch put runners on first and second with nobody out. After a strikeout, Sinatro stole third base to put runners on the corners.

Johnston then came to the plate and hit a slow roller back to the mound. The throw went to first base which allowed the run to come across to score from third which trimmed the lead down to one at 6-5.

Cal Hehnke took over on the mound for Kelowna in the bottom of the ninth to try to rack up his second save in two games against the Sweets. Ben Fariss refused to allow that to happen as he was called on to pinch hit to lead off the inning.

On the very first pitch, Fariss blasted a towering drive over the left field wall for a solo homerun to tie the game at 6-6. The rally was on as Quentin LaFontaine drew a walk to put the game-winning run aboard.

Darius Vines came on to pinch run for LaFontaine to give the Sweets a little added speed. A bunt attempt to the next batter was hit right back to the mound.

Fortunately, the throw back to second base could not be pulled in by the shortstop as it was dropped for an error which allowed both runners to reach safely. After a sacrifice bunt was executed to move both runners into scoring position, the Falcons chose to intentionally walk Sinatro to load the bases with one out.

That brought up Nick Nyquist to try to be the hero, and he played the role perfectly. On a 1-1 count, he lifted a ball just deep enough into left field.

Vines tagged from third and headed home after the ball was caught. The throw in to home plate was wide as Vines scored standing up to give the Sweets the walk-off win on an RBI sacrifice fly from Nyquist by a final score of 7-6.

Walla Walla wraps up their three-game series against Kelowna on Thursday evening. First pitch is slated for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – Pitching and defense was the theme of the game on Tuesday night. The Sweets lost a pitcher’s duel to the Kelowna Falcons by a final score of 3-2.

The Falcons came out swinging right away in the top of the first inning off Sweets starter Ty Hueckman. Back-to-back singles to the first two batters he faced put runners on first and second with nobody out.

The potential West Coast League MVP, Trent Tinglestad, then drilled a line shot out to the left field wall for an RBI double to make it 1-0. With two runners in scoring position and still nobody out, Lucas Soper lifted a ball just deep enough into left field to score the runner from third on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

Hueckman was able to settle in after the rocky start. He tossed six straight shutout innings with just three hits allowed and two walks surrendered.

The offense finally woke up for Walla Walla in the bottom of the sixth inning with Falcons starter Andrew Alvarez still on the bump. Jack Filby led off the frame by singling right back up the middle.

A hit-by-pitch to Patrick Caulfield put runners on first and second with nobody out. Jordan Hovey then flied out deep into right field which allowed Filby to tag up and move over to third to put runners on the corners with one away.

On an 0-2 count, Nick Nyquist hit a slow roller to the shortstop. The throw went to second as the Falcons tried to turn the double play to get out of the inning.

Nyquist was able to hustle down the line though and beat out the throw to first which resulted in an RBI fielder’s choice to make it 2-1. The Sweets tied things up in the bottom of the seventh inning thanks to a fortunate throwing mistake.

Ryan Johnston drew a walk with one out in the frame. Alvarez then tried to snap a pickoff throw over to the first base bag.

He launched the throw over the head of the first baseman as it got out into the right field corner which allowed Johnston to move all the way over to third base. Danny Sinatro then dropped down a squeeze bunt attempt.

Johnston crossed home plate safely with the head start from third as that tied the game at 2-2. The tie was short lived however as the Falcons took the lead right back in the top of the eighth.

With Hueckman still battling out on the mound, a single with one out gave Kelowna a runner on. A fielder’s choice groundout then put a runner on first with two outs.

After a stolen base moved the runner into scoring position, Taylor Wright hammered a ball deep into the right field corner. It banged up off the wall for an RBI double as the Falcons moved back out in front 3-2.

Hueckman was able to finish off the inning thanks to a spectacular defensive effort. With a runner on second and two away, a sinking fly ball was hit into shallow centerfield.

Sinatro utilized his tremendous speed to cover a lot of ground and got within range. He then laid out to make the diving catch which saved another run from scoring in the inning to keep Walla Walla close.

That wound up being the last bit of excitement that Sweets fans would get to see on the night though. James Brooks and Cal Hehnke worked back-to-back shutout innings in the eighth and ninth to seal the victory for the Falcons in game one by a final score of 3-2.

The Sweets try to bounce back and even the series in game two on Wednesday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – With the forecast in Walla Walla calling for afternoon temperatures over 100 degrees, the Sweets have made the decision to push back their start time for the game on July 31st against the Kelowna Falcons (when temperatures are forecast to be in the mid- to low-90s). The gates at Borleske Stadium will open at 6:30 PM with the game slated to begin at 7:05 PM.

Port Angeles, Wash. – The long and winding road trip came to an unpleasant end on Sunday afternoon. The Sweets lost the series finale at Civic Field to the Port Angeles Lefties by a final score of 7-4.

It did not take long for the Lefties to jump out to an early lead off Sweets starter Sean Sullivan. After a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, back-to-back groundouts moved the runner over to third base with two away.

Ron Brown then hammered a high fastball over the right field wall for a two-run homerun to make it 2-0. Things went from bad to worse for Sullivan in the bottom of the second inning.

The frame began with a leadoff double that was smoked deep down the left field line. After a groundout to second base moved the runner over to third, an RBI single into left-centerfield plated the run to make it 3-0.

A single to the next batter ended Sullivan’s day on the mound as Samuel Reed took over with runners on first and second and one out. The first batter he faced flipped a bounding ball back up the middle that eluded the grasp of Jack Filby at shortstop.

The ball got out into centerfield for what was ruled an RBI single which made it 4-0. The Sweets tacked on their first run of the ball game in the top of the fourth inning.

With the bases empty and one away, Cesar Lopez blasted a ball over the right field wall for a solo homerun to make it 4-1. The Lefties answered right back in the bottom of the fourth with Sweets pitcher Trent Sellers out on the mound.

After a leadoff single, Sellers was able to get a strikeout and a groundout to put a runner on second with two outs. A hit-by-pitch and a passed ball then put runners on second and third.

Brown came up once more and drilled a single right back up the middle for an RBI as the runner from third scored to make it 5-1. That was where the score stood until late in the game as Sellers settled in for the next few innings.

Brayde Hirai took over with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and rolled right along until the bottom of the eighth. A leadoff single in the frame was followed by a flyout and a strikeout.

With two outs and the runner still on at first, Jason Dicochea hammered a ball over the left field wall for a two-run homerun which extended the lead out to 7-1. The Sweets then put together a late-game rally.

A leadoff triple in the top of the ninth by Danny Sinatro into the right-centerfield gap was followed by an RBI single by Tate Soderstrom which made it 7-2. Filby then flared a base hit into centerfield to make it first and second with still nobody out.

After a strikeout, Patrick Caulfield was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A called strike three to the next batter on an insanely outside pitch made it bases loaded with two outs.

Nick Nyquist and Jordan Hovey then worked back-to-back walks to push across two more runs to make it 7-4. With the bases still loaded and the go-ahead run at the plate, Lopez came to the dish.

He ended up popping out into shallow right field for the final out of the game as the Lefties were able to hold on late and seal the victory by the final score of 7-4. The loss on Sunday afternoon capped off what was a tough road trip that saw the Sweets go 1-5.

They head back home to open up their final two series of the regular season at Borleske Stadium beginning on Tuesday against the Kelowna Falcons. First pitch of game one is slated to begin at 6:35 PM.

Port Angeles, Wash. – Even when both teams play a competitive game, ultimately only one team can win. That was the case as the Sweets dropped game two to the Port Angeles Lefties by a final score of 3-2.

The Sweets got the scoring started in the top of the second inning. They loaded the bases with one out on a pair of walks and a single.

Josh Prizina then lifted a ball down the line into left field. The left fielder could not make the play as the ball glanced off his glove for an error which allowed Cesar Lopez to score from third to make it 1-0.

Tyson Quolas got the start on the mound for the Sweets and he was rolling early. He sent the Lefties down in order through the second inning, including striking out five straight.

Quolas got bit by the long ball though in the bottom of the third inning. With a runner on first and two outs, Justin VanDerBrake drilled a shot over the left field wall for a two-run homerun to give Port Angeles the lead at 2-1.

That is where the score stood through the fifth inning as Quolas tossed a gem. He finished going five innings with just two runs and three hits allowed to go along with nine strikeouts.

Walla Walla finally tied things up in the top of the sixth. Tate Soderstrom led off the inning by drawing a walk.

A strikeout was followed by a Tyler Pritchard single to put runners on first and second with one away. Patrick Caulfield then flipped a ball just over the head of the shortstop and into left-centerfield for an RBI single to drive home Soderstrom which made it 2-2.

That wound up being all the offense the Sweets could muster as Riley Beneditti came on in relief for the Lefties and shut the door the rest of the way. Port Angeles ended up taking the lead in the bottom of the eighth on what was an incredibly bizarre play.

After back-to-back shutout innings in the sixth and seventh, Patrick Collins gave up a single with one out in the bottom of the eighth. That brought out Brayde Hirai for the Sweets, and he gave up another single to the first batter he faced.

Ben Fariss then took over on the mound with runners on first and second and one away. The Lefties then tried to execute a double steal and confusion ensued.

The runner from first went on the pitch toward second base, but the runner on second did not try to steal third. As a result, both runners were hung up around the second base bag with virtually nowhere to go without at least one of them being tagged out.

Prizina strolled out near the mound from behind home plate trying to chase both baserunners back to the second base bag. Instead of running them all the way back, he tried to throw the ball to second base.

The throw was launched over the head of both infielders and go out into centerfield. That allowed the runner from second to come all the way around to score which gave the Lefties the lead at 3-2.

The Sweets were able to get a runner in scoring position with two outs in the top of the ninth. Beneditti then got a punchout to end the game and seal the victory for Port Angeles by the final score of 3-2.

Walla Walla heads back to Civic Field for the rubber match of the series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 PM.

Port Angeles, Wash. – After a tough series in Victoria, the Sweets took out some frustration on the baseball on Friday night. Walla Walla defeated the Port Angeles Lefties in the series opener by a final score of 11-6 at Civic Field.

It was a fast start for the Sweets in this one as they jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first off Lefties starter Ron Brown. Back-to-back walks to start off the game put runners on first and second with nobody out.

Jordan Hovey then smashed a ball into the right-centerfield gap for an RBI-single as the runner from second base came around to score to make it 1-0. With runners on second and third, Nick Nyquist then lifted a ball into deep left field which resulted in an RBI sacrifice fly as the runner from third scored to make it 2-0.

Hovey advanced to third on the play and stood there with one out in the inning. Ben Fariss then hit a hard ground ball to the shortstop which resulted in an RBI groundout to push across the third run of the inning as the lead swelled to 3-0.

The Sweets tacked on another run in the top of the second inning. A walk, a single and a walk loaded the bases with one out in the frame.

Hovey then delivered once more as he flipped a base hit into right field for an RBI single to make it 4-0. The Lefties tallied their first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning off Sweets starter Bryce Moyle.

With two outs, a fly ball into right field that should have been caught wound up dropping in between the right and centerfielder for a single. Kyle Schimpf then took advantage of the miscue and ripped an RBI double into the left-centerfield gap to plate the run and make it 4-1.

The offense then exploded for the Sweets in the top of the fourth inning as they put together a huge inning. Patrick Caulfield led off the frame by singling and swiping the second base bag.

After a strikeout, a Hovey single put runners on first and third with one out. Nyquist then hit a hard groundball into the hole at short which resulted in an infield single and an RBI to push across another run which made it 5-1.

With runners on first and second, Farris blasted a ball into the left-centerfield gap for an RBI double as another run scored to make it 6-1. A pop out and a walk loaded the bases with two outs.

Matt Elser then ripped a two-RBI single through the hole at second and third to push across a pair which made it 8-1. Jack Filby then put a bow on the big inning as he strode to the box with runners on first and second.

He then hammered a ball deep into right field that cleared the wall for a three-run homerun which capped off the seven-run inning as the lead extended out to 11-1. That wound up being all the offense the Sweets would produce in the game, but it was more than enough.

The Lefties pushed across another run in the bottom of the fifth off Moyle, albeit an unearned run. A couple of throwing errors in the inning allowed a run to score which made it 11-2.

Moyle’s day ended after the fifth, but he tossed another gem after being tabbed the WCL Pitcher of the Week just last week. He finished the day going five innings with two runs, one earned, just three hits allowed and nine strikeouts.

Port Angeles kept trying to claw back as they added some runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. With Will Blackburn on the mound, two walks and a flyout put runners on first and second with one away.

Then a flyball into deep left field could not be reeled in by Fariss as it dropped in for an error which loaded the bases. An RBI sacrifice fly to the next batter pushed across a run to make it 11-3.

With both runners advancing on the play, it was second and third with two outs. A base hit by Nicolas Israel drove home both runs to make it three unearned runs in the frame as the lead was trimmed down to six at 11-5.

Dimick Wood then took over on the mound for the Sweets in the bottom of the ninth to try to hold onto the lead. He did give up a run after a single, back-to-back strikeouts, and another single, which made it 11-6.

Two batters later, Wood got another strikeout to end the game as the Sweets wrapped up a big victory in game one against Port Angeles by a final score of 11-6.

Walla Walla takes back to Civic Field for game two against Port Angeles on Saturday night. First pitch is slated for 6:35 PM.

Victoria, B.C. – For just the second time this season, the brooms came out against the Sweets. The Victoria HarbourCats sealed the series sweep against Walla Walla with a 6-4 victory at Royal Athletic Park on Thursday night.

The Cats jumped out to an early lead off Sweets starter Haydn King. In the bottom of the first, a double and a groundout put a runner on third with one away.

Nick Plaia then singled into right field to plate the run to make it 1-0. The next batter lined a base hit into left field.

Cesar Lopez came on to field the ball, but it skipped under his glove. With the ball rolling past Lopez, the runner from first came all the way around to score on a single and an error to make it 2-0 right away.

The lead was extended for Victoria in the bottom of the second inning. A walk and a single to lead off the inning put runners on first and second with nobody out.

An unassisted groundout to Nick Nyquist at first base moved both runners up 90 feet with one away. Rowdy Jordan then roped a ball up the third base line to drive home both runs on a two-RBI single to make it 4-0.

King was able to settle in and keep the score put as he finished his outing tossing six innings with seven hits and the four runs allowed. The Sweets finally put together some offense in the top of the seventh to trim the lead down and put them back in the game.

With one out, Ryan Johnston drilled a shot over the left field wall for a solo homerun to make it 4-1. After a lineout, Walla Walla sparked a two-out rally.

Jack Filby ripped a single through the right side of the infield to kick things off. Josh Prizina then hit a shot down the left field line that got all the way out into the corner.

Filby came all the way around to score from first base on the hit, and the throw back in from left field to home plate went out of play near the Cats first base dugout. That allowed Prizina to be waved around to score on the play as well on an RBI double and an error to cut the lead down to one at 4-3.

Victoria responded right away though to extend their lead back out in the bottom of the seventh. With Michael Peterson on the mound for the Sweets, a single with one out brought Jordan to the plate for the Cats.

He then promptly blasted a ball into the right-centerfield gap that cleared the wall for a two-run homerun to push the lead right back out to 6-3 for Victoria. Johnston then took to the mound for the Sweets and got out of the inning in addition to tossing a scoreless eighth to keep the score put which gave Walla Walla a chance.

They were able to put together a late-game rally in the top of the ninth. Tate Soderstrom led off the inning with a single and was then pinch run for by Darius Vines.

A walk to Filby put runners on first and second with nobody out. Prizina then hammered a ball into the left-centerfield gap that just missed leaving the yard by a few feet.

It wound up being caught on the warning track for the first out of the inning with Vines tagging from second and moving up to third to put runners on the corners. Tyler Pritchard then lifted a ball just deep enough into centerfield to score Vines from third on a sacrifice fly to make it 6-4.

That was where the score stood though as the next batter struck out to end the game to give Victoria the win by a final score of 6-4 and ultimately wrapped up the sweep for the HarbourCats.

The Sweets now go port-to-port as they head to Port Angeles to open up a three-game series against the Lefties. First pitch of game one on Friday night is slated for 6:35 PM.

Victoria, B.C. – A hard fought game for Walla Walla went the other way with one swing of the bat late. The Victoria HarbourCats defeated the Sweets by a final score of 4-3 at Royal Athletic Park on Wednesday night.

The Sweets jumped out to an early lead in the top of the second inning off Cats starter Mason Shaw. Jordan Hovey got the frame started with a leadoff walk.

A Ryan Johnston single put runners on first and second with nobody out. Ben Fariss then lined a ball into the right field for a single.

The throw back in from the right fielder glanced off the glove of Victoria’s catcher and got away. That allowed Hovey to come across to score to make it 1-0.

Johnston wound up being cut down at third base on the play which put a runner on second with one out. Matt Elser then singled back up the middle which moved Fariss up 90 feet and put runners on the corners.

A pop out made it two outs in the inning, then Danny Sinatro ripped a hard groundball to the right side of the infield. The second baseman could not reel the ball in which left everybody safe with a run coming across to score on what was ruled an RBI single to make it 2-0.

Victoria answered back with a run of their own in the bottom of the second inning. With Sweets ace Darius Vines on the mound, three straight singles to start the frame pushed across a run to make it 2-1.

The Cats added on in the bottom of the third inning to take the lead. A flyout to lead off the frame was followed by back-to-back walks to put runners on first and second with one away.

After a strikeout, Matt Clayton lifted a ball down the right field line. Cesar Lopez ranged over and laid out to try to make the grab, but the ball eluded his grasp.

Two runs came across to score on the play as Victoria moved out in front 3-2. The lead was short lived however as the Sweets swung right back in the top of the fourth.

Elser doubled deep into centerfield with one out in the inning to give Walla Walla a runner in scoring position. Tyler Pritchard then flared a ball into right field for an RBI single which tied things up at 3-3.

Brayde Hirai took over on the mound for the Sweets in the bottom of the fifth inning and continued his great season on the mound. He tossed two and a third scoreless innings to keep the Sweets in the ballgame.

Ty Hueckman then took over with one out in the bottom of the seventh with the game still tied at 3-3. After a groundout to the first batter he faced, Harrison Spohn came up and hammered a shot deep up the left field line.

The ball hugged the foul pole in fair territory for a solo homerun which gave the HarbourCats a lead that they did not relinquish at 4-3. The Sweets tried to rally late but could not muster any offense off Victoria reliever Aidan Goicovich.

He worked back-to-back shutout frames in the eighth and ninth inning to earn the save and seal the victory for the HarbourCats by a final score of 4-3.

The Sweets have one last crack at trying to salvage the series as they will take on Victoria in the series finale on Thursday. First pitch is slated for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – For the second consecutive week, the Sweets pitching staff has taken home a West Coast League award. Bryce Moyle has been tabbed WCL Pitcher of the Week for July 16-22 after a sensational pair of appearances.

Moyle got the start against the Cowlitz Black Bears at Borleske Stadium on July 21 and was absolutely lights out. He earned the win in the outing by tossing six shutout innings with 11 strikeouts and just three hits allowed.

He utilized tremendous location and a devastating slew of off-speed pitches to keep the Black Bears’ hitters off balance and led the Sweets to a 9-0 victory. Moyle also made an appearance against the Bellingham Bells a few days prior and went two innings while allowing just one hit and struck out two batters.

The talented left-hander from Washington State University has put together a strong summer campaign for the Sweets. On the year for Walla Walla, he holds a 3-2 record with an impressive 2.22 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 36.1 innings pitched.

Victoria, B.C. – The lopsided-game streak continued Tuesday night but this time against a different opponent and in a different location. The Victoria HarbourCats hammered the Sweets at Royal Athletic Park on Tuesday night by a final score of 10-3.

The scoring got started early for the Cats as they jumped on the board in the bottom of the first off Sweets starter Sean Sullivan. A single, a double and a walk loaded the bases right away with nobody out in the inning.

A sacrifice fly to the next batter drove home the runner from third to make it 1-0. With runners on the corners and one away, a slow roller to second base left only the play at first which pushed home another run to give Victoria a 2-0 lead.

Things went from bad to worse for Walla Walla in the bottom of the third inning. Hunter Vansau led off the inning by hammering a homerun off the scoreboard in left field to give the Cats a 3-0 lead.

Back-to-back singles after that put runners on first and third with still nobody out. Then a ball hit down the line into right field was fielded on hop by Cesar Lopez with the runner from third scoring easily.

Lopez’s throw back in to second base was overthrown which scored a second run on the play to extend the Victoria lead out to 5-0. A flyout and a groundout kept the runner on second base with two outs.

Jaxxon Fagg then came up and hit a ball that might still be traveling. The shot soared over the left field scoreboard for a two-run homerun to extend the lead out to 7-0.

That ended the day for Sullivan on the mound. Samuel Reed then took over and got the final out of the inning to end the five-run frame.

The HarbourCats tacked on once again in the bottom of the fourth after a single to lead off the inning. After a flyout and a stolen base, Michael Malinchak singled into left field to drive home the runner from second which moved the score out to 8-0 in favor of Victoria.

The Sweets scored their first two runs of the game on one swing of the bat in the top of the sixth inning. Nick Nyquist led off the inning by drawing a four-pitch walk.

Jordan Hovey then came up and smoked a shot deep into right field. It cleared the wall for a two-run homerun which trimmed the lead down to six at 8-2.

Dimick Wood took over on the mound for the Sweets in the bottom of the seventh inning for his first pitching appearance of the summer. After a pop-out and a groundout to start the frame, Dustin Demetter drilled a wall-scraper homerun over the right field fence for a solo shot to extend the lead back out for Victoria at 9-2.

In the bottom of the eighth, Wood walked the leadoff batter of the inning. AJ Lewis was called on to pinch run for the Cats, and he promptly stole second base.

The throw down to the bag on the play was right in-line with the runner’s path. As a result, Lewis wound up kicking the ball away as he slid in.

The ball then squirted away from both Sweets infielders and got into shallow left field. That allowed Lewis to come all the way around and score on the play which extended the lead out even further at 10-2.

Walla Walla did not go down without a fight at the end. In the top of the ninth with Tyler Yoshihara on the mound and one away, Jack Filby smacked a single into right field.

Danny Sinatro then grounded into a fielder’s choice right back to the mound where the out was made at second base. A Lopez single then put runners on first and second with two outs in the frame.

On a 3-2 count, Matt Whitney peppered a ball back up the middle for an RBI single to give the Sweets their final tally. Nyquist then flew out to center for the final out as the HarbourCats sealed the victory in game one by a final score of 10-3.

The Sweets take to Royal Athletic Park once again on Wednesday evening to try to even the series against Victoria. First pitch of game two is slated for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – After back-to-back lopsided games to start the series, it was more of the same at Borleske Stadium on Monday night. The Sweets won in a rout over the Cowlitz Black Bears by a final score of 11-3.

Cowlitz tallied first with Walla Walla starter Isaak Gutierrez on the mound. In the top of the second, an error, a passed ball and a flyout put a runner on second with two outs.

A double by Dutton Elskee deep into left field plated the runner to make it 1-0 in favor of the Black Bears. Cowlitz tacked on once more in the top of the third inning.

A Ryan Kim leadoff single was followed by a groundout to first base to move the runner over to second with one away. Another double into left field, this time from Blake Burton, scored the runner from second to give Cowlitz a 2-0 lead.

Walla Walla then began their offensive outpouring in the bottom of the third. A Patrick Caulfield double with one out put a runner on second base.

Danny Sinatro came up and singled to right field to drive home the run to make it 2-1. Matt Whitney then smacked a double into right field which scored Sinatro to tie the game at 2-2.

After a groundout, Whitney stood on third base with two outs. Ryan Johnston then drilled a shot into left-centerfield for a double which drove home the third run of the inning to make it 3-2.

The Black Bears tied things up once more in the top of the fourth with Sweets newest addition Will Blackburn on the mound. Jonathan Hodo led off the inning by blasting a shot over the left field scoreboard for a solo homerun to tie the game at 3-3.

The tie was short lived though as Walla Walla got a homerun of their own in the bottom of the fourth. A hit-by-pitch to the leadoff batter Jordan Hovey was followed by a wild pitch and a lineout to the second baseman.

With one out and a runner on second, Robby Teel strode to the box and worked a 2-0 count. He then teed off on a fastball and rode it over the left field wall for a two-run homerun to give the Sweets the lead back at 5-3.

It was all Walla Walla the rest of the way as they added on in the bottom of the fifth with another big inning. A Johnston walk and a Ben Fariss single put runners on first and second with nobody out in the frame.

Hovey then smashed a double into the left-centerfield gap to plate the runner from second to make it 6-3. With runners on second and third and still nobody out, Jack Filby and Teel got back-to-back RBIs on a pair of sacrifice flies to extend the lead out to five at 8-3.

The score stood for several innings after Brayde Hirai took over for the Sweets and worked two and two-third shutout innings. In the bottom of the seventh, it was once again time for Walla Walla’s offense to keep on flowing.

Johnston led off the frame by doubling into the left-centerfield gap. After a strikeout, Hovey hammered a ball into right-centerfield for an RBI triple as the run came across to score to push the lead out to 9-3.

Filby then flipped a single into shallow right field to drive home Hovey which made it 10-3. Haydn King took over on the mound in the top of the eighth and worked a near flawless inning.

He sent the Black Bears down in order by striking out the side with an electric fastball and devastating off speed pitches out of the pen. The Sweets were not done just yet as they added on once more in the bottom of the eighth.

After a pop out to lead off the inning, Nick Nyquist strode to the plate. On a 3-1 count, he took a big swing and connected on a long drive over the left field wall for a solo homerun to give the Sweets their final tally of the ballgame as the lead swelled to 11-3.

Hovey took to the mound in the top of the ninth and closed the books on the game. He sent the side down in order to seal the victory for the Sweets by a final score of 11-3 over the Cowlitz Black Bears.

The Sweets get back to action on Tuesday as they travel to Canada to take on the Victoria HarbourCats for a three-game series. First pitch for game one on Tuesday is slated for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – After back-to-back great performances, the wheels came off for the Sweets on Sunday afternoon. The Cowlitz Black Bears defeated Walla Walla by a final score of 10-3 at Borleske Stadium.

Cowlitz struck first off Sweets starter Trent Sellers, who is the latest new addition to the team. A leadoff double was followed by a pair of groundouts which pushed across a run to make it 1-0.

Walla Walla tied things up in the bottom of the second inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Willy Chang dropped down a safety squeeze bunt.

Jordan Hovey sprinted home and slid in safely to tie the game at 1-1. On the play though, Sweets manager Frank Mutz waved Matt Whitney around third to try to score him from second base. Whitney ended up sliding in just a bit late and was cut down at the plate to end the inning.

The back-and-forth game continued in the third inning as the Black Bears struck for a pair to kick off the top of the frame. They got back-to-back homeruns from Ryan Kim and Austin Bell to get the lead right back at 3-1.

Ryan Johnston then took over on the mound after a flyout and a double. With a runner on second and one away, Johnston worked back-to-back groundouts to end the inning and limited the damage.

The Sweets answered right back in the bottom of the third. Tyler Pritchard led off the inning with a single and was then bunted over to second base by Patrick Caulfield.

A Danny Sinatro infield single on a bunt attempt put runners on first and third with only one out. Nick Nyquist then flared a fly ball down the right field line.

The right fielder was unable to field the ball on the fly as it dropped in for a single which plated Pritchard to make it 3-2. With runners on first and second, Cesar Lopez ripped a single through the right side of the infield to score Sinatro which tied the game at 3-3.

It was all Cowlitz for the rest of the way as that wound up as all the offense that the Sweets could muster. The sixth inning proved to be fruitful for the Black Bears as they doubled their run total.

A walk, a single and a sacrifice bunt to lead off the inning put runners on second and third with one away. Then Samuel Reed took over for Johnston on the mound to try to wiggle out of it.

Unfortunately, the first batter he faced drilled a single into right field to score the runner from third to make it 4-3. Tony Boetto then hammered a shot into right-centerfield that one-hopped the wall which resulted in an RBI triple as the lead moved out to two at 5-3.

The next batter singled through the left side of the infield to plate Boetto from third which capped off the three-run inning as the Black Bears led 6-3. Cowlitz tacked on another run in the top of the seventh off Sweets reliever Patrick Collins.

With one out and the bases empty, Blake Burton hit a wall-scraper homerun to left field for a solo shot to make it 7-3. Things continued to unravel for Walla Walla in the top of the eighth inning.

A hit-by-pitch, a stolen base, and back-to-back strikeouts put a runner on second with two outs. Then a bunt attempt was fielded by Collins out in front of home plate.

The throw to first base was just a bit too far inside the bag as Nyquist could not field it. The ball got into the right field corner which pushed across the runner from second on the throwing error with the batter winding up at second as the lead extended to 8-3.

Ryan Kim then flipped a single into right field to score yet another run which moved the Black Bears out in front by six at 9-3. Carson Woolery took over in the top of the ninth to try to keep the score put but was unable to do so.

Back-to-back walks to start the inning was followed by a fielder’s choice to put runners on the corners with one out. Jonathan Hodo then singled into left field to score the runner from third to make it 10-3.

The Sweets were unable to push across any runs in the bottom of the ninth as the score stayed right where it was. The Cowlitz Black Bears ultimately took game two by the final score of 10-3.

Walla Walla will host Cowlitz for the final game of their three-game series in a rubber match on Monday. First pitch is slated for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – The Sweets’ offensive firepower was on full display Saturday night. Walla Walla downed the Cowlitz Black Bears at Borleske Stadium by a final score of 9-0.

It did not take long for the Sweets’ new arrivals to feel right at home as Patrick Caulfield and Matt Whitney got things started offensively in the bottom of the first. Caulfield led off by smashing a triple deep into the right centerfield gap.

On the very next pitch, Whitney drilled a shot into left centerfield for an RBI double to give the Sweets a 1-0 lead. With Whitney on third after a wild pitch and a groundout, Ben Fariss lifted a ball deep into centerfield that was flagged down for an RBI sacrifice fly which extended the lead out to 2-0.

Matt Elser led off the bottom of the second inning by hitting a high pop up into shallow left field. The Black Bears shortstop was parked underneath it but missed the ball completely which resulted in a double.

A groundout to the first baseman moved Elser over to third with one out. Then Caulfield peppered a ground ball to the shortstop which drove home the run as the Sweets moved out in front 3-0.

The offense kept on rolling in the bottom of the third after Ryan Johnston drew a walk with one out and then advanced to second on a balk by Cowlitz starter Matt Gannon. After a flyout, a wild pitch moved Johnston over to third with two away.

Then Jack Filby drew a walk to put runners on the corners with two outs. After a steal by Filby put runners on second and third, Elser smoked a shot into the left-centerfield gap for a two-RBI double as both runs came across to score and the lead swelled to 5-0.

The bottom of the fourth was then led off by a single from Caulfield. Whitney then doubled again but this time up the left field line.

The relay throw in was sent to the plate as Caulfield was waved around third, but he was cut down at the dish with Whitney winding up at third base on the play. Then Nick Nyquist came up and hammered a ball over the left-centerfield wall for a two-run homerun as the lead grew to 7-0.

Bryce Moyle got the start for Walla Walla and was exceptional throughout his outing. He finished the day tossing six shutout innings while allowing just three hits and striking out 11, including striking out the side in both the fifth and sixth innings.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Sweets tacked on their final two runs of the game. Caulfield led off with a single and wound up at second after a stolen base.

Then Whitney singled into centerfield to plate the runner from second and pushed the lead out to 8-0. After Nyquist reached on a fielder’s choice, a flyout kept him on first with two outs.

A Danny Sinatro walk put runners on first and second with two away. Then Tate Soderstrom drilled a single through the right side of the infield to plate Nyquist and make it 9-0.

Michael Peterson finished off the game on the mound for Walla Walla and was just as sharp as Moyle. Peterson went three innings of shutout work while allowing just three hits to go along with four strikeouts as he ended the game to give Sweets the victory by the final score of 9-0.

Walla Walla gets right back to it against the Cowlitz Black Bears with an afternoon game on Sunday slated to begin at 4:35.

Walla Walla, Wash. – More often then not, pitching and defense is the name of the game when it comes to baseball. That was the case on Friday night as the Sweets shut out the Bellingham Bells by a final score of 5-0 at Borleske Stadium.

The Sweets struck for their first run of the game on one swing of the bat from one of their newly acquired players in the bottom of the third inning. On a 3-2 count, Matt Whitney hammered a fastball over the left field wall for a solo homerun to put Walla Walla on the board 1-0.

With two outs in the frame and the bases empty, Nick Nyquist flipped a single into left field. Then Ben Fariss drilled a shot deep into the right-centerfield gap that got out to the wall for an RBI triple as Nyquist scored all the way from first to push the Sweets lead out to 2-0.

Tyson Quolas got the start for Walla Walla on the mound and was absolutely electric. He finished the day tossing four and a third shutout innings to go along with five strikeouts.

He did run into some trouble in the fourth inning after a leadoff double and a walk. Then Landen Kimbro tried to drop down a bunt but popped it into the air as Quolas sprinted over to make the running catch for the first out of the frame which kept the runners put at first and second.

A flyout deep to centerfield and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with two outs in the inning. Quolas then got a groundout to Nyquist at third base which ended the inning to keep the lead at 2-0.

After a walk and a single with one out in the top of the fifth, Ty Hueckman took over on the mound for Walla Walla. He got a harmless pop out to the shortstop and a strikeout which ended the fifth to keep the shutout intact.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Sweets added on thanks to a fortunate error. A walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with two outs in the inning.

Then Josh Prizina hit a bounding ball toward the hole between the first and second basemen. Matt McClain, the second baseman for the Bells, fielded the ball and tried to relay the throw to the pitcher covering at first base.

The throw was wide at the bag as it eluded the pitcher’s grasp and got into the first base dugout for a throwing error. Two runs scored on the play as the Sweets extended their lead out to 4-0.

Huckeman’s day on the mound came to a close after the top of the seventh inning, but he was as sharp as he’s been all year in his outing. He finished going two and two-thirds shutout innings while only allowing one hit, one walk, and striking out five.

Walla Walla pushed across their final tally of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Another new addition, Patrick Caulfield led off the frame by hammering a double into the right-centerfield gap.

A walk and a pair of strikeouts put runners on first and second with two outs in the inning. Then on a 3-2 count and the runners in motion with two outs, Ryan Johnston peppered a ground ball through the left side of the infield.

Caulfield sprinted around third and scored on the RBI single which gave the Sweets a comfortable lead to work with at 5-0. Jack Filby then came on in relief for Walla Walla, and he closed the books on the game.

He tossed a pair of shutout innings in the eighth and ninth without allowing a hit and striking out three which ended the game and sealed the victory for the Sweets by a final score of 5-0 over the Bells. Walla Walla gets right back to action as they open up another three-game series at home, this time against the Cowlitz Black Bears.

First pitch of game one on Saturday night is slated for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – A team can play a great baseball game but still lose due to a lapse in execution in a few keys moments. That was the case as the Sweets dropped a hard-fought close game to the Bellingham Bells by a final score of 4-2 at Borleske Stadium on Thursday night.

Zach Penrod got the start for the Sweets coming off his nod as one of the top three MLB prospects in the WCL All-Star Game. He was sharp throughout his appearance but had to battle through a couple of tough innings in the first and second.

The Bells finally got to Penrod in the top of the third. With two outs in the inning, Matt James drilled a single through the left side of the infield.

Then Dusty Stroup hammered a ball deep into the right field corner that bounced up off the wall which resulted in an RBI triple as James came all the way around to score from first to give Bellingham a 1-0 lead. The Sweets mustered their only offense of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning off Bells starter Nick Hull.

Nick Nyquist led off the frame by ripping a single into left field. Jordan Hovey then drilled a ball deep into left-centerfield that eluded the grasp of the Bells centerfielder and got out to the wall for an RBI double as Nyquist came across to score to tie the game at 1-1.

Ben Fariss followed suit by smoking a double up the left field line that got out to the manual scoreboard which plated Hovey from second to give the Sweets the lead at 2-1.

Penrod’s day on the mound ended after the fourth as he finished with just the one run allowed on five hits to go along with seven strikeouts. Michael Peterson took over and immediately worked himself into a jam.

A double, a hit-by-pitch and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out for the Bells in the top of the fifth. That brought Bryce Moyle to the mound, and he was able to limit the damage for the Sweets.

He struck out the first batter he faced but then a slow roller to second base resulted in a groundout and an RBI as the runner from third scored to tie the game at 2-2. Still in a tough spot with runners on second and third and two outs, Moyle got a swinging strikeout to end the inning with just the one run having come across to score after inheriting the bases loaded nobody out jam.

The score remained tied until the top of the eighth when the Bells struck yet again. With Isaak Gutierrez on the mound, a bounding ball to third could not be fielded cleanly by Hovey which allowed the leadoff batter to reach on an error.

Then Cody Pasic looked to drop down a bunt on the first pitch of his at-bat but took a called strike which changed his game plan. He squared around to bunt yet again which pulled Hovey in at third. Pasic then pulled the bunt back and swung as he drilled a shot up the third base line that got out deep into left field for a double.

With runners on second and third and nobody out, Gutierrez pulled a slider that ran well off the outside part of the plate. The pitch got back to the backstop and allowed the runner from third to score on a wild pitch to give Bellingham the lead at 3-2.

Then a walk put runners on the corners with nobody out, and Matt McClain hit a slow roller to short. With no play at the plate, the throw went to first for a groundout and an RBI as the run came across to score to push the Bells lead out to 4-2.

Ben Leeper then came on for Bellingham in the bottom of the ninth and shut the door. He worked a one-two-three inning by striking out the side to earn the save and seal the win for the Bells by a final score of 4-2.

Walla Walla hosts Bellingham for the rubber match of the series on Friday night with first pitch slated for 7:05. Be sure to attend as there with be fireworks following the conclusion of the game!

Walla Walla, Wash. – After a much needed few days off for the All-Star break, the Sweets put together an impressive all-around team performance in their first game back in action. Walla Walla defeated the Bellingham Bells at Borleske Stadium on Wednesday night by a final score of 5-4.

The Sweets tallied first on one swing of the bat in the bottom of the second inning off Bells starter Wesley Moore. Jordan Hovey worked a 2-2 count to lead off the inning, then promptly blasted a ball over the right-centerfield wall for a solo homerun to make it 1-0.

The Bells wasted no time in responding with a good inning of their own in the top of the third off Sweets starter Sean Sullivan. With two outs in the inning, a walk and a double for Bellingham put runners on second and third.

Dusty Stroup then singled into left field to drive home both runs which made it 2-1. The next batter singled for the Bells which ended Sullivan’s day on the mound after just two and two-thirds innings as he began to experience some tightness in his back.

Brayde Hirai came on in relief to strike out the first batter he faced which ended the inning. Walla Walla then evened things right back up in the bottom of the third.

Danny Sinatro led the inning off with a base hit back up the middle. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and stole third with one out in the frame.

Then Nick Nyquist dribbled a slow roller to the shortstop which had just enough on it to drive home the run as Sinatro scored easily on the RBI groundout to tie the game at 2-2.

In the top of the fifth, the Bells struck for their first run off Hirai. A double and a walk once again put runners on second and third with one out.

The next batter rolled a groundball to third where Nyquist made a savvy play to cut the runner down at home plate on a fielder’s choice for the second out of the inning. Matt McClain then smoked a hard grounder through the right side of the infield to score the runner from second to push the score out to 3-2.

Walla Walla answered right away in the bottom of the fifth inning with Moore still on the bump. Jack Filby led off the inning with a single which was followed by a walk to Ryan Johnston.

After a Sinatro flyout to left field, Austin Weiermiller came on in relief of Moore for the Bells with runners on first and second and one out. The Sweets took advantage as they started their rally.

Cesar Lopez got the ball rolling by roping a single into right field which plated Filby from second and moved Johnston all the way around to third to tie the game 3-3. A hard lineout from Nyquist to the third baseman kept runners on the corners now with two outs.

Then Hovey battled with two strikes and flipped a single into right field to score Johnston from third while moving Lopez to third as the Sweets finally took the lead back at 4-3. Ben Fariss strode in and smashed a line drive into left field to score the third run of the inning as Lopez came across to score to extend the lead out to two at 5-3.

The Bells put their final tally on the board in the top of the seventh off Hirai. Zach Needham led off the inning by hammering a shot over the left field wall for a no-doubt solo homerun to cut the lead down to one at 5-4. After a single to the next batter, Hirai’s day ended on the mound as he did a great job coming on in relief of Sullivan on short notice.

It was pitching and defense the rest of the way for Walla Walla as they trotted out Patrick Collins, Samuel Reed and Ben Fariss in the seventh, eighth, and ninth inning respectively. All three pitchers had identical lines finishing with an inning pitched, no hits allowed, no walks allowed and one strikeout.

With Fariss shutting the door in the ninth by working a one-two-three inning, he earned the save and sealed the win for the Sweets by a final score of 5-4. Walla Walla gets back to action in search of back-to-back wins against the Bells on Thursday night with first pitch slated for 6:35.

Port Angels, Wash. – The Sweets shined bright in the 2018 WCL All-Star Game despite the South dropping the game. The WCL North All-Stars defeated the WCL South All-Stars by a final score of 10-6 at Civic Field on Tuesday night.

Cesar Lopez paced the South’s offense as he showed off his offensive prowess throughout the All-Star Game. He went 3-for-5 with a homerun, two runs scored and an RBI. Lopez was named co-MVP of the game along with Kyle Schimpf of the Port Angeles Lefties.

Nick Nyquist did not register a hit on the day. However, he still accomplished an impressive feat by participating in his third consecutive WCL All-Star game.

Sweets utility man Zach Penrod was the only other W2 player to enter the game as he took to the mound late in the game. He did allow two runs on just one hit but still impressed many scouts. So much so that Penrod was named one of the three top prospects in the WCL All-Star Game by the 20+ MLB scouts that were in attendance.

The Sweets All-Stars return home to join the rest of the team as they get set to host the first-half WCL North Division Champion Bellingham Bells for a three-game series beginning at 6:35 PM on Wednesday.

Walla Walla, Wash. – Holding down one of the most potent lineups in the West Coast League while in the smallest park in the league is an accomplishment worthy of recognition. Haydn King did exactly that and as a result has been named the WCL Pitcher of the Week for July 9-16.

King took to the mound on July 11th against the Portland Pickles at Walker Stadium and was absolutely electric. He finished his outing against the first-half South Division champion Pickles going five strong innings with an impressive 11 strikeouts and just one run allowed in a no decision.

Despite not earning the win on the night, King’s start was pivotal to the Sweets taking the game by a final score of 2-1. In two starts against Portland this year, King is 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA over 10.1 innings pitched.

The University of San Francisco lefty hurler has been as good as advertised in his second season with the Sweets. On the year he carries a 2-1 record with a 2.88 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 25 innings pitched.

Walla Walla, Wash. – The Sweets head into the All-Star break with a bang as they brought out the power bats on Saturday night. Walla Walla downed the River City A’s by a final score of 14-1 thanks to a four-homerun performance that accounted for nine of the Sweets runs.

It did not take long for Walla Walla to move out in front on the scoreboard. A leadoff single for Mitch Lesmeister in the bottom of the first was followed by a two-out, two-run homerun by Ben Fariss to left field to make it 2-0.

The Sweets added on in the bottom of the fourth off A’s starter Blake Collier. Josh Kutzke led off the frame with a single through the right side of the infield which was followed up by an Isaak Gutierrez single to put runners on the corners with nobody out.

Then a wild pitch allowed Kutzke to scamper home safely to make it 3-0. With Gutierrez on third and two outs, Lesmeister blasted a ball over the head of the centerfielder for an RBI double to extend the lead to 4-0.

A Dimick Wood walk put runners on first and second with still two outs. Then Matt Elser hammered a ball into left field that one-hopped the wall to drive in the run from second to make it 5-0.

Ty Hueckman got the start for the Sweets and was sensational out on the mound. He finished the day going five impressive innings while not allowing a run and only surrendering one base hit.

The flood gates opened up in the bottom of the fifth for Walla Walla. Tyson Quolas led off the inning with a single through the right side of the infield.

Then Kutzke drilled a two-run homerun over the left field wall that left the yard in a hurry to push the lead out to 7-0. Back-to-back singles from Willy Chang and Quentin LaFontaine put runners on first and second which ended Collier’s day on the mound as Drew Daves took over for River City.

Wood then singled to left field to load the bases with two outs. Elser followed suit with a single to left field to drive in another run which made it 8-0.

With the bases still loaded, Fariss drew a walk on a 3-2 count which pushed across the fourth run of the inning as the lead swelled out to 9-0. River City got their only run of the game in the top of the sixth off Sweets reliever Cole Schoepke.

Carson Green smoked a ball into right field that got out to the wall for a one-out triple. Then Cody Kale flipped a single into left field to plate the run which trimmed the lead down to eight at 9-1.

With Daves still on the mound for the A’s, Walla Walla poured on some insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. A Fariss walk, a Quolas double and a Kutzke walk loaded the bases with one out in the frame.

Gutierrez then strode to the plate and crushed a ball well over the left field wall for a grand slam homerun to make it 13-1. The very next batter, Robby Teel, followed suit as he hammerd a shot deep to left field that cleared the wall for a solo homerun which gave the Sweets their final tally of the ball game and pushed the lead out to 14-1.

Bryce Moyle and Gutierrez tossed scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth respectively to end the game by the final score of 14-1.

The Sweets will have a few days off for the All-Star break before getting back to West Coast League play. They open up a three-game series on Wednesday as the first-half WCL North Division champs, the Bellingham Bells, come to town.

Walla Walla, Wash. – Sometimes all it takes is one good inning for a team to win a ballgame. The Sweets tallied all their runs in the bottom of the fifth to defeat the River City A’s on Friday night by a final score of 3-1 at Borleske Stadium.

Carson Woolery got the start for the Sweets in the non-league matchup and put together a truly impressive performance. He ran into some trouble several times, but that was when he was at his best as he battled through some tough innings.

A single and a walk to leadoff the top of the third put two runners on right away off Woolery. Then a balk moved both runners into scoring position at second and third with nobody out.

Woolery stood tall and wound up striking out the next three batters consecutively to strand both runners in scoring position which kept the game scoreless.

In the top of the fifth, the A’s once again tried to strike first with the score still 0-0. With runners on first and second and two outs, they executed a double-steal to put both runners in scoring position at second and third.

Then the ball was hit into the hole at short, but Quentin LaFontaine made a savvy play. Recognizing he had no shot at first, LaFontaine threw the ball to third base where Josh Kutzke slapped the tag on the runner before the runner from third had crossed home plate.

As a result, River City wound up without a run on the play as the Sweets got out of the inning while keeping the game tied at 0-0. Walla Walla rode the momentum from the big play to end the inning right into the bottom of the fifth.

Tyson Quolas led off the frame by smashing a double into the left-centerfield gap. He then made a bold play and stole third base while sliding in safely around the tag.

Then LaFontaine dropped down a safety squeeze bunt to plate Quolas from third for the first run of the game to make it 1-0. Mitch Lesmeister then singled through the left side of the infield to reach base with one out.

He promptly stole second base which brought up Matt Elser after a pop-out for an RBI opportunity with two outs. Elser delivered by drilling a double off the wall in left field which scored Lesmeister from second to make it 2-0.

Ben Fariss then strode to the box with another two-out RBI opportunity with Elser still on second. Fariss dropped a sinking line drive into right field which gave Elser enough time to cross the plate safely to extend the lead out to 3-0.

Tanner Cunha took over in the top of the sixth and immediately worked a one-two-three inning. The top of the seventh proved to be a much taller task after a single and a double to the first two batters put runners on second and third with nobody out.

Cunha got a strikeout to the next batter but walked the following hitter to load the bases with one out. He rolled up a fielder’s choice to the first baseman Isaak Gutierrez who wisely threw home to cut down the runner.

So with two outs and the bases still loaded, Cunha punched out Andrew Vargas swinging for the final out to get out of the inning with the lead still at 3-0. The A’s did not go away quietly however as they put together another daunting inning in the top of the eighth.

With Cunha still on the mound, River City got back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Then Brayden Collier hit a ball just deep enough into left field to allow the runner from third to score on a sacrifice fly to cut the lead down to two at 3-1.

After a flyout to centerfield, Carson Green singled to put runners on first and second with two outs which ended Cunha’s day on the mound. Brian O’Rourke took over and walked the first batter he faced to load the bases with two outs.

Then Chase Oldham smashed a ball deep into right field that looked like it was going to drop in to tie the game or possibly give the A’s the lead. Quolas got on his horse though and flagged the ball down deep in the alley to make the catch and end the inning with the lead still intact.

A walk, a fielder’s choice and another walk put runners on first and second with one out in the top of the ninth off O’Rourke. He then worked a fly out and a groundout to end the game and give the Sweets the win by a final score of 3-1.

Walla Walla plays host to River City for one more non-league matchup on Saturday before heading to the All-Star break. First pitch for game two between the Sweets and A’s is slated for 6:35 PM.

Portland, Ore. – No two baseball games are ever the same. As it turned out, all three games in the series between the Pickles and the Sweets in Portland were very, very different.

The Pickles defeated the Sweets handily at Walker Stadium on Thursday night by a final score of 12-0 to take the series 2-1.

Portland wasted no time in jumping out to an early lead off Sweets starter Darius Vines. The bottom of the first inning kicked off with a hit-by-pitch and was followed by a two-run homerun from Gio Diaz to make it 2-0 right out of the gate.

Things went from bad to worse in the bottom of the second inning for Vines. Back-to-back singles and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out in the frame.

A fielder’s choice to Walla Walla first baseman Nick Nyquist was relayed home for the first out of the inning with the bases still loaded. Then a hit-by-pitch once again to Portland leadoff man Carson Breshears pushed across a run to make it 3-0.

The wheels came off with Diaz at the plate and the bases still loaded with just one out. A passed ball and a wild pitch in the at-bat pushed across two more runs to make it 5-0.

Then with the runner on third, Diaz singled home the run to cap off the four-run inning and extend the lead out to 6-0 early. Vines day came to a close after just those two innings in what was an inexplicably uncharacteristic start for the Sweets ace.

Michael Peterson took over in the bottom of the third and threw extremely well over three innings of work. He allowed just two hits with no walks and no runs to keep the Sweets in the ballgame.

The lone bright spot offensively on the day for Walla Walla came in the top of the fourth inning. With one out and a runner on first, Nyquist ripped a ball down the left field line and into the corner for a standup double.

With that base hit, Nick Nyquist became the All-Time Career Hit Leader for the Walla Walla Sweets as he now has 123 hits over his three-year stint with the team. He also holds the team’s career records for games played, at-bats, stolen bases, runs scored, RBIs, and triples.

Things unraveled for Walla Walla even further in the bottom of the sixth inning as Portland put together a huge inning. Cole Schoepke took over for Peterson and promptly loaded the bases on back-to-back walks and a single to start the inning.

Breshears flared a single into shallow left field with the infield drawn in to push across a pair of runs and make it 8-0. Nick Strange then took to the mound for Walla Walla and surrendered a single to the first batter he faced to load the bases once more with still nobody out.

Then Mikey Perez lifted a ball deep into the left field corner that dropped in for a two-RBI double to extend the lead out to 10-0. A sacrifice fly to the warning track in left field scored another run for an 11-0 Portland lead.

Adding insult to injury, a wild pitch two batters later allowed Perez to scamper home to end the scoring in the six-run sixth inning as the Pickles held a commanding lead at 12-0.

Samuel Reed and Jordan Hovey finished the game out on the mound for the Sweets with both players not allowing any more runs to go up on the board. The Sweets could muster no offense in the game however as the margin stood and Portland got the win by a final score of 12-0.

Walla Walla heads back home on Friday to open up a two-game non-league series against the River City A’s. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:35 PM.

Portland, Ore. – One play can change the entire complexion of a game. That was the case as Walla Walla won a low scoring game 2-1 over the Portland Pickles thanks to a bizarre pickoff play that scored the game-winning run for the Sweets.

The Pickles tallied their only run of the game in the bottom of the first inning off Sweets starter Haydn King.

Gio Diaz singled back up the middle with one out in the frame. Then with two outs, Jack Murphy doubled off the right field wall which allowed Diaz to score all the way from first to make it 1-0 early.

Walla Walla answered in the top of the third inning. Back-to-back singles from Ryan Johnston and Danny Sinatro put two runners on with one out.

A strikeout was followed by a Ben Fariss hit-by-pitch to load the bases with two outs. Then Cesar Lopez worked the count and ultimately drew a walk to push across a run to tie the game at 1-1.

Pitching and defense was the name of the game for the remainder of Wednesday night, and the Sweets pitching staff rose to the challenge of limiting offense in the small dimensions of Walker Stadium.

King paced Walla Walla on the mound and was virtually untouchable at times. He finished his start going five strong innings while allowing just the one earned run and racked up an impressive 11 strikeouts.

He ran into some trouble in the bottom of the fifth but locked in when it mattered most. A single, a sacrifice bunt, a walk and a passed ball put runners on second and third with just one out in the inning.

With the capable duo of Zander Clarke and Jack Murphy due up, it looked as though the Pickles were set to take the lead. Instead, King bested both hitters by getting back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning which kept the game tied.

Brayde Hirai followed suit with a great showing out of the bullpen after taking over in the bottom of the sixth. He went two and two-thirds innings while not allowing a single hit.

The only baserunner Hirai allowed came on a one-out walk in the bottom of the eighth to Clarke. After a stolen base and a groundout, Clarke stood on third with two outs which ended Hirai’s outing.

Samuel Reed took over in a role that he has excelled in all season long, being the stopper in high-pressure situations. With Joey Cooper at the dish and a 2-2 count, Reed ran the high fastball right past the bat of Cooper for a swinging strikeout to end the inning with the score still tied at 1-1.

In the top of the ninth, the Sweets finally struck for the go-ahead run in the game in rather unconventional fashion. With two outs and the bases empty, Josh Prizina ripped a double up the left-field line to give Walla Walla a runner in scoring position.

Darius Vines came in to pinch run for Prizina and chaos ensued. Vines got the attention of Portland’s Colby Wyatt after taking an aggressive lead early into Jack Filby’s at-bat.

Then on a 3-2 count, Vines took off running for third base. While going into his motion, Wyatt spun around to attempt a pickoff move to second base.

He ended up launching an awkward throw over the head of Diaz at short that got all the way out into centerfield. With Vines already in a full sprint, he rounded third base and glided home safely to score on a wild play which gave the Sweets the lead at 2-1.

Sean Sullivan then took over in the bottom of the ninth to try to shut the door. He worked a one-two-three inning to earn the save and seal the win for Walla Walla by a final score of 2-1.

After back-to-back close games to start off the series, it is safe to expect more of the same in the rubber match. The Sweets and Pickles square off for the series finale on Thursday night with first pitch slated for 7:05.

Portland, Ore. – The ball was flying around but primarily out of Walker Stadium on Tuesday night. The Portland Pickles defeated the Walla Walla Sweets thanks to a slew of homeruns by a final score of 10-7.

The Sweets moved out in front early in the top of the second inning. Back-to-back singles from Jordan Hovey and Jack Filby put runners on the corners with nobody out.

Filby ended up getting caught in a pickle and tagged out with Hovey staying put on third. Then Robby Teel drilled a ball into right field to plate Hovey to make it 1-0.

Walla Walla tacked on a pair in the top of the third on the first of many homeruns hit during the game. Unfortunately, it was the only homerun hit by Walla Walla.

Danny Sinatro led off the inning being hit by a pitch which brought up Nick Nyquist. He then promptly smoked a pitch over the left field wall for a two-run homerun to extend the lead out to 3-0.

Portland then began their first comeback of the game in the bottom of the third inning. With Sweets starter Zach Penrod on the mound, a single, a walk and a sacrifice bunt put two runners in scoring position at second and third with one out.

Then Zander Clarke pushed a soft line drive through the left side of the infield to plate the runner from third to make it 3-1. With runners on the corners and two outs, Clarke attempted to steal second and get caught in a pickle to allow the runner to score from third.

Instead, the throw down to second base got past Filby and into centerfield with the runner scoring easily from third to cut the lead down to one at 3-2.

The Pickles tied things up in the bottom of the fifth on Clarke’s second RBI of the game. With two outs and nobody on, he crushed a homerun deep into the trees out in left field for a solo homerun to tie the game at 3-3.

Leo Nierenberg kept the Sweets at bay over two and two-thirds shut out frames that included seven strikeouts. However, Walla Walla sparked a huge two-out rally off him in the top of the sixth to take the lead back.

A sinking line drive got down into right field to give Penrod a two-out single. Back-to-back walks to Tyler Pritchard and Ryan Johnston loaded the bases for Walla Walla.

Sinatro then chopped a bounding ball to the shortstop but was able to beat the throw to first base thanks to his tremendous speed for an infield single and an RBI to make it 4-3. Then Nyquist flipped a single into right field to plate two more runs and push the lead out to three at 6-3.

Still with two outs and runners now on the corners, Cesar Lopez hammered a ball deep to center. Joey Cooper leaped at the wall to try to make the grab but could not corral the ball in which allowed the runner from third to score easily.

On the play, Nyquist tried to come around and score all the way from first base. The throw to the plate was high but the tag came down just in time to cut down Nyquist for the third out of the inning after four runs had scored as it was now 7-3.

It ended up being all Portland the rest of the way. With Penrod’s day on the mound coming to an end after five innings with five strikeouts and three runs, albeit just two earned, Ty Hueckman took over in the bottom of the sixth.

Cooper gave Hueckman a rude welcoming to the ballgame as he led off the inning with a solo homerun to centerfield to make it 7-4. A single, a strikeout and a walk put runners on first and second which brought Tyson Quolas to the mound for the Sweets.

A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position at second and third. Then Carson Breshears peppered a hard ground ball into the hole at short.

Filby was able to lay out to make the diving stop, but his throw back to first base got past Nyquist. Two runs came around to score on the play to trim the lead back down to one at 7-6.

Then with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, a big fly tied the game once again for the Pickles. Jake Berry came up with two outs and the bases empty to hit a wall-scraping solo homerun to left field which made it 7-7.

The biggest hit of the game came in the next inning as Johnston took over for Walla Walla on the bump in the bottom of the eighth. A single, a sacrifice bunt and a pop out put a runner on second base with two outs.

The Sweets chose to intentionally walk Clarke to put runners on first and second. The next batter, Mikey Perez, put three runs on the board with one swing of the bat as he homered to deep left field for a three-run shot with the lead swelling out to three at 10-7 for Portland.

Walla Walla was able to get the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth after a single and a walk with one out. Then Adam Davenport shut the door with a strikeout and a groundout to earn the save and seal the win for Portland by a final score of 10-7.

Game two between the Sweets and Pickles will take place on Wednesday evening with first pitch slated for 7:10.

Walla Walla, Wash. – The 2018 West Coast League All-Star Game rosters have been announced. Four members of the Walla Walla Sweets have been selected to the team. The quartet is headlined by now three-time WCL All-Star Nick Nyquist (IF), two-time WCL All-Star Darius Vines (RHP), and a pair of first-time WCL All-Stars in Cesar Lopez (OF) and Zach Penrod (Utility).

“We are extremely proud of the recognition that Nick, Darius, Cesar and Zach are receiving,” said Sweets manager Frank Mutz. “Not only has their on-field play been worthy of the recognition, but their contributions off the field in the clubhouse and the community have been significant factors in creating a winning culture.”

Nick Nyquist has been nothing short of exceptional in his third year with the Walla Walla Sweets and fourth year in the West Coast League overall. Currently on the season he holds a .317 batting average, a .449 on-base percentage, 17 runs scored, nine RBI and seven stolen bases. Since his arrival back in Walla Walla, Nyquist has been firmly planted into the number three spot in the Sweets lineup. As a result, he is frequently keyed on by opposing teams as they try to limit the damage that he can cause. Despite those efforts by opposing teams Nyquist has continued to roll at the plate all season long, which is a big reason as to why he is back in the WCL All-Star game for the third consecutive year.

It does not take more than an inning of watching Darius Vines pitch to know that he is the real deal with a big-league ready arm. On the season with the Walla Walla Sweets, Vines carries a 3-0 record with a 0.50 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched. His arsenal of pitches is one of the best in the West Coast League, which is a big part of why he was named the number eight prospect in the WCL after the 2017 season with Walla Walla. Vines comes at hitters with a low 90s fast ball, a filthy slider, and a devastating curveball that can fool even the most prolific hitters. At every turn, he has proven that he is ready to play at the next level and will have a chance to showcase that on the mound in the WCL All-Star Game for the second consecutive year.

It is becoming increasingly hard to figure out how it is possible that so many collegiate coaches missed out on the incredible talent of Cesar Lopez. A walk-on at Cal Poly Pomona, Lopez impressed all year long with the Broncos, and he continued that roll right into the 2018 season with the Walla Walla Sweets. On the year he is hitting .382 with a .962 OPS, 17 runs scored, 12 RBI, five doubles, a homerun and seven walks. He also may very well be the hottest hitter currently in the WCL. Over his last 14 games, Lopez is 22-47 at the plate for a gaudy clip of .468. His ability to hit to all parts of the field out of the left-handed batter’s box is invaluable and is undoubtedly a big reason as to why he has been selected to the WCL All-Star Game in just his first year in the league.

Zach Penrod is the epitome of a two-way player, as he can swing it and throw it with the best of them. At the dish for the Walla Walla Sweets this season, he carries a .273 batting average with 17 runs, 15 RBI, six doubles, 13 walks and seven stolen bases. On the mound for the Sweets, he has an 0-1 record with a 0.94 ERA and an impressive 26 strikeouts in just 19 innings pitched. Penrod is an extra-base hit waiting to happen with great power and tremendous speed from the left side of the plate. His arsenal when pitching is nothing short of electric, running in a low 90s fastball with a slew of off-speed pitches to keep hitters off balance. The utility man from Northwest Nazarene University, Penrod is a five-tool player and has shown them off all season long to earn himself a spot in the 2018 WCL All-Star Game.

Walla Walla, Wash. – You simply cannot win if you do not score any runs, and the AppleSox learned that the hard way on Sunday afternoon. The Wallabies sealed the win and the series with a shutout against the Wenatchee AppleSox by a final score of 2-0.

Walla Walla tallied right away in the bottom of the first inning off AppleSox starter Curtis Bafus. Danny Sinatro reached on a single through the left side of the infield with one out.

He promptly stole second base and was then moved over to third on a groundout. So with a runner on third and two outs, Cesar Lopez yanked a double down the right field line to drive in the run and make it 1-0.

The only other offense in the game for the Wallabies came a few innings later in the bottom of the third. Sinatro once again reached base safely but this time on a walk.

After another stolen base for Sinatro, he stood on second with two outs in the inning. Then Nick Nyquist hit a grounder to short that went right under the glove of Wenatchee’s shortstop.

The ball got all the way out into left field to allow Sinatro to come all the way around and score on the error to make it 2-0.

Bryce Moyle got the start for the Wallabies and was lights out on the bump. He finished the game going six strong innings with no runs, just three hits allowed and five punchouts along the way.

Michael Peterson took over in the seventh and he worked an impressive shutout frame. He gave up a hit with one out in the inning but then struck out the next two batters to put up another zero on the scoreboard for the AppleSox.

It appeared as though the shutout was going to fall apart and in a big way in the top of the eighth inning. Ty Hueckman took over to start the frame and ended up surrendering back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases with nobody out.

The Wallabies then turned to Ben Fariss to try to get out of the bases loaded nobody out jam with the lead still intact. He got a lineout to the shortstop Jack Filby for the first out of the inning with the runners staying put.

Then on a 2-2 count, Johnny Sage hit a hard ground ball to second base. Tyler Pritchard fielded the ball on a hop and flipped on to Filby at second who then relayed the throw to first just in time to cut down the runner for the groundout double play to end the inning which kept Wenatchee off the scoreboard.

Fariss stayed on to close out the game in the ninth, and he shut the door. A hit-by-pitch with one out was followed by a strikeout and a groundout to end the game and sealed the victory for the Wallabies by a final score of 2-0.

Walla Walla got back on track with the back-to-back wins as they are now 7-3 in WCL series this season with an overall record of 17-13. After an off day on Monday, the Wallabies head out on the road to take on the first-half WCL South Division champs, the Portland Pickles, for a three-game series with game one on Tuesday scheduled to begin at 7:05.

Walla Walla, Wash. – Nothing ever comes easy in the game of baseball. The fans at Borleske Stadium on Saturday night can attest to that as the Wallabies held on late to seal a 3-2 victory over the Wenatchee AppleSox.

Walla Walla struck first in the game off Wenatchee starter Connor McCord. In the bottom of the second, Cesar Lopez reached base after being hit by a pitch with one out in the inning.

Two batters later, Robby Teel smoked a hard ground ball through the left side of the infield to give the Wallabies runners on first and second. That brought up Willy Chang and he delivered what was perhaps the biggest hit of the ballgame.

He lined a ball into right field which was attempted to be fielded on a dive by the right fielder. Dawson Day came up empty on the dive and the ball got out to the wall in right field which allowed both runners to score and gave the Wallabies the lead at 2-0.

Darius Vines was exceptional in his start on the mound for Walla Walla but allowed his first earned run of the year in the top of the sixth. A leadoff double, a strikeout and a passed ball put a runner on third with one out.

Then Johnny Sage lifted a fly ball deep into left field which was caught by Ryan Johnston. The run scored easily though on the sacrifice fly to make it a 2-1 game.

Vines’ day on the mound came to a close after the sixth. He finished with nine strikeouts and just three hits allowed in those six innings of work.

The Wallabies answered right back with a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth. Jordan Hovey led off the inning with a triple deep into the right-centerfield gap.

Then with the infield drawn in and one out, Chang dropped down a safety squeeze bunt. Hovey slid in just ahead of the flip home to push the lead out to two at 3-1.

After a scoreless frame from Haydn King in the seventh, Patrick Collins took over in the top of the eighth to try to hold onto the lead. Nick Seamons gave Collins a rude welcoming to the ballgame as he led off the inning with a double off the left field wall.

A pair of groundouts moved Seamons over to third base with two outs. Then Sage poked a screwball back up the middle into centerfield for an RBI single to trim the lead down to one at 3-2.

The AppleSox kept Wallabies fans on the edge of their seat as Cory Meyer led off the top of the ninth with a single. He was moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt to give Wenatchee a chance to tie the game with a runner in scoring position and just one out.

Collins got a strikeout to the next batter, so with two outs Michael Spellacy had a chance to deliver. He drilled a ball into the left centerfield gap that looked good off the bat, but Ben Fariss got on his horse and made a great running catch in the alley to end the game and give the Wallabies the win by a final score of 3-2.

Walla Walla is back in action for the series finale against Wenatchee on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 4:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – Part of the beauty of the game of baseball is that no lead is ever truly safe until the final out is recorded. That proved to be the case on Friday night as the Wenatchee AppleSox rallied in the ninth inning and ultimately won the game by a final score of 7-6 over the Wallabies.

Walla Walla jumped out to a big lead early in the game off Wenatchee starter Michael Spellacy. Cesar Lopez led off the bottom of the second inning with a hit-by-pitch.

Then two batters later, Jack Filby roped a double into the right-centerfield gap that scooted under the fence line for a ground rule double to put runners on second and third with one out. Robby Teel strode to the box and ripped a single through the right side of the infield to score Lopez to make it 1-0.

Filby got cut down at home plate on a fielder’s choice, but the Wallabies ended up loading the bases with two outs. Then Danny Sinatro hit a hard ground ball to the hole between the first and second basemen that could not be fielded cleanly and allowed him to reach first base safely to push across another run for a 2-0 lead.

The Wallabies put together another good inning in the bottom of the third. Lopez once again reached base safely but this time on a walk with one out.

He was advanced on a groundout to move into scoring position at second base with two outs. Filby then flipped a ball into shallow left field to score Lopez and make it 3-0.

Teel got another chance to hit with a runner on, and he delivered in a big way. On a 1-2 count, he blasted a hanging curveball over the left field wall and into the trees for a two-run homerun to push the lead out to five at 5-0.

Wallabies starter Sean Sullivan was rolling through the game until he ran into some trouble in the top of the sixth. Despite not having allowed a run to that point, he loaded the bases on three straight singles and was pulled with two outs in the inning.

The first batter that Brayde Hirai faced when he entered, Dawson Day, drilled a 3-2 pitch into the right-centerfield gap to score all three runs and trim the lead down to two at 5-3. The Wallabies answered right back with a tally in the bottom of the sixth.

With nobody on and two outs, Nick Nyquist came up and smashed a solo homerun over the left-centerfield wall to push the lead back out to three at 6-3. Back-to-back scoreless frames for Hirai gave the Wallabies a chance to win it with a three-run lead in the ninth, but the AppleSox just would not go away quietly.

With Samuel Reed on the mound trying to earn the save, the leadoff batter Cory Meyer hammered a breaking pitch almost over the trees in left field for a solo homerun to make it 6-4. A single, a groundout, a single and a throwing error by Sinatro put runners on second and third with just one out, the tying run now standing in scoring position at second base.

That brought Nick Strange to the mound for Walla Walla to try to stop the rally, but Joey Magro did not allow that to be so. He peppered a hard ground ball right back up the middle for a single which scored both runners to tie the game at 6-6.

Magro wound up standing in scoring position at second base on the play because of the throw to the plate. A strikeout to the next batter gave the Wallabies a chance to get out of the inning with the game still tied.

Johnny Sage played the hero for Wenatchee though as he delivered the decisive hit of the game right back up the middle. The single scored Magro from second to cap off a four-run ninth inning and gave the AppleSox the lead at 7-6.

Walla Walla had a chance to tie it in the bottom of the ninth after a leadoff walk to Nyquist. He advanced into second after a stolen base and was then moved over to third on an infield single by Jordan Hovey.

So with two outs and runners on the corners, Filby was going to get a chance to drive in the tying run and swing the game back to the Wallabies. He ended up getting the bat taken out of his hands though as Hovey tried to steal and a pump-fake throw to second got Nyquist leaning off third.

The throw back to third by the catcher Meyer ended up being in-time to gun down Nyquist for the third out of the inning and ended the game as Wenatchee stole this one late by a final score of 7-6.

Walla Walla will try to even the series on Saturday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – There is no way around it, it is way more fun to win than to lose. The Sweets got back to their winning ways on Thursday night as they took a non-league matchup against the North Sound Emeralds by a final score of 8-5.

The Emeralds jumped out to an early lead in the top of the third off Sweets starter Tanner Cunha. Jaden Yackley led off with a double down the left field line and was driven home on an RBI single by the next batter Drew Barlow to make it 1-0.

The Sweets wasted no time in answering right back as they took the lead in the bottom of the third. Quentin LaFontaine led off the inning with a walk and advanced all the way around to third base after a stolen base and a throwing error by the catcher.

Mitch Lesmeister then drilled a double into the left-centerfield gap to plate LaFontaine and tie the game at 1-1. A Haydn King groundout moved Lesmeister over to third with just one out in the inning.

Then with the infield drawn back, Ben Fariss grounded out to the second baseman, but the run scored to make it 2-1. A two-out walk to Matt Elser kept the inning alive for Josh Kutzke.

He then hammered a ball deep into right-centerfield for a standup double which scored Elser from first to push the lead out to 3-1. The Emeralds swung right back though in the top of the fourth off Sweets reliever Cole Schoepke.

A one-out walk and a wild pitch gave North Sound a runner in scoring position at second base. After a strikeout swinging, Peter Perkins dropped a bloop single down the right field line to score the runner and make it 3-2.

The Sweets responded right away in the next half inning. Tyson Quolas led the bottom of the fourth off with a double that one-hopped the centerfield wall for a standup double.

A groundout to the next batter moved Quolas over to third base with just one out. Then LaFontaine pushed a single into right field to score the runner from third to make it 4-2.

Once again LaFontaine wound up standing at third after a stolen base and a throwing error by the catcher. Lesmeister strode to the box and he smoked a line drive off the left field scoreboard for a double which scored LaFontaine to push the lead out to three at 5-2.

Walla Walla added on again in the bottom of the fifth. Kutzke led off the inning with a single and advanced to second after a flyout and a groundout.

So with two outs, Willy Chang came up and pushed a single into left field. Kutzke sprinted around the third base bag and a wide throw at the plate allowed him to score easily to extend the lead out to 6-2.

North Sound refused to go away quietly though as they tried to rally late. A strikeout and back-to-back walks in the top of the sixth put runners on first and second with one out.

That brought up Perkins and he doubled to left field to score the runner from second and trimmed the lead down to 6-3. Brian O’Rourke then took over on the mound for the Sweets, and he got out of the sixth but then ran into some trouble in the seventh.

Back-to-back singles to lead off the top of the seventh brought the tying run to the plate for North Sound. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position at second and third with one out.

Then another pair of back-to-back singles scored both runners to cut the Sweets lead down to one at 6-5. Fortunately for Walla Walla and their fans in attendance, the team got some much-needed insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth.

Chang reached on an error but was cut down at the plate after a single by LaFontaine for the first out of the inning. A strikeout gave the Emeralds two outs, and it looked as though they may have a chance to rally back with just one run in the ninth.

That proved not to be the case though after back-to-back RBI triples by Zach Penrod and Ben Fariss gave the Sweets a pair of runs and some breathing room with the score now at 8-5. Jack Filby came on in the ninth and shut the door with a scoreless inning to earn the save and seal the win for Walla Walla by a final score of 8-5.

The Sweets open up their second half of the regular season hosting the Wenatchee AppleSox in a three-game weekend series. Game one on Friday is slated to begin at 6:35 PM.

Bend, Ore. – The Sweets’ road trip started off with a rout in a win but ended with a rout in a loss as Walla Walla lost big to the Bend Elks on Wednesday night. The Elks got the win by a final score of 10-4 and sealed the three-game sweep against the Sweets.

Bend jumped out to an early lead on one swing of the bat in the bottom of the third inning. Kaiser Weiss came to the plate with two outs and drilled a solo homerun to left field off Sweets starter Tyson Quolas to give the Elks a 1-0 lead.

Walla Walla’s offense finally came alive in the top of the fifth as they pushed across a pair of runs. Nick Nyquist led off the inning with a double deep to centerfield that one-hopped the wall.

Jordan Hovey followed up by striking out swinging on a ball in the dirt for a dropped third strike. The pitch ended up getting well away from the catcher and back to the backstop.

The throw to first base from Health Pickhardt was low and bounced away from the first baseman Brandon Leitgeb. That allowed Hovey to reach first base safely and Nyquist to come all the way around and score from second base to tie the game 1-1.

A stolen base and a strikeout swinging put a runner on second base with one out for Willy Chang. He delivered a single to left field to score Hovey from second and gave the Sweets the lead at 2-1.

The lead was short-lived however as the Elks responded quickly in the bottom of the fifth. With one out in the frame, Tristen Alvarez powered a solo homerun over the left field wall to tie the game at 2-2.

A single and a walk put runners on first and second with still just one out in the inning, but then things started to unravel for Chang behind the plate. A passed ball to the next batter moved both runners into scoring position at second and third.

Quolas got a harmless pop out to the second baseman for the second out of the inning. Then another passed ball scored the runner from third to give the Elks the lead at 3-2.

With Ty Holmstrom still up to bat, he singled to centerfield to push across another run in the inning and extended Bend’s lead out to 4-2. It did not take long for the Elks to continue to pour it on as they blew the game wide open in the bottom of the sixth.

Isaak Gutierrez took over on the mound and surrendered a single and back-to-back hit-by-pitches to load the bases with nobody out. He got a harmless flyout to shallow right field for the first out of the inning but walked the next batter to push across a run and made it 5-2.

Samuel Reed then came on in relief and got a ground ball toward the first base hole to second baseman Tyler Pritchard. He tried to relay the throw to second, but it glanced off Hovey’s glove and got away which scored two runs on the play to make it 7-2.

A lineout to Danny Sinatro in centerfield kept the runners at first and second now with two outs in the inning. The Elks then got back-to-back doubles to score three more runs as their lead swelled out to 10-2.

The Sweets put a few runs together late, first in the top of the seventh. Cesar Lopez led off the inning with a double to give Walla Walla a runner in scoring position right off the bat.

Back-to-back strikeouts swinging kept Lopez put at second with two outs. Then a passed ball that was attempted to be fielded by both the pitcher and the catcher left home plate unattended, and Lopez came all the way around to score from second base to trim the lead down to 10-3.

Lopez provided another run in the top of the ninth. With two outs and nobody on base, he hammered a solo homerun over the right field wall to give the Sweets their final run of the game as the score stood from there at 10-4.

With the loss and the sweep, the Sweets finished the first half of the regular season with a record of 15-12 and fell just a few games short of first place. They will try to get back on track with a non-league game against the North Sound Emeralds on Thursday with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 PM.

Bend, Ore. – An impressive run against West Coast League opponents in the first half of the regular season came to an end on Tuesday night. The Sweets lost game two to the Bend Elks by a final score of 8-6 and thus dropped the series.

This was the first time that the Sweets have lost back-to-back games and a WCL series since the first week of June against the Bellingham Bells.

The Sweets got out to an early lead in the top of the first. Cesar Lopez continued his hot stretch at the plate as he flipped a single through the left side of the infield with two outs in the inning.

That brought Zach Penrod to the plate and he hit a deep drive into the right-centerfield gap. He wound up standing on second with an RBI double as Lopez came all the way around to score from first to make it 1-0.

The lead was short lived for Walla Walla though as Bend answered right back. They got back-to-back singles with one out in the bottom of the first off Sweets starter Ty Hueckman.

The next batter, Ty Holmstrom, strode to the box and promptly blasted a shot over the right field wall for a three-run homerun to make it 3-1 in favor of the Elks. Then a single and back-to-back walks loaded the bases with one out.

Hueckman got a pop out to shallow right field that kept all the runners put at their respective bases. Then with two outs, Tristen Alvarez singled to left field to score the runner from third, but Ryan Johnston threw a strike from the outfield to cut down the second runner at the plate for the third out as it was 4-1.

The score stood there until the Elks tacked back on in the bottom of the fifth. The leadoff batter reached on a single, but Hueckman then got the next two batters to ground out and pop out.

So with two outs and a runner on second, Ian Nowak singled through the infield to score the runner and made it 5-1. Then Collin Runge hit a chopping ground ball to Tyler Pritchard at second.

Pritchard was unable to field the ball cleanly which resulted in an error as that put runners on the corners with still two outs. That brought up Kaiser Weiss and he drilled a double deep into the left-centerfield gap that plated both runners and extended the Elks lead out to 7-1.

The Sweets pushed back in the top of the sixth as Penrod led off the inning with a double, his second of the game. A walk and a ground out to the right side of the infield moved both runners into scoring position at second and third with just one out.

Then Jordan Hovey grounded out to the first baseman which allowed Penrod to score from third to make it 7-2. The Elks continued to roll though as they tallied in the bottom of the sixth.

Carson Woolery took over on the mound and he surrendered three straight walks to start off his outing. The next batter lifted a sinking fly ball into left field and Johnston made an impressive diving grab for the out.

On the play, the runner scored from third on a sacrifice fly, but Johnston came up throwing and was able to gun down the runner at second base who got too far off the bag for a double play. Woolery got a fly out to end the inning and limited the damage, but the Elks lead was back out to six at 8-2.

Walla Walla tried to rally late, starting in the top of the seventh. Pritchard was able to come all the way around and reach third base safely to lead off the inning on a lackadaisical error by Holmstrom in centerfield. A walk and a groundout double play got two outs for the Elks, but the run scored on the play to make it 8-3.

Nick Nyquist led off the top of the eighth with a single back up the middle. Then with one out and Nyquist on second, Hovey smoked a deep fly ball over the right field wall for a two-run homerun, his second of the year.

A walk, a fielder’s choice and a stolen base put Pritchard on second with two outs, which brought Johnston to the plate. He singled back up the middle to score the runner and trim the lead down to just two at 8-6.

That proved to be all the offense the Sweets could muster though as Bradley Gonzales came on for Bend in the top of the ninth and worked a one-two-three inning to earn the save and seal the game. The Elks took game two by the final score of 8-6.

The Sweets look to end their first half on a high note as they take to Vince Genna Stadium one final time on Wednesday to try to take the series finale with first pitch slated for 6:35 PM.

Bend, Ore. – The Sweets had been great in the first game of road series, going 3-1 in them so far this year. That proved to not be the case on Monday as Walla Walla dropped game one against the Bend Elks by a final score of 6-4.

The Elks tallied first in the bottom of the first inning off Sweets starter Bryce Moyle. The leadoff batter Nick Roberts reached on a hard-hit single back up the middle and was bunted over to second.

The next batter drew a walk to put runners on first and second with just one out. Then Alex Pallios singled to left field to plate Roberts from second and made it 1-0.

The Sweets answered with a run of their own in the top of the second off Elks starter RJ Robles. Zach Penrod led off the inning with a single and promptly stole second base.

A passed ball moved him over to third base with still nobody out in the inning. Then Jack Filby hit a ball deep to centerfield which was caught but allowed Penrod to score from third on a sacrifice fly and tied the game at 1-1.

With one out in the top of the third, Danny Sinatro hit a line drive to right field. John Arndorfer dove to try to make the grab, but he came up empty and allowed Sinatro to pull into second base standing.

Sinatro promptly stole third base which gave Ben Fariss a great RBI opportunity. He delivered a single through the left side of the infield to score the runner and give the Sweets the lead at 2-1.

Walla Walla added on in the top of the sixth after they loaded the bases with nobody out on two walks and a hit-by-pitch. A passed ball had Penrod trying to score from third, but a late reaction on the bases gave the catcher time to collect the ball and flip on to the pitcher covering for the out.

So with one out and runners on second and third, Josh Kutzke popped up to the first baseman, and it looked as though the great start to the inning was going to fall by the wayside. Matt Elser then strode to the plate and hit a ball off the pitcher’s mitt back up the middle.

The glance off the pitcher’s glove turned it into a slow roller to the shortstop. With Elser hustling out of the box, he reached first base safely and Filby came across to score to extend the Sweets lead out to 3-1.

Then the Elks started their comeback in the bottom of the sixth off Walla Walla reliever Michael Peterson. A single, sacrifice bunt, and a single put runners on the corners with one out.

Bend then executed a safety squeeze bunt with the runner on third stealing home. The relay home from Peterson got away from Elser which allowed the run to score to make it 3-2.

With runners on the corners again and still one out, Tristen Alvarez came to the plate. He flipped a single into left field to score the runner from third as the Elks tied the game at 3-3.

Wasting no time in taking the lead right back, the Sweets answered in the top of the seventh. Isaak Gutierrez led off the inning with a double down the third base line and advanced to third after tagging up on a deep fly ball to center.

So with one out and the runner on third, Walla Walla gave Bend a taste of their own medicine. Sinatro came up and dropped down a safety squeeze bunt with Gutierrez stealing from third, and he scored to make it 4-3 in favor of the Sweets.

The lead was short lived however as the Elks took the lead in the bottom of the seventh, and they did not look back. With Peterson still on the mound, he gave up a single and a hit-by-pitch to start the frame.

Carson Woolery then took over and immediately plunked the first batter he faced to load the bases with nobody out. That brought Tanner Cunha to the mound and the first batter he faced, John Arndorfer, ripped a double to right field to score two runs which gave Bend the lead at 5-4.

Then with runners on second and third and still nobody out, Ty Holmstrom lifted a ball just deep enough into centerfield to allow the runner to score from third on a sacrifice fly to push the Elks’ lead out to 6-4.

Sam Boone was called on to try to earn the save as he took over in the top of the eighth. He delivered in a big way as he retired all six batters he faced consecutively to shut the door and give Bend the win by the final score of 6-4.

The loss puts Walla Walla’s hopes of clinching first place in the WCL South division for the first half in serious jeopardy with the Portland Pickles rolling as of late. It is not over yet though as there is still a chance, but the Sweets must win their next two games to keep hope alive.

They get back at it against the Elks once again on Tuesday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 PM.

Corvallis, Ore. – The Sweets split the two games against the Corvallis Knights on Sunday but ultimately took the series and now have a very real chance at winning the WCL South division for the first half. Walla Walla lost game one by a final score of 3-2 and then won game two 5-3 in 10 innings.

The Sweets jumped out to an early lead in game one after pushing across a run in the top of the first. Back-to-back doubles from Danny Sinatro and Zach Penrod scored Sinatro as the Sweets led 1-0 before the Knights even had a chance to hit.

Corvallis responded though in the bottom of the second inning as they put together an impressive two-out rally. After Sweets starter Haydn King retired the first two batters of the inning, four straight singles pushed across two runs and the Knights took the lead at 2-1.

The only other run of the game for Corvallis came off the bat of Elliot Willy in the bottom of the fourth. He started the inning with a solo homerun off King that hugged the foul pole down the left field line and was just barely fair to push the Knights lead out to 3-1.

Tyson Quolas then took over for the Sweets and had a strong showing in his outing. He finished out the game going two and a third innings pitched while not allowing any hits and striking out three.

Walla Walla tried to rally late in the top of the seventh, the final inning of the game because of the doubleheader. Jordan Hovey doubled to deep left-centerfield with one out in the inning to give the Sweets a runner in scoring position.

After a deep flyout to center, Tyler Pritchard came up with two outs and doubled to right-centerfield to score Hovey and trim the lead down to one at 3-2. With two outs and a runner in scoring position on second base, Ryan Johnston strode in and ripped a hard ground ball to the right side of the infield.f

Briley Knight made a diving stop on the ball and gathered himself in time to cut down Johnston at first which ended the Sweets rally. So the Knights took game one by a final score of 3-2 and the hopes of winning the series for Walla Walla was now in jeopardy.

Zach Penrod got the start for the Sweets in game two and he took it upon himself to give the team a chance to win the game. He allowed no runs through his first four innings on the mound as the Sweets offense gave the team a lead.

In the top of the fourth, Walla Walla tallied the first run of the game. Sinatro led off the inning getting plunked by an inside pitch to give the Sweets a leadoff man on base.

Sinatro then stole second base with one out which brought Cesar Lopez to the plate. Lopez poked a slow roller up the third base line that was a tough play for the Knights’ starting pitcher Connor Redmond.

Redmond was able to field the ball cleanly with his bare hand, but a low throw got away from the Knights first baseman. That allowed Lopez to reach safely and Sinatro to come all the way around and score from second without the ball ever leaving the infield to make it 1-0 in favor of the Sweets.

Walla Walla tacked on in the top of the fifth off the newly entered Brendan Beck for the Knights. Hovey doubled to lead off the inning. Then ground out back up the middle by Willy Chang advanced Hovey to third.

Pritchard dropped a bloop single into left-centerfield to score Hovey from third and made it 2-0. A stolen base for Pritchard put him on second base with two outs in the inning.

Then a single from Sinatro to left field got past the left fielder Elliot Willy which allowed Pritchard to score from second to make it 3-0.

Penrod ran into some trouble on the mound in the bottom of the fifth. A double and a single with one out in the inning pushed across a run and ended Penrod’s day. He finished going four and a third innings with six strikeouts and just one earned run as it was then 3-1.

Samuel Reed took over on the mound for the Sweets and he got out of the fifth without allowing another run to score. The Knights refused to go away though as they kept after Reed in the bottom of the sixth.

A double and a single again with one out pushed across another run, this time off Reed, as the Knights chipped the lead back down to one at 3-2. Then in the bottom of the seventh, the Knights made one last attempt to get back into the game, and they succeeded.

Nick Strange came on and made his first appearance in a Sweets uniform as he got the strikeout swinging to the first batter he faced. A single and a wild pitch then put a runner on second with one out. Sam Olsson then singled to left-centerfield to score the runner from second as that tied the game at 3-3.

Ben Fariss then took over on the mound for the Sweets and he shined in his second appearance on the mound for Walla Walla. He kept the Knights at bay throughout the extra frames as he went two and two thirds strong innings without allow a hit and striking out three.

The Sweets had a plethora of opportunities to win the game in both the eighth and ninth innings as they left four runners on base, including three in scoring position. Fortunately with Fariss dealing on the mound, Walla Walla once again had a chance to take the lead in the top of the 10th inning and they finally broke through.

Fariss got the inning started at the plate as he singled through the left side of the infield to leadoff. A hit-and-run was punched back to the mound by Lopez and fielded by the pitcher who only had a play at first and advanced Fariss safely to second.

Then with one out, Robby Teel peppered a line drive through the right side of the infield and scored Fariss from second to give the Sweets the lead at 4-3. Jack Filby then grounded out to the second baseman but advanced Teel into scoring position at second.

With two outs, Hovey strode to the plate and he dropped a bloop single into left field with Teel running on contact. A play at the plate went the way of the Sweets as the ball bounced away from the Knights catcher and Teel slid in safely to give Walla Walla the lead at 5-3.

Patrick Collins took over to try to close the door in the bottom of the 10th and the Knights made things interesting. After retiring the first two batters, Chandler Anderson ripped a double off the left field wall.

Cody Hawken then singled to centerfield, but Anderson was held up at third to put runners on the corners with still two outs. The next batter, Austin Feist smoked a ball deep to left field.

Johnston hustled over though, flagged the ball down and made the running grab to end the game and give the Sweets the victory by a final score of 5-3. With the win, the Sweets took the series and have now won six straight series against West Coast League opponents.

Sitting just a half game back of first place, the Sweets open up a three-game series on the road against the Bend Elks tomorrow with first pitch slated for 6:35.

Corvallis, Ore. – Currently amid their ninth season playing in the West Coast League, the Sweets put up the highest scoring total in the club’s history on Saturday night. A seesaw game early turned into a blowout late as Walla Walla won big over the Corvallis Knights by a final score of 18-5.

The scoring got started early for the Sweets as Ryan Johnston led off the top of the first with a double deep to left-centerfield off Corvallis starter Daniel Slominski. Following a walk and a strikeout, Zach Penrod then smoked a ball back up the middle that should have been ruled a single, but instead was scored an error, as it got past the second baseman and into centerfield to score Johnston and make it 1-0.

With runners on the corners, Jack Filby strode to the box and lifted a flyball into shallow centerfield that dropped in and scored Danny Sinatro for a quick 2-0 lead. Cesar Lopez capped off the first inning scoring as he ripped a single into right field to plate Penrod and make it 3-0.

Sweets starter Sean Sullivan had an uncharacteristically shaky outing as the Knights swung right back in the bottom of the first. The first three batters of the game for Corvallis reached base safely on a single and a pair of walks which loaded the bases with nobody out.

Then a slow roller to Filby at short resulted in only an out at second as the fielder’s choice scored the runner from third to make it 3-1. The next batter Cameron Haskell singled to the outfield to push across another run and trimmed the lead down to one at 3-2.

The Sweets continued to roll in the top of the second as an error, a single and a passed ball put runners on second and third with one out. Nick Nyquist then hit a ball deep to centerfield that bounced in and out of the glove of Elliot Willy. The miscue scored Johnston from third to make it 4-2.

With runners once again on second and third and one out, Penrod hit a grounder to the right side of the infield that scored Sinatro on a putout at first which pushed the lead back out to three at 5-2. Filby followed with a single back up the middle to score Nyquist and make it 6-2.

There would finally be a full inning of scoreless baseball, as the bottom of the second and the top of the third went by quietly.

The Knights rallied to put an end to the silence in the bottom of the third with a runner on first and two outs. Austin Feist ripped a double deep to left-centerfield that hit off the wall and allowed the runner from first to come all the way around to score to make it 6-3. Another double and a single pushed across two more runs in the frame and cut the lead back down to one at 6-5.

Walla Walla punched right back though to give themselves a comfortable margin once again. The first two batters of the top of the fourth reached on a hit-by-pitch and a walk. A wild pitch got past the Knights’ catcher Briley Knight which moved both runners into scoring position at second and third with one out.

Filby then hit a high chopper to the first baseman and the throw came to the plate. Sinatro slid in just ahead of the tag as the fielder’s choice went down without an out recorded and a run scored with the lead extended out to 7-5.

The next batter, Lopez, hit a grounder to the second baseman that looked to be a double play ball. However, the shortstop could not corral in the throw cleanly, which let everybody reach safely and scored another run to make it 8-5.

A walk and a strikeout loaded the bases with two outs in the frame. Tyler Pritchard ripped a single back up the middle to score a pair of runs as the lead swelled out to five at 10-5.

The avalanche of scoring finally came to a halt for both teams after the fourth inning.

Brayde Hirai took over for the Sweets on the mound and was nothing short of exceptional in getting control of the game. He finished the game and went six and a third innings with seven hits, one walk, three strikeouts and no runs allowed.

With the game firmly in hand late, the Sweets decided to turn it into a runaway as they poured it on in the top of the ninth off Knights pitchers Jacob Fricke and Jordan McDaniel. Seven hits, four walks and a hit-by-pitch wound up scoring eight runs in the frame for the Sweets.  This gave the Walla Walla 18 runs on the night, the highest scoring total in a single game in the team’s WCL history. The final tally was 18-5.

Walla Walla is back at it in Corvallis for a doubleheader on Sunday with the first game scheduled for 12:30 and the second game beginning a half hour after the conclusion of the first.

The Walla Walla Sweets regularly scheduled Friday night contest vs. the Corvallis Knights at OSU’s Goss Stadium has been cancelled to accommodate the National Champion Beavers celebration event scheduled to start late Friday afternoon at a time to be determined at Goss Stadium.

Friday’s game will be rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Sunday, July 1 – pitting the Knights and Sweets – that will start at 12:30 pm with gates opening at noon. Game two will start at 3 pm.

This pivotal series pits the two teams tied atop the WCL South Division against one another as both teams look to clinch the first-half playoff berth with just a little over a week left in the first half of the season! Don’t miss all the action, now scheduled solely for Saturday and Sunday!

The rivalry is about to heat up at Borleske Stadium, as rosters for the first-ever Alumni Classic, presented by the Walla Walla YMCA, were released this afternoon.

The game, scheduled to be played at Borleske Stadium on Monday, July 16 at 7:05 PM, will feature past stars from the storied baseball programs that have been in the Valley over the past half-century. The game is being played to accomplish a few important goals:

1. Create community connections between the generations of players who have graced the playing fields of Walla Walla
2. Raise needed funds for programming through the schools various fundraising mechanisms (such as Booster Clubs and other similar programs)
3. Have a lot of fun at Historic Borleske Stadium

“I am excited about the roster that we’re able to put together on the DeSales side,” said event co-organizer J.C. Biagi, who played for the Irish from 1997-2000. “I think we’ve assembled a solid group of players that takes us back to some important foundational years in the late 80s through the heart of our state championship runs in the late 90s and early 2000s.”

The Blue Devil roster is equally as impressive.

“The number of great players from Wa-Hi who went on to have success in collegiate and professional baseball over the past 25 years is impressive,” said event co-organizer Jason Magnaghi who played for Wa-Hi through 1996. “Many in our community will recognize the depth of talent and key names from our proud baseball history.”

For this inaugural game, the clubs are being managed by long-time coaches of the programs, Kim Cox (DeSales) and Keith Gradwohl (Wa-Hi). The two coaches have a long history of producing collegiate and professional baseball talent, as well as numerous state, district and regional titles.

“The Sweets are excited to build on the strong relationships that we’ve built over the past decade with both DeSales and Wa-Hi,” said Sweets president Zachary Fraser. “From past players and coaches from these programs that have been an integral part of the Sweets history, this game will become a great showcase for fun and fundraising for both schools.

“We are extremely grateful to our partners at the YMCA for stepping up as the presenting sponsor, and their recognition that dollars raised from this event will help the schools continue programs that help develop the health and welfare of todays students.”

The rosters for the two clubs for the Classic will be as follows:

BUY TICKETS TO THE GAME*

*if you want your custom event t-shirt with your ticket, tickets must be purchased no later than July 5, 2018