The Corvallis Knights remained red hot at the expense of the Walla Walla Sweets on Friday night at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.

Corvallis, which emerged on top of the West Coast League’s South Division wars during the first half of the 2019 campaign, broke open a tight game with four runs in the sixth inning and cruised to a 9-2 victory in game one of a three-game weekend series.

The Knights, who have won 20 of their last 21 league games, are now 5-1 in the WCL’s second half and improved to 26-7 overall.

Walla Walla, which suffered its third straight loss, is 2-4 and 20-13.

Corvallis produced the game’s first run with two out in the bottom of the second inning. Michael Curialle doubled and scored on an Elliott Willy single.

The Sweets evened the score in the third. Patrick Caulfield earned a one-out walk, then stole second and third – giving him 26 stolen bases for the season. Ryan Johnston walked and Caulfield scored on a 4-6 fielder’s choice off the bat of Cesar Lopez.

Corvallis reclaimed the edge in the home third and never looked back.

Walla Walla managed just one baserunner in innings four through six. It was Caleb Farmer, who walked with two out in the sixth.

The Knights blew the game open with a quartet of two-out runs in the bottom of the sixth. Matthew Gretler singled in the first tally, Willy drove home two teammates with a double into the left-field corner, and then crossed the plate on a wild pitch.

Walla Walla scored its final run in the seventh. Michael Petrie stroked a one-out single and moved to third on a Brock Ephan hit. Each Sweet moved up 90 feet on an errant pick-off throw to third by Knights’ catcher Zack Moeller.

Corvallis picked up two more runs in the bottom of the seventh. Briley Knight led off with his sixth home run of the season – a towering blow to right and, after a walk to Brooks Lee, Moeller doubled for an RBI.

The Knights added an unearned run in the eighth against Ephan, who wound up striking out the side in his only inning of work.

Game two of the series is Saturday night at 6:30.

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Walla Walla centerfielder Patrick Caulfield is one of 12 players scheduled to participate in a Home-Run Derby competition on Monday that will kick off the West Coast League’s two-day All-Star extravaganza at Vince Genna Stadium in Bend, Commissioner Rob Neyer announced Friday.

The UCLA Bruin-to-be is fifth in the WCL in batting average (.362, 46-for-127). He has a league-leading 24 stolen bases in 27 attempts this season. The pre-All-Star resume is further spiced by eight doubles, four home runs and 19 RBI.

“It’s an honor to participate,” said Caulfield, who helped lead Santa Barbara City College to a 24-win season and playoff berth this past spring. “Hopefully, I can get a couple out.”

Caulfield is one of four Sweets who will suit up for the South Division All-Stars – joining teammates Justin Folz, Travis Craven, and Reid Sebby.

Walla Walla opens a three-game series at Corvallis tonight at 6:30.

The longest game in the history of the Walla Walla Sweets franchise ended in disappointment early Thursday morning at historic Borleske Stadium.

Chase Meidroth lofted a sacrifice fly to right field in the top of the 19th inning and the Victoria HarbourCats held off a Walla Walla rally in the bottom of the frame to eke out a 4-3 West Coast League baseball victory.

Victoria handed the Sweets just their third series loss of the season and improved to 7-3 in the second half of WCL play.

The heartbroken Sweets slipped to 2-3 in the second half and are now 20-12 in all league games.

Patrick Caulfield, who registered his 16th multi-hit game of the season, led off the bottom of the first inning with a double into the left-center field alley and scored the first run of the game one out later on a single to center by Cesar Lopez.

Jordan Stubbings led off the Sweets second with a single. Michael Petrie walked and Parker Price followed suit one out later. Caulfield was hit by a pitch to force in a run.

The HarbourCats scored an unearned run in the third inning against Sweets starting pitcher Ben Johnson. Chase Wehsener walked with two out, went to second on a Kyle Harper single, and crossed the plate on an error.

Walla Walla’s final tally came in the fourth inning on a 398-foot home run to left off the bat of Ben Fariss.

Pitchers Brennan Patterson, Charles Harrison, and Brayde Hirai combined to keep the HarbourCats off the scoreboard in innings four through eight despite some anxious moments in the fifth and sixth when the first two Victoria batters reached base on walks.

Tanner Haney started the HarbourCats’ ninth with a walk and Nick Plaia hit a two-run home run to left the knot the score at 3-3.

Both teams frittered away scoring chances over the next nine innings. The Sweets best opportunity squandered came in the 13th when they left the bases loaded.

Walla Walla’s threat in the bottom of the 19th started when Caulfield was hit by a pitch. Emanuel Dean singled him to third one out later. Dean went to second on  defensive indifference, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the game.

The Sweets open a three-game weekend series on Friday night in Corvallis. Games Friday and Saturday are scheduled for 6:30 and the pre-All-Star Break finale starts Sunday at 3 p.m.

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The Victoria HarbourCats scored six times on seven hits in the top half of the fourth inning Tuesday night, and pitchers Calvin Turchin and Connor Barison combined to allow just seven hits in a 7-1 victory over the Walla Walla Sweets in game two of a three-game West Coast League baseball series at Borleske Stadium.

Victoria, which finished at the top of the WCL’s North Division standings during the first half of league play, improved its second-half record to 6-3 and remained percentage points behind first-place Wenatchee.

Walla Walla, which suffered just its fourth home loss of the season, is 2-2 in the second half, 20-11 in all WCL games, and 25-11 overall.

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The HarbourCats tallied the contest’s first run with two out in the top of the first inning. Griffin Paxton and Tyson Hays drew back-to-back walks on four pitches, and Emilio Nogales singled in Paxton from second base.

Sweets starting pitcher Ty Hueckman enjoyed much more success in the top of the second inning despite a one-out walk to Nick Adams. He sent Matt Clayton back to the dugout on a grounder to second prior to issuing the free pass, then got Kyle Sherick to foul out to catcher Caleb Farmer and struck out Parker Bramlett.

The Sweets tied the game in the home half of the second. Justin Folz ripped a one-out double and moved to third on an infield hit by Parker Price. One out later, Emanuel Dean singled in Folz to knot the score at 1-1.

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Both starting pitchers opposed the minimum number of hitters in the third inning prior to the nightmarish fourth. Harrison Spohn hit a one-out homer, Adams socked a two-run bomb, Paxton drove a sacrifice fly to center field, and Hays and Nogales followed with RBI singles.

Walla Walla managed just two hits and five base runners in innings four through nine.

Right-hander Landon Boeneke allowed the final two runs of the fourth inning, but blanked the HarbourCats over the next two innings. Nate Dahle got himself in to, then out of, a bases-loaded, one-out quagmire in the seventh and tossed a spotless eighth. Southpaw Brayde Hirai K’d the first two hitters in the ninth on his way to a clean frame.

The final game of the series is Wednesday at 6:35 p.m.

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A quartet of Walla Walla Sweets were named to the West Coast League’s South Division All-Star team this morning, as announced by league commissioner Rob Neyer.

Those who will travel to Bend for next Tuesday’s WCL equivalent to the mid-summer classic are center fielder Patrick Caulfield, third baseman/designated hitter Justin Folz, and pitchers Travis Craven and Reid Sebby.

The group will depart for Bend after the Sweets wrap up a three-game weekend series in Corvallis on Sunday.

Caulfield, who plans to further his collegiate career at UCLA, is currently sixth in the league in batting (.362 avg.), and is first in stolen bases (23), second in runs scored (32), and tied for fourth in hits (42). He has four home runs and 18 runs batted in, and is the author of 15 multi-hit games this season.

Folz, who will be attending St. John’s University, is hitting .303 with a pair of taters and 14 RBI, and is tied for second in the WCL with 10 doubles.

Craven, a Whitman College star, ranks third in the West Coast League with a 1.55 earned run average. He has thrown 29 innings over his 10 starts this season and has yielded just 22 hits and seven runs (five earned). The southpaw has walked only nine batters and struck out 31. Craven gave up a run, fanned three, and walked two over four innings in the Sweets 6-3 victory over Victoria on Monday night at Borleske Stadium.

Sebby, a Cypress College product, sports a minuscule 0.55 ERA over 16.1 innings. He has allowed 15 hits, two runs (one earned), seven walks, and has K’d 20. The right-hander notched his sixth save after throwing a scoreless ninth inning Monday night.

“We are excited for Patrick, Justin, Travis, and Reid,” Walla Walla manager Frank Mutz said. “They have been leaders on and off the field – a big part of starting the season 25-10 – and deserve this recognition. We are proud they will represent our city and our team.”

Right-hander Ty Hueckman, a Nevada hurler, narrowly missed a spot on the South roster. Hueckman is among the top five (among qualifying pitchers) in the WCL South in six statistical categories including innings pitched (23), wins (3), win percentage (1.000), batting average against (.150), walks and hits per innings pitched (.910), and batting average on balls in play (.174). Hueckman ranks in the division’s top 10 in strikeouts (21, sixth), strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.792, ninth), and strikeouts per nine innings (8.217, seventh).

The Sweets host Victoria in the middle game of a three-game series tonight at 6:35.

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Two big swings proved to be enough for the Walla Walla Sweets Monday night in the opening game of a three-game West Coast League baseball series with the Victoria HarbourCats at historic Borleske Stadium.

Chazz Martinez belted a three-run home run and Ryan Johnston hammered a three-run double in the Sweets 6-3 victory.

Walla Walla is now 2-1 in the WCL’s second half, 20-10 in all league counters, and 25-10 overall. Victoria is 5-3 and 23-11.

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Sweets starting pitcher Travis Craven admittedly did not have his best stuff, but it was good enough to get him through four representative innings. He retired the first two hitters in the opening inning, then allowed the next two batters to reach base before striking out Nick Plaia to end the inning.

Johnston worked HarbourCats’ starter Mitch Lines for a one-out walk in the home first. Cesar Lopez, who connected for three hits on the night, singled Johnston to second. Martinez followed with his fourth home run of the season – a 381-foot fly that cleared the left-field wall.

Kyle Harper got a run back for Victoria in the second inning when he sent Craven’s first delivery over the wall in left. Harrison Spohn doubled five pitches later, and went to third on an infield out. But Craven struck out Chase Meidroth and got Parker Bramlett to ground out to short to end the frame.

The HarbourCats got their first two hitters aboard in the third. But Jason Willow, who led off with a single and went to second on a Chase Wehsener walk, was thrown out by catcher Michael Petrie in what turned out to be a futile attempt to swipe third. Tyson Hays singled and, after Plaia advanced Wehsener to third with a fly to center,  Craven exacted revenge on Harper by striking him out.

Craven faced the minimum number of hitters in the fourth. He allowed a two-out single to Meidroth, but Petrie closed out the inning by eliminating the Harbourcats’ No. 9 hitter 2-to-4.

Emanuel Dean, Petrie, and Patrick Caulfield singled with one out in the last of the fourth. Johnston worked the count to 2-and-2, then cleared the bases with a two-bagger that split the left-center alley and gave the Sweets a 6-1 lead.

Andrew Mosiello made the lead stand up. He retired nine of the 11 batters he threw to in innings five through seven and fanned four.

“I threw all my pitches for strikes and pounded the zone,” Mosiello said. “With the lead, you’re not to worried about giving up the lead, so you can be more aggressive and try different things out.”

POST GAME INTERVIEW WITH CHAZZ MARTINEZ, RYAN JOHNSTON, AND ANDREW MOSIELLO

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Victoria got a two-run home run from Tyson Hays in the eighth and Plaia doubled after that. Nick Irwin entered the game out of the bullpen and recorded three outs. He allowed a line drive to Harper that shortstop Caleb Farmer leaped into the air to glove for the first out, then got Spohn and Clayton to fly out to right and left, respectively.

Reid Sebby allowed back-to-back singles to start the ninth inning before putting the hammer down. He K’d Willow, then yielded a ground ball up the middle to Wehsener that Farmer underhanded to Johnston for the force out at second. Johnston then unleashed an accurate throw to first baseman Jordan Stubbings to complete a game-ending, 6-4-3 double play.

Game two of the series is Tuesday night at 6:35. The evening will include Bud Light batting practice and $1 Del Taco tacos.

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The Walla Walla Sweets, 1-1 in the second half of the West Coast League season, 19-10 in all WCL games, and 24-10 overall, resume league play Monday night when they open a three-game series with the Victoria HarbourCats (4-2, 22-11 prior to a Sunday game at Bend) at historic Borleske Stadium.

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Walla Walla is scheduled to have an off-day Thursday before traveling to Corvallis (3-1, 24-7 before a Sunday contest with Kelowna) this weekend for a pre-All-Star Game series Friday through Sunday at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.

This week’s tasks figure to be daunting. Victoria went on an 8-and-2 tear to edge its way past Bellingham for first-half supremacy in the WCL’s North Division. The Knights, who the Sweets swept in a season-opening, three-game series June 4-6 in Walla Walla, have claimed 18 of their last 19 outings against league opposition, and prevailed in their final 15 first-half contests to earn a South Division playoff berth.

The Sweets defeated the Cascade Collegiate League, 5-2, on Saturday night in their final non-league game of 2019. Cesar Lopez had three hits in the game while Patrick Caulfield, Caleb Farmer, and Jordan Stubbings collected two apiece. Walla Walla pitchers Chazz Martinez, Dimick Wood, Charles Harrison, Brayde Hirai, Ryan Johnston, and Reid Sebby combined on a five-hitter and to strike out 19 in the game.

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Prior to 9-3 and 18-3 triumphs over the Military All-Stars, the Sweets split two games in Bellingham before having the rubber match of the series postponed by rain. It has been rescheduled, if necessary, August 12. Walla Walla dropped the series opener Monday night by a 4-1 count before bouncing back for an 11-7 win on Tuesday. The Sweets scored all of their runs in the latter game with two out.

Walla Walla dropped just its second series of the year before its trip to Bellingham. The Sweets lost two of three games to Kelowna to begin a six-game road trip. A game planned for July 5 was postponed due to inclement weather and was made up as part of a doubleheader the following day. The Falcons took both seven-inning games by scores of 3-2. Walla Walla salvaged the final game of the set by a 6-3 count.

The Sweets opened the month of July with a series win over the Cowlitz Black Bears. Walla Walla won game one, 13-4, lost the second game 7-6, and emerged victorious on July 4 by a 6-4 tally.

Caulfield continues to rank in the league’s top five in hitting. He is currently fifth with a .369 average. He has four home runs and 18 runs batted in and leads the WCL with 23 stolen bases. Teammate Justin Folz is scratching the surface of the top 10. The Sweets third baseman/designated hitter is at .314 (11th), is tied for the league lead in doubles (10), and has hit two round trippers and driven in 14 runs. Left-handed pitcher Travis Craven is third among WCL pitchers with a 1.44 earned run average. He has thrown 25 innings in nine starts and boasts a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (28 K’s and 7 BB’s).

Victoria’s Frankie Niemann leads the WCL with a .418 batting average (38-for-91) and has a home run and 21 RBI on the season. Parker Bramlett is just one batting-average point behind Folz and has 12 runs driven across. Pitcher Cade Smith, like Craven, has an impressive K-to-BB ratio. He has fanned 27 and doled out seven bases on balls in 29 innings.

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The Knights’ Jake Holcroft is second in the WCL with a .397 batting average. He has a half-dozen doubles, two triples, 25 RBI and 15 stolen bases. Briley Knight is at .357 with four long flies and 27 RBI, and is tied with Folz for the league’s top spot in two-base hits. Two other Corvallis hitters are in the top 10 in batting – Michael Curialle (.333) and Andy Atwood (.323).

All three games between the Sweets and HarbourCats begin at 6:35. The first two games of the Corvallis series will start at 6:30 and the finale is set to commence at 3 p.m.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS: 7/15 – Bud Light Batting Practice and $1 Del Taco Tacos; 7/16 – Fans in attendance that purchase merchandise in the stadium team store will receive a 40 percent discount.

Six Walla Walla Sweets pitchers combined to strike out 19 batters Saturday night during a 5-2 victory over the Cascade Collegiate League at Borleske Stadium.

Walla Walla concluded the non-West Coast League portion of its 2019 schedule 5-and-0. The franchise is now 39-4 all-time against non-league opponents.

Sweets starting pitcher Chazz Martinez stranded baserunners at first and second in the initial inning of Saturday’s game and struck out two. Third  baseman Justin Folz ended CCL’s threat by snaring a line drive off the bat of Caleb Manuel for out No. 3.

Martinez, a left-hander, ruled in the second inning. He fanned Alex Hussey, Dawson Warner (looking), and Jamey Richardson in succession.

The Sweets produced a two-out run in the bottom of the second. Jordan Stubbings doubled and, after Emanuel Dean was hit by a pitch, scored when Connor Cirillo plopped a single into right field.

Dimick Wood took over for Martinez in the third inning and Alex Ballot greeted him rudely with a lead-off double. He then struck out Alex Schmitz on a called third, but Ballot moved up 90 feet on the play by way of a passed ball. Folz came to the rescue again when he gloved a liner struck by Chase Matheny and stepped on the third-base bag to double off Ballot.

CCL took its only lead of the game in the fourth. Zach Jones led off with a two-base hit and, after Wood struck out Henry Lenaburg, Manuel drove an 0-1 pitch over the left-field wall. Wood regained his cool and K’d Hussey and Warner to close out the inning.

Walla Walla strung three hits together to plate a pair of tallies in the home fourth. Folz and Caleb Farmer both singled, then cruised home on a Stubbings‘ double to right.

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Fellow right-hander Charles Harrison replaced Wood in the fifth inning and got off to a rocky start – hitting Richardson and walking Ballot. But Harrison, in the end, proved to be a portrait of poise. He struck out Schmitz, Matheny, and Jones consecutively to duck any possibility of damage.

POST GAME INTERVIEW WITH CHARLES HARRISON

Patrick Caulfield led off the Walla Walla fifth with a single. He went to second on a Ryan Johnston grounder to third, and scored on a hit to center by Cesar Lopez – one of three base knocks he had in the game.

Lefty Brayde Hirai made his contribution to the Sweets K club when he ended a 1-2-3 top of the sixth by ringing up Hussey swinging.

Johnston moved from second base to the mound in the seventh. He disposed of Warner and Richardson on strikes and, one batter later, retired Schmitz on a fly to center.

The Sweets scored their final run in the seventh. Johnston walked with two out, went to second when Lopez was hit by a pitch, and crossed home plate on an error.

Johnston faced the minimum number of hitters in the eighth. He sat the first two hitters down with third strikes, and Lenaburg hit a comebacker to the hill for the inning’s last out.

Reid Sebby gave up a lead-off single to Manuel in the ninth, but struck out pinch-hitter Jack Carper and got Warner to sky to right. After issuing a walk to Richardson, Sebby notched a strikeout to end the game.

The Sweets host Victoria for a three-game series beginning Monday night at 6:35.

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The Walla Walla Sweets will make up a July 10 rainout in Bellingham on August 12, if necessary, the team announced Saturday.

A decision was reached during a phone conversation between Walla Walla President Zachary Fraser and Bellingham General Manager Stephanie Morrell to evaluate potential days to make up the game per West Coast League rules.

“There are no open dates where both teams are available to play before the conclusion of the WCL season,” Fraser said. “‘If necessary’ would be inclusive of the fact that if the game is ‘if necessary’ for one team, it is ‘if necessary’ for both teams.”

The Sweets and Bells will work with the league office to determine the various outcomes that could affect either team or others in the league standings, Fraser said.

Walla Walla is scheduled to finish the regular season on Sunday, August 11 in Yakima, WA, while Bellingham is scheduled to finish the regular season in Kelowna on the same day. Both teams would travel to Bellingham and play the game as a matinee, with official start time to be determined closer to the August 12 date. The WCL Division Series are scheduled to begin Tuesday, August 13.

“I appreciate the spirit and effort of the Bells’ organization to quickly work on a solution,” Fraser said.

The Walla Walla Sweets improved to 4-0 in non-West Coast League games Friday night after an 18-3 victory over the Military All-Stars at Borleske Stadium.

Walla Walla is now 23-10 overall after improving the franchise’s all-time record to 38-4 against non-WCL opponents.

The Sweets displayed a bit of the rocket’s red glare on a night when they honored the memory of a local hero – military member Matthew Fazzari – in a moving pre-game ceremony, fans applauded enthusiastically for the Military All-Stars and saluted them for their service, and $2,500+ dollars was raised for the local Veterans Center.

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Chazz Martinez lifted a 361-foot fly over the left-field wall leading off the second inning for the game’s first tally. Emanuel Dean followed with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Connor Cirillo.

The Sweets scored four more times in the third. Martinez – with a runner on – Dean, and David Le Bioda hit back-to-back-to-back homers. Martinez (384 feet) and Dean (411) went to left and Le Bioda (392) homered to right.

Walla Walla scored eight runs in the fourth. Le Bioda and Cirillo started the scoring with consecutive RBI singles; Mason Kokodynski was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded; and Connor Coballes, and Michael Petrie further highlighted the frame with run-scoring singles of their own.

The All-Stars got three runs back in the fifth inning. Tim Duncan drove in two with a triple and Matthew Sorrow doubled him home.

Carson Green brought in a run in the fifth for the Sweets, and both Travis Craven and Charles Harrison produced RBI singles in the eighth.

Walla Walla starting pitcher Nate Dahle threw four hitless innings. He struck out four and walked an equal number of hitters.

The Sweets continue their six-game stay at Borleske Stadium Saturday night against a select team made up of Cascade Collegiate League athletes. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05.

POST GAME INTERVIEW WITH THE MARINER MOOSE

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The Walla Walla Sweets opened a six-game homestand at historic Borleske Stadium in fine fashion Thursday night with a 9-3, non-West Coast League victory over the Military All-Stars in a game much closer than the final tally suggests.

Walla Walla improved the franchise’s all-time record against non-WCL opponents to 37-4. It won two games against the Highline Bears in early June to complete an unblemished, season-opening run of home games at 8-0.

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Sweets starting pitcher Mason Kokodynski shut out the All-Stars over the first two innings. He retired them in order in the first and slithered out of a first-and-second, two-out scenario in the second.

The All-Stars scored twice in the third inning. Ranz Bodison and Jordan Falcon executed a double steal to produce the first run and the second scored on an error.

The Sweets picked up their first run in the home portion of inning three. Kokodynski led off with a double, moved to third on a 6-3 ground out by Connor Coballes, and scored on a sacrifice fly lifted to right field by Connor Cirillo.

Walla Walla claimed the lead for keeps in the fourth inning. Emanuel Dean started the frame with a single and went to second when Bryson Spagnuolo walked. Jordan Stubbings doubled both runners in and scored one out later on a David Le Bioda sac fly to right.

Tim Duncan brought the Military All-Stars within one, 4-3, in the top half of the seventh inning with an RBI single that scored Falcon – who reached base with a one-out double.

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The Sweets responded with four runs in their half of the seventh. Kokodynski led off with a walk and Coballes singled him to third. Cirillo doubled in Kokodynski and sent Coballes skedaddling to third. Carson Green, Dean, and Ben Fariss followed with walks – the latter two of which forced in a run. Stubbings brought in the final run of the inning with a single.

Cirillo led off the Walla Walla eighth with a walk. He scooted into second on a wild pitch and scored on a Green single.

Sweets pitchers displayed a fair amount of courage throughout the game. Kokodynski lasted three innings, Spagnuolo pitched for an equal amount of innings despite issuing five walks, Coballes allowed one run in his two innings of mound duty, and Andrew Mosiello was able to overcome two walks to hurl a scoreless ninth.

The Military All-Stars stranded 14 runners in the game.

The final game of the two-game series, which will feature an appearance by the Mariner Moose, is Friday at 7:05 p.m.

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The Walla Walla Sweets have been down this road before.

Walla Walla had to endure multiple weather delays in its second game of the season against Corvallis.

It had a game scheduled for last Friday in Kelowna postponed because of rain and had it rescheduled as a doubleheader the following day.

And now, the latest soggy saga occurred Wednesday night at Joe Martin Field in Bellingham. The final game of a three-game series between the Sweets and Bells was washed away by rain. A makeup date will be determined at a later time.

Walla Walla entered the night off an 11-7 victory on Tuesday night after dropping the series opener on Monday night, 4-1.

The Sweets open a six-game homestand Thursday night with the first of two games against the Military All-Stars. First pitch is set for 6:35.

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The Walla Walla Sweets took the words opportunism and manufacturing to a new level during West Coast League baseball action Tuesday night at Joe Martin Field in Bellingham.

Walla Walla scored all of its runs with two out as it rallied from a 4-0 deficit and produced an 11-7 victory over the Bells to even the three-game series at one win apiece.

Bellingham tallied four runs on four hits against Sweets starting pitcher Ben Johnson in the bottom of the first inning. Right-hander Landon Boeneke prevented further damage by getting Cole Hinkelman to pop out to third baseman Justin Folz to end the inning.

The Sweets commenced their comeback in the second inning. Caleb Farmer was hit by a pitch with two out and scored when Chazz Martinez launched a 2-0 pitch from Bells’ starter Brenden Argomaniz 405 feet over the right-field wall. That sliced the four-run difference to two, 4-2.

Boeneke threw a scoreless second, but allowed a run in the third. It may have been a bigger inning for the Bells, but Martinez threw out Nick DeNicola – who tried to score from second base on an RBI single by Hinkelman – at home plate, otherwise the Bellingham lead would have grown to 6-2.

Farmer walked with two out in the fourth and went to third when Martinez ripped a double. He scored on a wild pitch that made the score 6-3.

Walla Walla inched two runs closer in the fifth. Ryan Johnston walked with two out, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Justin Folz was hit by a pitch, then stole second. Cesar Lopez scored both Johnston and Folz with a single to right.

The Sweets evened things up in the sixth. Martinez drew a base on balls with, yes, two out and was balked to second base by Bells’ reliever Gabe Hughes. He stole third, then scored on a wild pitch.

Bellingham reclaimed the edge in the home seventh on an RBI single off the bat of Collin Burns.

But Walla Walla took control with three runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth.

Jordan Stubbings collected a free pass with – that’s right – two out in the eighth. He moved to third on a single by Farmer.  Stubbings scored and Farmer went to third on an errant pick-off throw to third by Bells’ catcher Danny Martin that struck Stubbings and rolled down the left-field line. Martinez walked to put runners at the corners. Ben Fariss scored Farmer and advanced Martinez to third with a double past third and down the left-field line. Martinez scored on a wild pitch.

Patrick Caulfield, who stole his league-leading 22nd base in the third inning, led off the ninth with a single and Johnston singled. One out later, Caulfield went to third on a pitch that bounced away from Martin. But he pounced on the ball and threw to second to get Johnston. Caulfield scored on a wild pitch and, after walks to Lopez, Stubbings, Farmer, and Martinez, the Sweets had their final margin of victory.

While the Sweets prospered in the final two innings, reliever Wyatt Boone blanked the Bells. Bellingham got a runner on in each of the last two innings, but Boone did not buckle. He ended the eighth by striking out Austin Kretzschmar, and finished the game with back-to-back K’s of Hinkelman and Burns.

POST GAME INTERVIEW WITH CHAZZ MARTINEZ AND WYATT BOONE

Walla Walla, which improved its record in Tuesday games against WCL opposition to 4-1, play the rubber game of its series with the Bells Wednesday night at 6:35.

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The Walla Walla Sweets managed just four hits Monday night and dropped the opening game of a three-game West Coast League baseball series to the Bellingham Bells, 4-1, at Joe Martin Field.

Walla Walla is now 1-3 on its current six-game road trip after dropping its second-half-of-the-season opener and is 18-10 overall.

The Bells broke a scoreless tie in the last of the third inning. Sweets starting pitcher Travis Craven got the first two outs before surrendering a single to Collin Burns. Circumstances and fate turned against Walla Walla just seconds after the bloop single when Burns advanced to third on the play on a two-base throwing error by shortstop Caleb Farmer. Burns scored on a double by Christian Dicochea that put the home team up 1-0.

Bellingham added to its lead in the fourth. Jack Machtolf led off with a single, moved to second on an infield out, and scored on an error.

The Sweets scored their only run in the top of the fifth. Farmer led off with a shot back through the box, Chazz Martinez singled him to second, and Brock Ephan scored Farmer with a double up the alley in right-center field.

POST GAME INTERVIEW WITH REID SEBBY AND ANDREW MOSIELLO

But from the sixth inning on, Walla Walla managed just two baserunners – one was left stranded at second in the eighth inning and another at third in the ninth.

On the Sweets side of the pitching ledger, right-hander Andrew Mosiello allowed a lead-off triple to Guthrie Morrison in the seventh, but got the next three hitters to come away unscathed. He struck out Troy Viola and Machtolf, then got Jake Terao to fly out to center fielder Patrick Caulfield to end the inning.

The Bells scored twice in the seventh, then loaded the bases in the eighth with one out. But reliever Reid Sebby got Cole Hinkelman to pop to third and fanned Derek Marshall to slam the door in the face of the threat.

Game two of the three-game series is Tuesday night at 6:35.

FULL BOX SCORE

The Walla Walla Sweets salvaged the final game of a three-game weekend series with West Coast League foe Kelowna Sunday night with a 6-3 victory at Elks Stadium.

Walla Walla, which erased the bitter memory of a doubleheader loss on Saturday to the Falcons, ended the first half of WCL play 18-9 after Sunday’s triumph.

The Sweets are now 2-3 in Sunday games this season. They had dropped their previous three – at Wenatchee, 11-10, on June 16; versus Port Angeles, 10-5, on June 23; and at Ridgefield, 6-3, on June 30. Their first Sunday tilt was a 16-11 win over Bend on June 9 at Borleske Stadium.

Both starting pitchers – Walla Walla right-hander Nate Dahle and Kelowna lefty Nick Nygard – recorded three-up, three-down first innings. Dahle got Austen Butler to pop out to first, Tyler Grissom to ground out to shortstop, and Cole Cummings 3-unassisted.

The Sweets scored twice in the second inning. Brock Ephan singled with one out and, with two out, Ryan Johnston, Michael Petrie, and Connor Cirillo batted back-to-back-to-back base knocks. The hits by Petrie and Cirillo drove in a run apiece.

A fielder’s choice off the bat of Ezra Samperi in the home second produced Kelowna’s first run of the game.

Walla Walla raised its advantage to three, 4-1, in the fourth inning. Ephan led off with a walk and went to second on a wild pitch. Johnston drew a one-out base on balls and Petrie singled to right to send Ephan home. Cirillo scored Johnston, who went to third on Petrie’s hit, on a sacrifice fly to left.

POST GAME INTERVIEW WITH CIRILLO AND PETRIE

Brandon Hupe drew the Falcons within two, 4-2, with an RBI ground ball to short in the home fourth.

Justin Folz led off the Sweets fifth with his second home run of the season – a blast to left-center. He now has 14 runs batted in on the season.

Mason Kokodynski followed Dahle with three solid innings in relief. Like the Walla Walla starter, he allowed just one run. Kokodynski struck out two and walked one.

Dimick Wood followed Kokodynski with two scoreless frames. Kelowna got runners to first and third in the seventh and first second in the eighth, but Wood got Grissom to ground out to second to end the seventh, and fanned Hupe to conclude inning eight.

Cirillo started the Sweets ninth with a single and scored on a one-out double to left by Caleb Farmer that grew the Walla Walla lead to 6-2.

Bryson Spagnuolo came on in relief for the Sweets in the bottom of the ninth and gave up hits to Samperi, Johnny Carr, and Butler (RBI) to start the inning. But the right-hander outed Grissom on a hard shot to left, Cummings on a bouncer to second, and Marvcus Guarin on a swinging third strike to end the contest.

Walla Walla opens the second half of WCL action and a three-game series at Bellingham on Monday.

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The Walla Walla Sweets dropped both ends of a West Coast League baseball doubleheader in Kelowna on Saturday at Elks Park.

The Falcons, who share the WCL North Division basement with Port Angeles, took both seven-inning games by 3-2 scores.

Walla Walla is now 17-9 on the season heading into Sunday’s finale of the three-game set and first half of the 2019 campaign.

Kelowna scored twice in the second inning of Saturday’s opener against Sweets starting pitcher Landon Boeneke and once in the third versus relief pitcher Brayde Hirai.

But Hirai pitched scoreless ball over the next two innings and right-hander Charles Harrison put up a zero in the sixth inning to keep the Sweets close.

The Sweets, who had just two hits through the first four innings, got a spark from lead-off batter Brock Ephan in the fifth. Ephan took a 1-0 pitch from Kelowna starter Garner Spoljaric over the right-center field wall – his third home run of the season – to pull the Sweets within two, 3-1.

In the seventh, Chazz Martinez led off with a single and Justin Folz walked. Ephan drew a free pass to load the bases. Kristian Scott entered the game in relief and got pinch-hitter Ben Fariss to hit into a 5-unassisted fielder’s choice that scored Martinez. Patrick Caulfield grounded to second to move pinch-runner Travis Craven to third and Folz to second. But after a walk to Parker Price to reload the bases, Scott got Cesar Lopez to ground to shortstop to end the game.

David Le Bioda gave Walla Walla a 1-0 lead with a one-out home run in the second inning of game two.

POST GAME INTERVIEW WITH DAVID LE BIODA

The Sweets added to their edge in the fourth. Fariss led off with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and, one out later, went to third when Martinez reached on an error. Fariss scored on a sacrifice fly to deep left-center by Folz.

Starter Ty Hueckman blanked the Falcons on one hit over the first four innings. He struck out three and walked one.

Ben Johnson relieved Hueckman in the fifth and, despite giving up a lead-off single to Jake Fischer, faced the minimum number of hitters in the inning. He retired Gabe Togia on a pop to short, then got Brayden Merritt to hit into a 6-4-3 (Price-to-Cirillo–Le Bioda) double play to conclude the frame.

But in the bottom of the sixth, the Falcons -aided by two Walla Walla errors – tallied three times to take the lead.

Caulfield earned a one-out hit by pitch in the seventh and stole his league-leading 21st base to get into scoring position, but would advance no further.

Game 1

Game 2

The final game of the series is Sunday at 6:05 p.m.

GAME 1 FULL BOX SCORE

GAME 2 FULL BOX SCORE

The Walla Walla Sweets were scheduled to open a six-game road trip on Friday night.

But Mother Nature held a contrarian viewpoint.

The Walla Walla Sweets clinched their seventh series victory against a West Coast League opponent Thursday with a 6-4 victory over the Cowlitz Black Bears in the rubber game of a three-game set at historic Borleske  Stadium.

Walla Walla improved to 17-7 on the season while the stubborn Black Bears left town with a mark of 7-17.

Cowlitz drew first blood in the Independence Day affair during the opening inning. Austin Bell led off with a walk, Andres Sosa reached base on an error and, after Bell raced to third on a fly out to center field by Ryan Kim, Luke Price singled in the lead-off hitter.

Sweets starting pitcher Travis Craven pitched bagels in both the second and third innings before his teammates produced a deuce in the bottom of the third. Connor Cirillo, Patrick Caulfield and Parker Price walked to start things off. Cesar Lopez lifted a sacrifice fly to left to bring in Cirillo. Caulfield and Price moved up 90 feet on a throwing error from left field by Luke Price. Moments later, Caulfield sensed a lax moment on the part of the Black Bears’ defense, broke for home, and slid into home safely with his 19th stolen base of the season and Walla Walla’s second run of the day.

Craven kept the edge intact with a scoreless fourth.

“I threw a lot of first-pitch change-ups,” Craven said. “I had a little command issue in the first inning, but settled down in the next three innings. The defense made some great plays. We’ve got some momentum going into the next series.”

Reliever Brennan Patterson faced the minimum number of hitters in the fifth, but Cowlitz tied the game in the sixth on a Luke Price double.

Walla Walla responded with a four-spot in the home sixth. Chazz Martinez and Ryan Johnston both walked and steamed home on a triple to right field by Caleb Farmer that just eluded the glove of a diving Kim. Cirillo, who scored the final run of the inning on an error, plopped a sand-wedge-type single into left-center to score Farmer prior to his tally.

“I wanted to see a couple of pitches and got to a full-count situation,” Farmer said. “I kept telling myself to stay on top of the ball. I got a pitch I could handle and hit it into the right-center gap.”

Reliever Nate Dahle got himself out of trouble and stranded two runners in the seventh.

Cowlitz scored twice with two out in the eighth against Mason Kokodynski, but the Sweets right-hander regained both his cool and composure, and ended the threat by getting Sam Ireland to pop to first for the final out of the inning.

Slender righty Nick Irwin notched the save with a perfect ninth. He sat Bell down after a foul fly to first, got Sosa to sky to left, and humbled Kim on a can of corn to center.

“Everybody is giving me a lot of confidence,” Irwin said of the support of his teammates. “It’s been a fun summer. I’m looking forward to the next couple of series.”

The Sweets start a six-game road trip Friday in Kelowna. A three-game set in Bellingham will follow Walla Walla’s weekend jaunt north of the border.

FULL BOX SCORE

Visiting Cowlitz overcame an early 6-3 deficit with single runs in the third, fourth, seventh, and eighth innings Wednesday night and registered a 7-6 victory over the Walla Walla Sweets in the middle game of a three-game West Coast League baseball series at historic Borleske Stadium.

The loss dropped the Sweets, now 16-7, out of a first-place tie with Corvallis at the top of the WCL’s South Division.

Walla Walla plated a run in the first inning. Patrick Caulfield led off with a walk, stole both second and third and, one out and a walk to Ben Fariss later, scored on a Cesar Lopez grounder to short.

Cowlitz took the lead in the second when it pushed across three runs on only one hit. It was aided by four walks along the way.

The Sweets responded with five runs in their half of the second. Jordan Stubbings led off with a double. One out later, Michael Petrie tripled to right field to even the score at 2-2. Ryan Johnston brought in Petrie with a single to center. Caulfield and Parker Price followed with back-to-back doubles and Ben Fariss singled to cap the frame’s offensive feast.

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The Black Bears used a hit by pitch to score in the third and a sacrifice fly in the fourth to draw within one run. It knotted the score in the seventh on a lead-off home run by Austin Bell, and took the lead in the eighth on a two-out RBI single by Sam Ireland.

Walla Walla contributed to its own demise by stranding 11 runners on base. It left a runner at first in the third inning, and runners at second and third in the fourth and first and second in the fifth. Another runner was stranded at second  in the seventh. But perhaps the most crushing blow of all occurred in the eighth when the Sweets left the bases loaded.

The rubber game of the three-game series is Thursday at 10:35 a.m.

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The Walla Walla Sweets spotted the Cowlitz Black Bears a 2-0 lead in the first inning of their West Coast League baseball game Tuesday night at Borleske Stadium.

But over the next five-and-a-half innings, deuces were wild on the Sweets side of the score book. Walla Walla scored twice in the first, third, fifth, and sixth innings, then rolled a five in the seventh on its way to a series-opening, 13-4 victory.

The Sweets are still tied with the sizzling Corvallis Knights at the top of the WCL South Division standings with a 16-6 record.

The Black Bears’ first-inning runs were unearned. Cowlitz scored a pair on one hit and were helped along the way by a walk and two Walla Walla errors.

Patrick Caulfield was hit by a pitch to start the home first. He stole second and Justin Folz followed with a walk. Chazz Martinez loaded the bases with a lined single to center field. A wild pitch scored Caulfield and advanced Folz to third and Martinez to second. Cesar Lopez brought in Folz with a sacrifice fly to center that tied the score at 2-2.

Sweets starting pitcher Landon Boeneke retired Cowlitz 1-2-3 in the second inning and got out of a first-and-third, two-out quagmire in the third by getting Brian Cromwell to fly out to center.

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Walla Walla started its half of the third with three consecutive singles by Folz, Martinez, and Lopez. The latter base knock produced a run and put the Sweets up 3-2. One out later, Jordan Stubbings lifted a sacrifice fly to left that made it 4-2.

Ty Hueckman took the mound for the Sweets in the fourth inning. He registered two strikeouts and allowed one hit in the frame. Hueckman escaped a three-walk fifth inning in part by picking the Black Bears’ Austin Bell off of second base for out No. 2 and threw a perfect sixth.

“All four of my pitches were working, then I lost the fastball,” Hueckman said. “I had to adjust and work off-speed early in the count. Their guys were really selective. They watched a lot of pitches early which (allowed) me to get ahead in the count.”

Ben Fariss started the two-run rally in the fifth with a one-out walk and advanced to second on a Stubbings‘ single. Parker Price singled to load the sacks and the runners moved up 90 feet on a passed ball. Brock Ephan and Caden Cortese were issued back-to-back walks to force in a run that increased the Sweets lead to 6-2.

“I’ve made little adjustments here and there and it seems to be working,” Price said.

Martinez walked leading off the Sweets sixth. Lopez moved him to second with a fly to center. Martinez then went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Fariss sac fly to left. Stubbings was next and worked the count to 3-and-0 before unloading a 367-foot home run to left against James Sashin that brought the tally to 8-2.

“I was given the green light,” Stubbings said. “It felt really good to finally get one. I’ve been hitting the ball hard.”

Cortese picked up his first hit of the summer to start the Walla Walla seventh and drew a chorus of cheers from his teammates in the third-base dugout. He stole second and scored on a Caulfield knock. Caulfield recorded his 15th stolen base and Folz walked. The runners moved up on a Martinez grounder to first and Lopez walked. Fariss concluded the Walla Walla scoring for the night by taking a 1-0 pitch from Black Bears’ reliever Dale Takalo and sending it over the left-field wall for a grand slam home run.

“He threw a ball and their coach came out,” Fariss said. “I’ve been in this situation before. Then he threw a fastball right down the middle.”

POST GAME INTERVIEW WITH BEN FARISS

The middle game of the three-game series is Wednesday night at 7:05.

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The West Coast League South Division co-leading Walla Walla Sweets begin a stretch of 12 games in as many days Tuesday when they open a three-game home series with the Cowlitz Black Bears (6-15) at historic Borleske Stadium.

Game times are 6:35 on Tuesday, 7:05 on Wednesday and 10:35 a.m. on Thursday.

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The Sweets will then hit the road for six games beginning with three in Kelowna (6-13) Friday through Sunday and ending with three more in Bellingham (14-7) Monday through Wednesday. The string of games ends at home with a pair of contests against the Military All-Stars (7/11-12) and one versus the River City Athletics (7/13).

Walla Walla and red-hot Corvallis start the week tied for the South lead with identical 15-6 records. The Sweets are coming off a 3-3 road trip and the Knights have won nine in a row.

The Sweets batted and pitched their way to a series win at Ridgefield, though they did drop the finale of the three-game weekend set Sunday afternoon by a final score of 6-3 at the Ridgefield Sports Complex.

Brock Ephan and Emanuel Dean accounted for Walla Walla’s Sunday scoring. Ephan creamed a two-run, second-inning home run and Dean produced an RBI single. Relievers Brennan Patterson and Ben Fariss had shutout stints of three and two-and-two-thirds innings, respectively, and teamed up for five strikeouts.

Center fielder Patrick Caulfield produced his second four-hit game of the season and scored an equal number of runs as the Sweets built a 5-0 lead after an inning-and-a-half, fell behind 6-5 in the fourth, but put up four runs in both the seventh and ninth in a 13-9 victory over the Raptors on Saturday night. Caulfield smashed his fourth home run of the season on the third pitch of the contest, singled in the second inning, doubled in the seventh, and came up with a two-run single in the ninth. Starting pitcher Travis Craven and reliever Ben Johnson (innings five through seven) both fanned four over three innings of scoreless ball.

Caleb Farmer (single), Michael Petrie (infield hit), and Dean (bases-loaded walk) – in the second inning – and Ephan (sacrifice fly) – in inning three – chalked up RBI while Caulfield and Petrie executed a double steal to manufacture a run in the sixth inning of a 5-2 win in the series opener on Friday. Pitchers Landon Boeneke, celebrating his 19th birthday, Ty Hueckman, and Nick Irwin combined to skunk the Raptors on four hits over the first seven innings. Reid Sebby ended the eighth inning with a strikeout, then fanned the side in the ninth for his fifth save of the season.

Walla Walla salvaged the final game of a three-game series in Bend on the Thursday past after dropping the first two games, 4-2 and 2-1. Caulfield hit a two-run homer that traveled an estimated 401 feet in the third inning. Chazz Martinez led off the sixth with a tie-breaking bomb to right-center that sailed 411 feet and set in motion a five-run frame. Farmer (double), Petrie (single), Parker Price (single), and Caulfield (sacrifice fly) joined Martinez as member of the runs batted in fraternity during the productive panel. Brayde Hirai pitched the final two innings of the game and did not give up a run. Starter Andrew Mosiello, Wyatt Boone, and Dimick Wood allowed just a run apiece.

Caulfield (.405) and Justin Folz (.375) are ranked second and third in the WCL in hitting. Craven is second in earned run average (1.50).

The Sweets will be facing some of the top hitters in the league over the next three series. Braden DeBenedictus of Cowlitz is batting .329 with four doubles and eight RBI. Kelowna’s Cole Cummings is 10th in the WCL at .341 and teammate Tyler Grissom  checks in at .333 going into the week. Bellingham’s Guthrie Morrison (.357) and Troy Viola (.349), the league leader in home runs with five, rank sixth and eighth, respectively.

Kelowna sports a pair of pitchers that have posted representative numbers. Nick Nygard is 1-0 with a 2.65 earned run average. Connor Hurley is 1-1 with one save and a 3.31 ERA.

Probable starters for the Cowlitz series: 7/2 – Boeneke (3-0, 3.11 ERA) vs. Nate Packard (0-2, 7.94 ERA), Mosiello (0-1, 7.00 ERA) vs. Sam Lauderdale (0-1, 9.34 ERA), and Craven (0-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. Dylan Pottgieser (0-0, 3.55 ERA).

The upcoming homestand will feature the following promotions: 7/2 – Bud Light Batting Practice and $1 Del Taco Tacos; 7/3 – America the Great – presented by Wilbur Ellis – will feature a 40 percent discount for all in-stadium merchandise purchases and post-game fireworks; 7/4 – America the Great part deux – with food and drink specials all game long.

Promotions following the upcoming six-game roadie include: 7/11-12 – Two dollars of every ticket sold at the gate will be donated to a local non-profit that assists our community’s veterans and military personnel; 7/13 – Coffee Thermos giveaway – presented Jackson Contract Group – for the first 250 fans through the gates.

The Walla Walla Sweets started the final game of their three-game weekend series with the Ridgefield Raptors in fine form Sunday afternoon at the Ridgefield Sports Complex.

Brock Ephan towered a two-run home run to left field in the top of the second inning to give Walla Walla a 2-0 lead.

Following that mighty blow, thoughts of maintaining a one-game lead in the WCL South, a series sweep and a 4-and-2 road trip danced through the heads of those in Sweets Nation.

But the hometown Raptors, in the throws of a five-game losing streak, had other ideas.

Ridgefield scored three times in its half of the second, added another trey in the sixth and went on to a 6-3 victory that snapped Walla Walla’s three-game winning streak.

Both the Sweets and three-time defending league champion Corvallis, winners of nine straight, now sit atop the WCL South standings with identical 15-6 records.

Third-place Ridgefield is 11-10 and are four games back of the division co-leaders.

Each team collected a hit in the first inning. The Sweets Cesar Lopez doubled with two out and Ridgefield’s Cameron Repetti drilled a one-out single.

Parker Price ripped a one-out single in the second before Ephan manhandled a 1-1 pitch from Ridgefield starting pitcher Michael Spellacy and sent a majestic blast over the left field wall that Raptors’ left fielder Andrew Schleusner could only watch and admire as it exited the field of play.

Jonny Weaver got the home team even with a two-run double in the last of the second and Steve Ramirez later drew a bases-loaded walk to give Ridgefield a 3-2 edge.

Walla Walla equalized in the guest’s half of the fourth inning. Caleb Farmer led off with a double and Emanuel Dean followed with a single to left that knotted the score at 3-3.

Pitcher Brennan Patterson tossed three effective innings in relief of Sweets starter Chazz Martinez. He retired the Raptors in order in both the third and fifth innings, and slithered out of a first-and-second, two-out jam in the fourth.

Tyler Erne led off the Ridgefield sixth against Sweets hurler Dimick Wood with a single. One out later, Weaver singled and Repetti hit a three-run home run to left.

Ben Fariss entered and blanked the Raptors the rest of the way and fanned a quartet of Raptors.

Spellacy lasted seven innings and gave way to Repetti in the eighth. Repetti faced four batters in the eighth, and took a dip into some hot water in the ninth after retiring the first two hitters. He hit Ephan on an 0-2 delivery and, after Fariss came in to pinch-run, Jordan Stubbings singled to right. The runners moved up an extra base on an error by center fielder Dusty Garcia.

Repetti was up to the challenge in the end. He got Connor Cirillo on strikes to end the threat and the game.

The Sweets open a three-game series Tuesday against the Cowlitz Black Bears. Game times are 6:35 p.m. Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. Wednesday, and 10:35 a.m. on Independence Day.

FULL BOX SCORE

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The number 13 proved to be a lucky one for the Walla Walla Sweets during West Coast League South Division baseball action Saturday night at the Ridgefield Sports Complex.

Walla Walla built a 5-0 lead after an inning-and-a-half, squandered it in the bottom of the fourth, then rebounded in a big way by scoring four times in the seventh inning and an equal number of times in the ninth as part of a wild 13-9 victory over the Raptors.

The Sweets, who clinched their sixth series win of the season, still possess a one-game lead in the WCL South standings over red-hot Corvallis – which claimed its eighth win in succession on Saturday, a 7-1 triumph over Yakima Valley.

Patrick Caulfield started the pre-holiday fireworks on Saturday night with a lead-off, star-spangled home run to right field on the third pitch from Ridgefield starting pitcher Zach Barnes. Justin Folz followed with a walk, stole second and scored a strikeout and single by Cesar Lopez later on a Jordan Stubbings sacrifice fly to right.

Walla Walla scored three more times against Barnes in the second inning. Caulfield rapped a two-out single, Folz and Chazz Martinez walked, and Lopez crunched a two-RBI double off the right-field wall that scored Caulfield and Folz. Martinez crossed the plate on an infield error to cap the frame’s scoring.

Sweets starter Travis Craven pitched one-hit ball and struck out four over the first three innings.

But in the bottom of the fourth, the Raptors scored a half-dozen times to take a 6-5 edge. The big blow was a game-tying, three-run homer to right by Dusty Garcia.

Meanwhile, Barnes fashioned a stretch in which he retired 13 hitters in a row after a rocky start.

Sweets reliever Ben Johnson kept his team’s chances for victory within reach by throwing three perfect frames (five through seven).  Johnson, like Craven, fanned four hitters.

Relief pitcher Wesley Harper entered in the seventh and Caulfield greeted him with a double. Folz singled him to third, then stole second. Lopez was issued an intentional walk one out later. Stubbings then bounced a single up the middle that scored two runs that put the Sweets up 7-6. Parker Price moved Lopez to third and Stubbings to second with an infield out. Ryan Johnston worked Harper for a walk to load the bases. Caleb Farmer and pinch-hitter Emanuel Dean earned bases on balls from reliever Carter Powell to bring in Lopez and Stubbings, respectively.

Walla Walla put up another four spot in the ninth. Price slapped a one-out single, stole second and, after a walk to Johnston, went to third on a lost-in-the-lights single to left by Farmer. The runners moved up on a wild pitch and, with two out, Caulfield ended his second four-hit night of the season with a two-run single to center.

The Raptors scored three times in the ninth to create the final margin of difference.

The series finale is Sunday at 3:05 p.m. The Sweets probable starting pitcher will be Chazz Martinez.

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The Walla Walla Sweets remained atop the West Coast League’s South Division Friday night after securing a 5-2 victory over the Ridgefield Raptors in the first game of a three-game weekend series at the Ridgefield Sports Complex.

Walla Walla improved to 14-5 with Friday’s triumph and stayed a game up on the red-hot Corvallis Knights in the WCL South. The three-time defending league champion Knights toppled Yakima Valley at home, 5-2, on Friday night for their seventh straight win.

Ridgefield starting pitcher Joey Martin struck out the side in the top of the first inning and Sweets starter Landon Boeneke, who was celebrating his 19th birthday, allowed a one-out double to Cameron Repetti but did not allow a run in the home first.

The Sweets broke the ice with three runs  in the top of the second. Ben Fariss led off with a four-pitch walk, advanced to second on an errant pick-off throw by Martin, and scored on a grounded single to center by Caleb Farmer – who went to second on the play when his hit was bobbled by center fielder Brody Barnum. Farmer went to third on a passed ball and Parker Price walked, then stole second. But Farmer was cut down at home when Brock Ephan hit into a 5-2 fielder’s choice. Price moved to third on Ephan’s grounder and scored on a Michael Petrie infield single. One out later, Patrick Caulfield singled to load the bases and Emanuel Dean was issued a free pass.

Walla Walla added a run in the fourth. Farmer walked with one out, went to second on a passed ball, to third on a Price single, and scored on an Ephan sacrifice fly to left.

Boeneke allowed three hits over three innings and struck out four.

Ty Hueckman relieved Boeneke and set the Raptors down in order in innings four and five.

The Sweets scored their final run in the sixth. Petrie led off with a single and Connor Cirillo walked. Caulfield hit into a 6-4 fielder’s choice that sent Petrie to third. The two later executed a double steal to manufacture the tally.

Hueckman gave up an infield hit in the sixth, but kept the shutout intact.

Nick Irwin hurled a perfect seventh to maintain the five-run cushion.

The Raptors scored twice in the bottom of the eighth, but Sweets closer Reid Sebby fanned Aaron Zavala to end the frame.

Sebby exuded a greater degree of nastiness in the bottom of the ninth. He went 2-and-2 on Andrew Schleusner before striking him out, then was pushed to a full count by both pinch-hitter Jack Bauer and Noah Taylor before striking them out – Bauer looking and Taylor swinging – to end the game.

Sweets pitchers posted 12 K’s on the night.

The middle game of the three-game series is Saturday night at 6:35.

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The Walla Walla Sweets maintained their edge atop the West Coast League’s South Division standings Thursday night with an 8-3 victory over the Bend Elks at Vince Genna Stadium.

Walla Walla improved its record to 13-5 after snapping a three-game losing streak. It leads three-time defending league champion Corvallis by one game. The surging Knights, who have won six straight games, slipped past Ridgefield on Thursday night, 2-0.

The Elks scored first in Thursday’s game that was delayed by 42 minutes at the start due to inclement weather.  Vinny Zavolta led off with a single and stole second. Designated hitter Dayton Provost brought in Zavolta with a two-out single.

The Sweets took their second lead of the series in the top of the third inning. Parker Price walked with one out and scored when Patrick Caulfield hammered the first pitch he saw from Bend starting pitcher Kyle Wade 401 feet over the left-field wall.

Andrew Mosiello threw the first three innings for the Sweets and struck out five. Relief pitcher Wyatt Boone followed with a scoreless fourth.

The Elks evened the score against Boone in the bottom of the fifth. Efry Cervantes drew a one-out walk and scored on a double by Chase Fernlund. Provost walked and Zach Needham loaded the bases with a single. Boone houdinied his way out of harm’s way by striking out Justin Parsons and Deron Johnson to end the inning.

The momentum carried over into the top of the sixth. Chazz Martinez greeted Elks’ reliever Andrew Clark with 411-foot blast over the right-center field wall. Cesar Lopez reached safely on an error by Bend first baseman Gabe Gonzalez, was singled to second by Jordan Stubbings, and scored on a left-center double by Caleb Farmer. One out later, Michael Petrie ended Clark’s mound stint with his first hit as a Sweet – an RBI single that scored Stubbings. Price welcomed reliever Joe Williams with a single to right that pushed Farmer across home plate, and Caulfield capped the five-run frame with a sacrifice fly to right.

Gonzalez homered off Dimick Wood to lead off the bottom of the sixth, but it would prove to be the Elks final run of the evening.

Wood, after getting out of the sixth, worked a perfect seventh. He struck out both Fernlund (swinging) and Provost (looking), and then got Needham on a fly to right.

Ben Fariss led off the Sweets eighth with a walk. One out later, he was forced out at second base when Price hit into a 4-6 fielder’s choice. Caulfield ended a productive offensive night with a double to right that scored Price.

Brayde Hirai allowed a single to Parsons to begin the eighth. But he fanned Johnson and got a 6-4-3 (Farmer-to-Price-to-Martinez) double play ball from Gonzalez to finish inning eight.

Hirai retired Jake Jarvis on a can of corn to left to start the bottom of the ninth. Zavolta singled, but Hirai K’d Cervantes for out No. 2. Fernlund singled, but Hirai got a ground ball to short from Provost that Farmer fielded on the run and threw a dart to Martinez at first for the game’s final out.

In all, Sweets pitchers struck out 12 on the night.

Walla Walla opens a three-game series at Ridgefield Friday night at 6:35.

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Walla Walla Sweets teammates Patrick Caulfield and Justin Folz announced their intent on Wednesday to further their athletic and academic careers at NCAA Division I schools.

Caulfield picked Pacific-12 Conference member UCLA while Folz chose Big East competitor St. John’s.

“I could not pass up on the education,” Caulfield said. “UCLA has a storied baseball program. I really wanted to have a chance to go to Omaha (to compete in the College World Series). Out of my choices, it was the best spot.”

“It was a great fit academically and athletically,” Folz said of his decision. “St. John’s has all the things I was looking for. It’s a great program with a tradition of winning. You can’t beat New York City.”

The twosome have been key in the Sweets rise to the top of the West Coast League’s South Division standings with a 12-5 record. Folz is second in the WCL in batting average (.404), and first in both doubles (nine) and slugging percentage (.635). Caulfield is third in hitting (.379), and tops in both runs scored (20) and stolen bases (13).

Before coming to the Sweets, Caulfield enjoyed success this past spring at Santa Barbara City College. The Burlingame, Calif., resident was team leader in games played (39), at-bats (149), runs scored (28), hits (54), doubles (14), RBI (35), and stolen bases (32). The Vaqueros tied for the Western State Conference North Division title.

Folz, out of Monroe, Wash., attended Palomar Community College in San Marcos, Calif., this spring. He hit .294 with six home runs and 28 RBI at Northwest Nazarene in 2018.

The Sweets close out a three-game series in Bend tonight at 6:35.

The Bend Elks used strong efforts on the pitching mound Wednesday night to post a 2-1 victory over the Walla Walla Sweets in the middle game of a three-game West Coast League baseball series at Vince Genna Stadium.

Bend inched closer to the .500 mark and clinched the series with Wednesday’s win. The Elks are now 8-9 on the season.

Walla Walla, now in the midst a three-game losing streak, dropped to 12-5 and saw its lead in the WCL South Division reduced to a single game over three-time defending champion Corvallis. The Knights moved into sole possession of second place on Wednesday with a 13-1 home romp over Ridgefield.

The Sweets pushed across their only run of the night in the top of the first inning. Justin Folz, the No. 2 hitter in the WCL (.404 avg.), singled with one out. Chazz Martinez walked and, one out later, Emanuel Dean drew a base on balls from Elks’ starting pitcher Ricky Castro. Parker Price followed with a bouncer up the middle that Bend second baseman Nico Burgarello smothered. Folz scored on the play, but Martinez got himself into a pickle between third and home and was tagged out by Bend third baseman Efry Cervantes to end the frame.

Sweets starting pitcher Travis Craven gave up a hit in the bottom of the first, but the southpaw registered two strikeouts along the way.

The Elks tied the game in the home second. Justin Parsons hit a one-out single and scored on a two-out double by Cervantes.

Patrick Caulfield led off the third with an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error by Cervantes. Caulfield stole his league-leading 13th base of the season moments later, but was picked off third by Elks’ catcher Jason Bush.

Craven gave up a base knock in the home third, but ended the inning by delivering a called third strike to Bush.

The Sweets loaded the bases in the fourth, but were unable to produce the tiebreaking run. Walla Walla managed just two baserunners from the fifth inning on.

Pitchers Brennan Patterson and Ben Johnson pitched two innings of shutout relief apiece for the Sweets after Craven exited.

It stayed even until the bottom of the eighth. Sweets reliever Charles Harrison entered and struck out Burgarello to start the frame. Nelson Padilla then made contact for a single. After Chase Fernlund popped out to first baseman Brock Ephan, Bush singled to send Padilla to second. Padilla scored what proved to be the winning run on a Zach Needham single to right field.

Bend closer Coen Wynne pitched a clean ninth for the save.

The final game of the series is Thursday night at 6:35. Right-hander Andrew Mosiello is the scheduled starter for the Sweets and will be opposed by Bend righty Kyle Wade.

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The Bend Elks used timely hitting and defensive breakdowns by the Walla Walla Sweets to post a 4-2 victory in game one of a three-game West Coast League baseball series at Vince Genna Stadium.

Bend improved its record to 7-9 while the Sweets, the leaders in the WCL’s South Division by a two-game margin over both three-time defending WCL champion Corvallis and expansion Ridgefield, fell to 12-4.

The Elks pushed a run across in the bottom of the first inning. Vinny Zavolta singled with one out and advanced to second on an outfield error – the first of five committed by the Sweets in the game. Chase Fernlund followed with a double off the left-field wall that scored Zavolta.

Walla Walla equalized in the guest portion of the second inning. Jordan Stubbings lifted a one-out double into the right-center field gap and scored on a two-out two-bagger to straight-away center off the bat of Chazz Martinez.

Sweets starting pitcher Landon Boeneke threw a scoreless second inning before being relieved by fellow right-hander Ty Hueckman – who wiggled out of a second-and-third, one-out situation in the third by retiring Dante DeNiro on a fly to right and Zach Needham on a ball hit in the air to center.

Hueckman pitched a three-up, three-down fourth and faced the minimum number of hitters in the fifth inning thanks in part to catcher Caleb Farmer throwing out Nico Burgarello – who attempted to steal second – for the final out.

Reliever Nick Irwin got Fernlund and DeNiro to pop out to left to start the seventh, but Needham doubled to right and Justin Parsons singled him home. Two defensive miscues and an infield hit later, the Elks had three runs in the frame.

Lefty Brayde Hirai sent Bend down in order in the last of the eighth to keep it a three-run spread. Burgarello flew out to left, Zavolta struck out looking, and Fernlund skied to right.

Stubbings slapped a one-out single in the ninth. Carson Green came in as a pinch runner and moved to second with two out by way of a stolen base. Green scored on a Martinez hit to center that brought the potential tying run  to the plate. But Farmer bounced into a 5-4 fielder’s choice to end the game.

The middle game of the three-game series is Wednesday night at 6:35.

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The West Coast League South Division-leading Walla Walla Sweets, after continuing to build on the best start in franchise history by finishing 4-2 on their most recent homestand against Portland and Port Angeles, begin a six-game road trip Tuesday when they open a three-game series at division rival Bend.

The second stop on the trip will come against another South foe – second-place Ridgefield – over the weekend.

Walla Walla dropped a 10-5 decision on Sunday to Port Angeles its last time out. That said, the Sweets won the previous two matchups against the Lefties by counts of 4-3 on Friday and 9-8 on Saturday. Cesar Lopez and Connor Cirillo had two hits apiece in the Friday win. Cirillo, Jordan Stubbings, and Emanuel Dean collected one run batted in apiece. Pitchers Chazz Martinez, Landon Boeneke, Ty Hueckman, Nick Irwin, and Reid Sebby managed to overcome a combined nine walks by striking out an equal number and allowing just four hits. Boeneke (2.1 innings pitched), Hueckman (2), and Sebby (1) did not allow a run. Justin Folz had three hits, Ben Fariss and Lopez added two each, and David Le Bioda contributed a two-run single in Saturday’s triumph. Martinez decided the issue with a 342-foot home run over the left field wall on the first pitch in the home half of the ninth inning.

The Sweets clinched their series with Portland on Thursday with a 9-6 final tally.  Patrick Caulfield had three hits and scored twice. Fariss and Cirillo had two hits apiece. Cirillo hit a game-tying, three-run home run in the second inning and Brock Ephan blasted a 421-foot bomb to left with one out in the sixth. Prior to dropping the middle game of the series to the Pickles, 8-7, on Wednesday, Walla Walla proved to be more sweet, dill, and kosher in the opening game of the set on Tuesday – a 3-2 victory. Caulfield accounted for all of the Sweets runs in the contest by way of a three-run homer in the fifth inning.

Folz enters the week second in the WCL in batting average with a .455 number (20 hits in 44 at-bats). He ranks second in on-base percentage (.556) and first in slugging percentage (.727). Caulfield is fourth in batting (.397) and tops in both runs scored (20) and stolen bases (12). Two other Sweets are at .300 or better – Lopez (.310) and Carson Green (.300).

Travis Craven leads Sweets pitchers with a 1.50 ERA. The Whitman College product has allowed just five hits, two earned runs, four walks and has fanned 17 in 12 innings.

Bend enters the week fourth in the WCL South with a 6-9 record – six games behind the Sweets – and is coming off a 12-4 home loss to North Division-leading Bellingham on Sunday. Zach Needham is the team’s leading hitter with a .293 average. Chase Fernlund is close behind at .289. Justin Parsons is next at .273 and is third in the league in RBI (14).

The Sweets and Elks met at Borleske Stadium two weekends ago and Walla Walla produced a three-game sweep with 3-0, 9-6, and 16-11 victories. Caufield connected for six hits in the series on his way to being named this season’s first WCL Player of the Week. Bryson Spagnuolo, Irwin, Charles Harrison, and Sebby teamed up to yield just four hits in the opener. Lopez, Folz, and Parker Price had three hits apiece in a wild series finale on June 9.

Ridgefield’s Raptors, 10-5, made their presence felt early in this 2019 campaign by fashioning a six-game winning streak and, like the Sweets, have two of the top seven hitters in the league entering play this week.  Michael Hicks (.386) is fifth and Jack Bauer (.378) is seventh. Grayson Sterling (.333) also finds himself above the .300 mark. Pitcher Carter Benbrook leads the WCL with a 0.75 ERA. Benbrook has allowed just eight hits, one earned run, two walks, and has K’d seven in 12 innings of work.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday games in Bend are scheduled for 6:35. Probable Sweets starters are Martinez, Craven, and Andrew Mosiello. The first two games in Ridgefield – on Friday and Saturday – are set for 6:35 and Sunday’s tilt is scheduled to begin at 3:05.

The visiting Port Angeles Lefties scored three runs in the fifth inning and five more times in the eighth inning Sunday night during a 10-5 victory over the Walla Walla Sweets in the final game of a three-game West Coast League baseball series at historic Borleske Stadium.

Sunday’s setback was a disappointing end to an otherwise successful six-game homestand. Walla Walla finished 4-2 after taking two out of three games from both Portland and Port Angeles. The Sweets are now 12-3 on the year and lead the WCL’s South Division by two games over Ridgefield.

The Lefties’ Gavin Rork led off Sunday’s game with a lead-off walk. He went to second on a Justin Fugitt single and went to third on the first of four Walla Walla errors. He scored on a C.J. Schauwecker ground out to third.

Sweets starter Ben Johnson pitched a scoreless second inning and reliever Nate Dahle faced the minimum number of hitters in the third. Dahle did give up a one-out hit to Matthew Christian, but later eliminated him with a pick-off move to first.

Walla Walla plated a pair of runs in the home third. Parker Price led off with a walk, stole second, and trotted to third on a balk. Justin Folz, the No. 2 hitter in the WCL entering the game, scored Price with a double to right-center field one out later. Folz scooted to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Ben Fariss single to left.

Dahle put up a zero in the fourth inning before the Lefties put up a trey in the fifth inning. Christian delivered a two-out, RBI single to tie the game and later scored on a Sweets snafu. Nick Diponzio brought in the final run with a one-base knock.

Walla Walla responded with an ace in its half of the fifth. Fariss drew a one-out walk, stole second and, after a Jordan Stubbings free pass, crossed the plate on an Emanuel Dean single to left.

Relievers Dimick Wood of the Sweets and Kyle Hamrick of Port Angeles tossed three-up, three-down ball in the seventh before the game got away from the home team in the eighth. The Lefties achieved their five-run frame on five hits including a two-run home run by Christian to cap the inning.

The Sweets scored twice in the last half of inning eight. Dean stroked a one-out single and scored on a two-out, lost-in-the-lights double to right center by Caleb Farmer. Cesar Lopez sent Farmer home with a pinch-hit single for what proved to be the final run of the contest.

Walla Walla received four walks in the ninth, but were unable to score thanks in part to a 1-6-3 double play executed by the visitors.

The Sweets open a six-game road trip Tuesday when they open a three-game series in Bend. Walla Walla’s probable starters for meetings with the Elks are Chazz Martinez, Travis Craven, and Andrew Mosiello. The second leg of the Sweets road adventure will take them to Ridgefield for games Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with the Raptors.

FULL BOX SCORE

Chazz Martinez belted a walk-off home run on the first and only pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday night to lift the Walla Walla Sweets to a 9-8 victory over the Port Angeles Lefties in the middle game of a three-game West Coast League baseball series at historic Borleske Stadium.

The Sweets are now a franchise- and West Coast League best 12-2 on the season, clinched their fifth series of the 2019 campaign, and moved to 4-1 on their current six-game homestand which ends Sunday night with another contest against the Lefties. Game time is 6:05.

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Port Angeles pushed across a couple of runs in the second inning. Matthew Christian homered to left field off of Walla Walla starter Travis Craven to lead off the frame and Zander Marco contributed a two-out, RBI single.

The Sweets tallied four runs on one hit in the bottom half of inning two. Ben Fariss led off with a walk and Cesar Lopez reached base on a fielder’s choice. Caleb Farmer walked to load the bases and David Le Bioda followed with a game-tying single to right. Farmer went to third and LeBioda advanced to second on an intended throw home from Lefties’ right fielder Jeff Jamison. But when the throw rolled into the Sweets third-base dugout, Farmer was awarded home. Le Bioda later scored on a 6-4 fielder’s choice struck by Connor Cirillo.

Craven set down Port Angeles in order in the third inning. Walla Walla added three more runs in the home third. Justin Folz led off with a single and then was balked to both second and third. Fariss scored Folz with a single and Lopez smashed an RBI double to right. Farmer made it 7-2 with a hit to left-center.

Connor Denning got a run back for Port Angeles in the fourth inning with a single to center.

Lopez started the Sweets fifth with a double. Farmer was safe at first and Lopez moved to third on an infield error. Lopez scored when Le Bioda hit into a 4-6-3 double play.

Two walks and an equal number of hits allowed the Lefties to crawl back into the game and plate three runs in the seventh inning. Port Angeles added a run in the eighth and scored the tying run in the ninth on a wild pitch. Pitcher Brayde Hirai entered the game with runners at the corners and one out in the ninth. But he got Charlie Nasuti to foul out to first and Trevor Rosenberg on a bouncer back to the mound to avoid further damage.

“It was just another outing,” Hirai said. “I knew I had to go in there and throw strikes. I knew the (defense) had my back. I knew if I got out of that, I knew we were going to win it.”

Martinez, who entered the game in the eighth inning as a defensive replacement, unleashed a 342-foot bomb over the left field wall on the first pitch in the last of the ninth to send the Sweets bench and a partisan crowd of 1,427 into a state of triumphant euphoria.

“I was looking for a fastball away and I was sitting on it – dead red,” Martinez said. “I knew it was gone, but i was not sure if it was going to be fair or foul. I yelled, “Stay fair!”

Seven of Walla Walla’s last eight games have been decided by two runs or less. The streak began last weekend in Wenatchee when the Sweets took game one of the series, 3-1, the second game by a 7-6 count, and lost the finale, 11-10. Walla Walla started its current homestand with a 3-2 win over Portland on Tuesday before losing 8-7 Wednesday. The Sweets edged past the Lefties, 4-3, on Friday before their narrow escape Saturday.

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The Walla Walla Sweets baseball club improved their West Coast League South Division-best record to 11-2 on Friday night with a 4-3 victory over the hard-luck Port Angeles Lefties in game one of a three-game weekend series at historic Borleske Stadium.

Walla Walla, which is now 3-1 on its current six-game homestand, will have an opportunity to clinch its fifth straight series to begin the 2019 season when the two teams hook up Saturday night at 7:05.

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Port Angeles slipped to 6-10 after suffering its sixth straight loss.

Sweets starting pitcher Chazz Martinez struck out the side in the first inning and fanned Matthew Christian to begin inning two. But the Lefties scrapped for two runs without the benefit of a hit in the frame and benefited from five walks. Reliever Landon Boeneke replaced Martinez and retired Ronnie Rust on a fly ball to right field to end the inning.

Boeneke retired Ethan Groff on a grounder to third to begin the top of inning three, got Matthew Christian to fly out to center field and, after surrendering a hit to Baxter Halligan, got Damiano Palmegiani to pop out to third for the final out.

The Sweets wrestled the lead away from the visitors in the last of the third. Connor Cirillo started the festivities with a one-out hit and Patrick Caulfield followed with a bunt single. Cesar Lopez loaded the bases with a single of his own. The runners moved up on a passed ball and Jordan Stubbings brought in Caulfield and advanced Lopez to third base with a bouncer to third. Emanuel Dean knocked in Lopez with a single to break the tie.

“It felt good to help the team,” Dean said. “I was doing my part with (a runner) in scoring position.”

Boeneke kept the lead intact with a three-up, three-down fourth inning. He sat Charlie Nasuti down after a fly to right, got Tommy Takayoshi to ground to second, and struck out Trevor Rosenberg swinging.

“I just tried to fill up the strike zone,” Boeneke said. “I know our offense is pretty good. I just wanted to keep it (Port Angeles’ score) to as little as possible and give us a chance to win.”

Brock Ephan began the Walla Walla fourth inning with a single. Ephan moved to second on a passed ball, rumbled to third on a Brandon Wagstaff single, and crossed the plate on an infield knock by Cirillo.

Relief pitcher Ty Hueckman did his part to keep it a two-run game. He K’d Justin Fugitt and Rust to start the fifth inning. Groff then got a hold of a 2-1 pitch from Hueckman and drove it to straight-away center, only to have his bid for extra bases thwarted on a wide-receiver-like diving catch by Caulfield.

Port Angeles scored its final run in the seventh against the Sweets Nick Irwin. Groff hit into a 5-4 fielder’s choice that plated Rosenberg – who led off the inning with a single.

Palmegiani started the eighth against Irwin with a walk. He was later erased when pinch-hitter Connor Denning lined into a 4-3 double play. Irwin retired the side on an infield fly.

Reid Sebby took the hill in the top of the ninth and started the inning in fine fashion by striking out Alexander Marco and getting Evan Hurn to ground to short. Nick Berry got on with an infield hit, went to second on an error and stole third before Sebby struck out Groff on a 1-2 breaking ball to end the game.

“This team has something in their hat every night,” Walla Walla coach Larry Price said. “They don’t get flustered no matter what the scoreboard says. They approach things very professionally.

“They have a lot of calmness and courage,” Price said. “They have great mind sets. Courage is poise under pressure.”

The Sweets and Lefties will face each other again on Saturday night in game 2 of the three game series. Game 2 is slated to start at 7:05 PM

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On a night when his father Jeff – a former Major League infielder – threw out the ceremonial first onion, Walla Walla Sweets second baseman Connor Cirillo accepted the toss, took a bite out of the onion, then took a bite out of the visiting Portland Pickles a short time later.

Cirillo had two hits – including a game-tying, three-run home run that keyed a five-run, second-inning rally – that helped the West Coast League’s South Division leaders to a series-clinching 9-6 victory on Thursday night at historic Borleske Stadium.

Walla Walla improved to 10-2 on the season while Portland fell to 5-10. Thursday’s win clinched the mid-week series for the Sweets by two victories to one. Walla Walla has now won four straight series to begin the 2019 campaign. The season began with home sweeps of three-time defending WCL champion Corvallis and Bend and, after a two-game sweep of non-league opponent Highline, the Sweets took two of three games in Wenatchee last weekend before achieving a similar result against Portland.

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The Pickles scored twice in the first inning. Alex Lambeau drew a one-out walk and scored on a triple by John Jensen. Darius Perry scored Jensen with a ground ball to shortstop.

Portland added to its lead in the second inning. Kyle Velasquez reached base on a two-out error and scored on a Brendan Power single.

With two out and one on in the Sweets second, Caden Cortese drew a walk on four pitches and set the stage for Cirillo. He delivered a mighty swing on the first pitch he eyed from Portland starting pitcher Jonathan Kelly and dropped it over the left-field wall to tie the game at 3-3. Patrick Caulfield followed with a double and scored on a bad-hop hit to right off the bat of Cesar Lopez.  Ben Fariss sent Lopez to third with a single prior to the execution of a double steal by the duo that produced the final run of the inning.

“A fastball down the middle was all I was looking for,” Cirillo said. “Coach told me to look for something I could kill and I did. I knew it was gone.”

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Reliever Ben Johnson retired the Pickles 1-2-3 in the top of the third inning and the Sweets tallied twice in the home half. Jordan Stubbings led off with a single and scored on a double to right by Caleb Farmer. With two out, Cirillo brought in Farmer with a single to give the Sweets a 7-3 lead.

Alex Shanks belted a solo home run to left in the fourth inning for Portland. The Pickles drew two runs closer in the fifth on a wild pitch and a Perry grounder.

Brock Ephan, pinch-hitting in the bottom of the fifth inning, worked the count to 2-0 against Portland reliever Nicolas Lopez before unloading a 421-foot home run to left that re-established a multiple-run edge for the home team.

“It felt awesome,” Ephan said. “He fell behind 2-0 and I had a feeling he was coming back with a fastball. It felt good to get back in the hit column.”

Caulfield led off the Walla Walla sixth with the second of three hits he had on the night. He advanced to second on a Lopez grounder to the right side, ran to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Fariss single.

Pitchers Chazz Martinez, Dimick Wood, and Fariss did not allow a run in their five total innings of mound work. Two inherited runners scored against Martinez, but he retired all three hitters he faced in the fifth. Wood hurled innings six, seven, and eight and did not allow a hit. Fariss started the ninth inning by K’ing Chase Luttrell and Kyle Velasquez, but issued a walk to Power and a single to Kyle Manzardo. He regained his poise, though, and retired Lambeau on a fly to right to end the contest.

“I like the way they continue to battle every inning,” Walla Walla manager Frank Mutz said. “They keep coming back. That’s the personality. They want to win. They keep grinding at it.”

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The Sweets open a three-game series with Port Angeles Friday night at 7:05. Saturday’s game is also scheduled for a 7:05 start and Sunday night’s finale begins at 6:05.

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The visiting Portland Pickles scored six times in the top half of the first inning Wednesday night and hung on for an 8-7 victory over the Walla Walla Sweets in the second game of a three-game West Coast League baseball series at historic Borleske Stadium.

Portland improved its record to 5-9 while the Sweets, who lead the WCL South Division by 1.5 games over second-place Ridgefield, slipped to 9-2.

The rubber game of the set, which will be proceeded by Bud Light Batting Practice and $1 Del Taco tacos for fans in attendance, is set for Thursday night at 6:35.

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Portland collected four hits and benefited from three walks during their first-inning uprising. John Arndorfer led off with a single against Walla Walla starting pitcher Andrew Mosiello. Two outs later, John Jensen, John Burghardt, and Jonathan Kelly drew walks to force in the first run of the frame. Colton Cassinelli followed with a bloop single to center that scored three runs and gave the Pickles a 4-0 lead. Alex Shanks deposited the first delivery he saw from Mosiello over the left-field wall to complete the scoring in the inning.

The Sweets got a run back in the bottom of the first. Patrick Caulfield reached base on an error, stole second and, with two out, scored on a Jordan Stubbings’ double off the base of the left-center field wall.

Portland got that run back in the top half of the second inning. Alex Lambeau connected for a one-out single and scored on a Kyle Manzardo double.

Walla Walla relief pitchers Nate Dahle and Charles Harrison combined to blank the Pickles in innings three through six and thus gave the Sweets an opportunity to scrap their way back into the game.

The Sweets scored twice in the third inning. Caulfield led off with a walk and moved to second on a botched pick-off attempt. He went to third when Carson Green reached on an error. Ben Fariss scored Caulfield with an infield single to third. On the play, Green moved to third and Fariss to second on a throwing error by Kelly. Fariss crossed the plate later in the stanza to make it a 7-3 game.

Walla Walla produced two more runs in the fifth with two out and no one on base. Fariss and Stubbings singled back-to-back. Caleb Farmer sent Fariss scurrying home and Stubbings to third with a single to right field. Stubbings later scored on a balk to bring the Sweets within two, 7-5.

Harrison experienced the lone blemish on his pitching record in the seventh when he uncorked a wild pitch that resulted in Portland’s final run of the game.

Walla Walla staged a furious comeback in the bottom of the ninth. Caulfield and Green were hit by pitches from Pickles’ reliever Joey Morris. With two out, Farmer brought in Caulfield with a single deep in the hole at shortstop. Emanuel Dean swatted the last of his three singles to bring in Green and send Farmer to third. Conner Thurman replaced Morris and, after allowing Dean to advance to second on defensive indifference, delivered a called third strike to Cesar Lopez to end the game.

Post-Game Interview with Emanuel Dean

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Wednesday’s game was the Sweets third consecutive one-run contest. They lost at Wenatchee, 11-10, on Sunday and nipped Portland on Tuesday, 3-2.

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Walla Walla’s Patrick Caulfield smashed a three-run, fifth-inning home run Tuesday night that lifted the West Coast League South Division-leading Sweets to a 3-2 victory over the Portland Pickles in the opening game of a three-game series at Borleske Stadium.

Caulfield’s 376-foot blast was a mighty blow indeed and came on a night when the home team, now 9-1 on the season, was in desperate need of such a swing. Walla Walla managed just one hit through the first four-and-a-third innings and three for the game.

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Sweets starting pitcher Travis Craven and his opposite number – left-hander Michael Newstrom – came away unscathed in the first inning. Craven retired the Pickles in order and Newstrom only allowed a two-out walk to Justin Folz, who entered the game as the league’s leading hitter.

John Jensen led off the Portland second by getting aboard on a three-base error. He scored when Darius Perry bounced out 5-3.

The Pickles utilized little ball to plate their final run of the game. Jensen singled to lead off the fourth inning. He stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and crossed home plate on a Gabe Skoro grounder up the middle that Sweets shortstop Parker Price fielded behind the second-base bag to get the out at first.

Newstrom exited after four innings and was replaced by Trent Bixby. Left fielder Ben Fariss and catcher Caden Cortese, both making their 2019 Walla Walla debuts, earned back-to-back walks to begin the home fifth. One out later, Caufield drove a Bixby delivery over the left-field wall for what turned out to be the final tallies of the night.

“At 2-and-2, I was looking for a breaking ball to fight off,” Caulfield said. “He threw a fastball in, I love fastballs in, and I hit it for a home run.”

Craven (two innings) and fellow pitcher Landon Boeneke (two innings) gave up a run apiece while on mound duty. Ty Hueckman, who earned the victory,  tossed the next two frames and Brennan Patterson, Nick Irwin, and Reid Sebby hurled one frame each. The group combined for 11 strikeouts.

Hueckman gave up two hits over his two innings and Patterson sent Portland down 1-2-3 in the seventh.

“I went out there with a different mentality,” Patterson said. “I had struggled the last couple of outings. (Manager Frank Mutz) told me to ‘go out there like you own it’ and I pitched well.”

Irwin got off to a rocky start in the eighth. He walked lead-off hitter John Arndorfer on four pitches. Arndorfer moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Alex Lambeau, who crossed the first-base bag safely on the play thanks to a Walla Walla error. Then Irwin experienced a reversal of fortune when Kyle Manzardo, the WCL’s ninth-leading hitter, bunted to the left of home plate. Cortese pounced on the ball and threw a seed to Folz at third to force out Arndorfer. Jensen flew out to left field for out No. 2, and Irwin – with guts and a side of grit – fanned Perry to retire the side.

Sebby started the ninth by striking out Skoro. But back-to-back singles by pinch-hitter Chase Luttrell and Colton Cassinelli, coupled with pinch-hitter Jon Burghardt being hit by a pitch, loaded the bases. Following adversity, Sebby displayed similar traits to those of Irwin an inning earlier when he got Arndorfer to hit into a 5-4 fielder’s choice and Alex Lambeau to ground out to second to end the game.

“Pitching is all about limiting mistakes,” Sebby said. “When things go bad you can’t roll over, but instead make pitches.”

“The big difference between tonight’s pitching and the last night in Wenatchee (an 11-10 Sweets loss) was our pitchers attacked the strike zone,” Mutz said. “We had a pitcher’s meeting (Tuesday) and talked about demeanor on the mound. Sebby willed himself out of it.”

The middle game of the three-game series is Wednesday night at 6:35.

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After suffering their first loss of the 2019 West Coast League season on Sunday night, the Walla Walla Sweets will look to reclaim their winning form when they open a three-game series and six-game homestand on Tuesday night against the Portland Pickles at historic Borleske Stadium.

The half-dozen game stay will also include a three-game set with the Port Angeles Lefties over the weekend.

Walla Walla held leads of 7-0 and 10-5 on Sunday night and were positioned to sweep a weekend series in Wenatchee. But the AppleSox came from behind for an 11-10 victory. Quinn Ayers belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to put the home team over the top. The Sweets came up short in their quest for the franchise’s first 9-0 start despite a combined five hits and two runs batted in apiece from Colorado Mesa teammates Caleb Farmer and Jordan Stubbings, a pair of run-scoring doubles struck by Tristan King, two hits off the bat of WCL hitting leader Justin Folz, and a two-run knock produced by David Le Bioda.

The Sweets erased an early two-run deficit on Saturday and edged their way past Wenatchee, 7-6. Folz had a pair of two-run hits – a double in the third inning and a single in the seventh. The latter hit put the local nine up for keeps. With runners at first and second in the ninth Dimick Wood, the last of six pitchers used by skipper Frank Mutz, struck out Kodie Kolden looking for the final out.

The series most dramatic moment occurred Friday night when Walla Walla’s Carson Green slugged a two-out, two-run home run in the ninth inning to break a 1-1 tie. Reliever Reid Sebby started the last of the ninth with a strikeout and, after the next two hitters reached base, posted back-to-back K’s to wrap up the contest.

Folz inched by teammate Patrick Caulfield for the league lead in batting average, .484-.474. Folz is first in slugging percentage (.774), tied for first in doubles (six) and on-base percentage (.600), and second in RBI’s (10). Caulfield leads the WCL in stolen bases (11) and is tied for first in hits (18).

Portland comes to town coming off being swept at home by the Bend Elks. The Pickles managed just two hits Sunday in a 3-0 setback. One hit came from Kyle Manzardo – the league’s ninth-leading hitter (.385 avg.) coming into the week. Pitcher Titus Groeneweg, named the WCL Pitcher of the Week on Monday, gave up just two hits in four innings on Sunday and struck out five. He worked seven innings for the week and K’d 10.

The teams split six games in 2018. Each side took two out of three in their respective ballparks. Walla Walla bookended 5-4 and 5-3 victories around a 4-1 Portland triumph in June 22-24 meetings at Borleske Stadium. The Pickles posted resounding 10-7 and 12-0 wins around a 2-1 Sweets conquest when the teams got together in Portland July 10-12.

Port Angeles dropped two out of three games at Ridgefield over the weekend including an 8-7 verdict on Sunday. Ronnie Rust paced the Lefties offense with three hits while Trevor Rosenberg and Connor Denning, the WCL’s sixth-leading hitter (.414), stroked two apiece.

A trio of Lefties, like Denning, are also hitting above .300 – C.J. Schauwecker (.333), Rust (.324), and Justin Fugitt (.303). Rosenberg (.283) and Damiano Palmegiani (.279) are off to representative starts this season as well.

Port Angeles leads the all-time series 7-2 which includes a 5-1 showing in 2017. The Sweets took the opener of a three-game, July 27-29 series on the Lefties’ home turf, 11-6, before Port Angeles notched 3-2 and 7-4 wins.

Game times for the Portland series are 6:35 each night. Probable Sweets starters against the Pickles are Travis Craven (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on Tuesday, Andrew Mosiello (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on Wednesday, and Brayde Hirai (0-0, 1.68 ERA) on Thursday.

Games versus Port Angeles are 7:05 both Friday and Saturday, and 6:05 Sunday.

A quartet of promotions will be featured during the upcoming homestand. Fans purchasing merchandise at Borleske Stadium on Wednesday will receive a 40 percent discount; Bud Light Batting Practice, including $1 Del Taco tacos, is scheduled Thursday; Bread Night, presented by Sara Lee Bread, is set for Saturday – with free bread going to the last 750 fans to exit the park; and Kids Day – presented by Sweets Basil – takes place on Sunday. Kids 12 years of age and under will be admitted into the stadium free of charge.

The Walla Walla Sweets squandered leads of 7-0 and 10-5 Sunday night and experienced defeat for the first time in this 2019 West Coast League season.

Wenatchee rallied for four runs in the fourth inning, one in the fifth, four more in the sixth, and two in the seventh as it snapped a two-game slide by salvaging the final game of the three-game series with the WCL South Division leaders, 11-10.

Walla Walla is now 8-1. The AppleSox improved to 4-8.

Patrick Caulfield led off the Sweets first inning on Sunday with a double to right field on the first delivery from Wenatchee starting pitcher Keegan Romig which sparked a four-run rally. He eventually scored on a wild pitch. The next three hitters – Carson Green, Justin Folz, and Cesar Lopez – walked. Jordan Stubbings dropped a single into right to score Green. Caleb Farmer followed with a double down the right-field line to bring in Folz and Lopez.

Walla Walla put up three more runs in the third. Stubbings reached on a one-out throwing error by AppleSox third baseman Kody Darcy. Farmer singled his Colorado Mesa teammate to second. Tristan King scored Stubbings with a double to right-center and David Le Bioda singled in both Farmer and King.

Kodie Kolden capped Wenatchee’s four-run fourth with a two-run single.

Each team scored a run in the fifth. King hammered another RBI double into the right-center alley, and Ryan Altenberger delivered the AppleSox response with a two-out RBI triple.

Stubbings closed out the Sweets scoring for the night with a two-run single in the sixth. Green and Folz rapped one-out singles, and Lopez moved the runners up with a fielder’s choice prior to Stubbings’ knock.

Wenatchee’s four-run sixth was keyed by three productive swings – a Cole McKenzie sacrifice fly, an infield out from Hunter Montgomery, and an RBI single from Dylan McPhillips.

Darcy led off the AppleSox seventh with a walk and Quinn Ayers blasted a home run over the right-field wall to put the home team in front for keeps.

While Wenatchee’s offense prospered after the third inning, the Sweets were retired in order over the final three frames. Cameron Sommer pitched the seventh while teammate Landon Schirer worked the eighth and ninth for the save.

The Sweets open a six-game homestand Tuesday with the first of three games against the Portland Pickles at historic Borleske Stadium. The first pitch each night is set for 6:35. Walla Walla ends the stand next weekend when it faces Port  Angeles . Friday’s and Saturday’s games start at 7:05 and Sunday’s contest will start at 6:05.

8-0!

The Walla Walla Sweets improved their West Coast League South Division-leading and franchise-starting-best record to that historic level Saturday night after holding off the Wenatchee AppleSox, 7-6, in the second game of a three-game weekend series at Paul Thomas Sr. Field.

Walla Walla, which swept division rivals Corvallis and Bend during its season-opening homestand earlier this month, will gun for its third sweep of a WCL opponent when they meet the AppleSox in the series finale Sunday night at 5:35.

The Sweets got off to a slow start on Saturday against the gusty Wenatchee nine. Tyler Detloff, John Graham, and Cole McKenzie started the home first with walks against Walla Walla starting pitcher Bryson Spagnuolo. Nate Dahle came on relief and struck out Hunter Montgomery to commence his outing, but allowed an RBI single to Dylan McPhillips and a sacrifice fly to left field to Brett Gillis before ending the inning by fanning Kody Darcy.

Walla Walla equalized in the top of the third. Brock Ephan led off with a walk and lumbered to second on an infield out off the bat of Carson Green. One out later, Parker Price worked Wenatchee starter Trent Sellers for a base on balls, and Justin Folz ripped a 2-2 pitch to right for a two-run double that evened things up at 2-2. Cesar Lopez served a single into right moments later that scored Folz and put the Sweets up 3-2.

Dahle struck out the side in the third inning, but gave up an unearned run that knotted things up at 3-3.

The Sweets tallied twice in the fourth. Tristan King was issued a one-out free pass, but was forced out at second base when Ephan hit into a 6-4 fielder’s choice. Carson Green chased Sellers with a single to keep the inning alive. Patrick Caulfield greeted reliever Ryan Long with a two-run, left-field line laser that gave the Sweets a 5-3 lead.

Wenatchee – aided by a pair of Walla Walla errors – tied the game in the fifth against Sweets pitcher Charles Harrison, and used a wild pitch to plate the tiebreaking run in the sixth.

The Sweets took the lead for good in the seventh. Caulfield and Price earned back-to-back walks with one out and eventually moved up one base apiece, setting the stage for a Folz bouncer through the middle of a drawn-in infield on a 3-2 pitch.

Mason Kokodynski faced the minimum number of hitters and struck out two in the home seventh, then worked out of a first-and-second, one-out mess with K’s of McKenzie and pinch-hitter Blake Klassen.

Wyatt Boone began the bottom of the ninth in promising fashion by getting the first two outs – a comebacker struck by McPhillips and a strikeout of Gillis. But he walked the next two hitters and was lifted for Dimick Wood. Kodie Kolden had a one-ball, two-strike count on him before Wood delivered a called third to end the game. Wood’s K was the 12th of the night for Sweets hurlers.

Saturday’s win improved the Sweets all-time, regular-season record to 36-30 against Wenatchee.

Walla Walla will return home after Sunday’s game and open a six-game homestand Tuesday against Portland and Port Angeles.

Leftfielder Carson Green belted a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning Friday night to lift the undefeated Walla Walla Sweets to a 3-1 victory over the Wenatchee AppleSox in the opening game of a three-game West Coast League baseball series at breezy Paul Thomas Sr. Field.

Walla Walla improved to a franchise and WCL South Division-best 7-0 with Friday’s triumph while the gallant and hard-luck AppleSox slipped to 3-7.

Designated hitter David Le Bioda reached base after being hit by a pitch with one out in the ninth. Connor Coballes replaced Le Bioda as a pinch runner, but was forced out at second base when Ben Johnson hit into a 6-4 fielder’s choice. Mason Kokodynski entered for Johnson and, two pitches later, Green lifted a 1-0 pitch from Wenatchee reliever Logan Chase into the jet stream and over the right-field wall.

The AppleSox threatened in the bottom half of the final frame versus Reid Sebby. After a Brett Gillis strikeout, Kody Darcy walked and Dylan Ohlsen singled. But Sebby, the last of five pitchers utilized by manager Frank Mutz, assumed the role of bulldog and fanned both Quinn Ayers and pinch-hitter Blake Klassen looking to end the game. In all, Sweets pitchers Travis Craven (two innings), Landon Boeneke (two), Andrew Mosiello (three), Nick Irwin (one), and Sebby combined for 10 punchouts against a Wenatchee team that put up 22 runs in its previous two games – 14-7 and 8-3 victories over Port Angeles.

The Sweets, who managed just five hits on the night, tallied in the top of the first. Patrick Caufield led off with a four-pitch walk against Wenatchee starting pitcher Gavin Gorrell, stole second, took third on a Cesar Lopez infield hit, and scored on a wild pitch.

Wenatchee equalized in the home half of inning four. Cole McKenzie led off by reaching base on an error, ran to second on a one-out single by Gillis, went to third on an infield hit by Darcy, and scored on a two-out single by Ayers. On the play, however, the AppleSox were denied the go-ahead run when Green cut down Gillis at the plate.

Gorrell (five innings) and fellow AppleSox hurler Sam Wyatt allowed just four hits over the first eight innings before the dramatic final stanza.

Both teams struggled throughout the game with runners in scoring position, going a combined 3-for-17.

Walla Walla, which took season series from Wenatchee four victories to two in both 2017 and 2018, improved the franchise record to 35-30 against the AppleSox.

Game two of the three-game series is Saturday night at 6:35. The final act of the weekend diamond theater is Sunday at 5:35.

Following an unblemished homestand, which included three-game sweeps of West Coast League South Division rivals Corvallis and Bend, the Walla Walla Sweets hit the road this weekend for a three-game series with the Wenatchee Apple Sox at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. Games Friday and Saturday are scheduled for 7:05 and Sunday’s finale begins at 5:05.

Walla Walla, off to the franchise’s best start in team history (6-0), ended its season-opening eight game stand Wednesday night by completing a two-game, non-WCL sweep of the Pacific International League’s Highline Bears at historic Borleske Stadium, 9-2. That came on the heels of an 8-4 triumph Tuesday night. The Sweets are now 36-4 against non-league opposition.

A half-dozen Sweets pitchers – Nathan Dahle, Ty Hueckman, Charles Harrison, Wyatt Boone, Landon Boeneke, and Nick Irwin – allowed just one earned run, combined on a five-hitter, and teamed up to strike out 11 Highline hitters on Wednesday. Dahle, Hueckman, and Harrison pitched two innings apiece while Boone, Boeneke, and Irwin threw one frame each. All six hurlers claimed at least one K in the game.

Walla Walla rolled a trio of sevens offensively. It collected seven hits – led by the two apiece of Cesar Lopez and Justin Folz – and worked Bears’ pitchers for seven walks. The Sweets also benefited from seven of their hitters being hit by a pitch. Both Brandon Wagstaff and Tristan King were hit twice.

David Le Bioda provided Walla Walla with its most productive swing of the contest – a two-run single that highlighted a five-run sixth inning that turned a competitive 3-1 game into an 8-1 rout.

Centerfielder Patrick Caulfield, who was named the West Coast League’s first Player of the Week of the 2019 season on Monday, and third baseman Justin Folz enter the weekend 1-2 in the WCL in hitting. Caulfield has a .560 batting average and leads the league in runs scored (10), hits (14) and stolen bases (7). Folz is best in both the on-base (.654) and slugging (.950) percentage departments.

The Sweets outscored Corvallis (19-8) and Bend (28-17) by a 47-25 margin on their way to stringing together six wins to commence the 2019 campaign. Walla Walla has done much of its damage in the eighth inning. It scored five times in the frame on opening night against the Knights and tallied three and four runs, respectively, in the eighth panel during the final two games of their set with the Elks. The Sweets have  scored at least one run in the eighth inning in five of their first six WCL games. The lone exception was the June 6 contest against Corvallis.

Wenatchee, which lost six of its first seven games, comes into this upcoming three-game series with momentum after back-to-back home victories over Port Angeles.  Pitcher Seth Kuykendall earned the victory for the Apple Sox on Thursday night with three-and-a-third innings of no-run, three-hit middle relief in Wenatchee’s 8-3 conquest of the Lefties. He posted four strikeouts along the way. Trent Sellers and Cole McKenzie, who socked his first home run of the season leading off the seventh inning,  paced the Apple Sox 13-hit attack with three apiece while lead-off hitter Ty Detloff added a pair.

Walla Walla leads the all-time series with Wenatchee 34 victories to 30. The Sweets have won four or more regular-season games against the Apple Sox in five of the last seven seasons. The high-water mark came in 2014 when Walla Walla went 6-3 versus its north central Washington foe. The Sweets defeated the Apple Sox five times in both the 2012 and 2015 seasons, and went 4-2 against them the last two summers.

Opportunism was on full display Wednesday night when the Walla Walla Sweets closed out a season-opening, eight-game homestand with the finale of a two-game series with the Highline Bears of the Pacific International League at Borleske Stadium.

The West Coast League’s Sweets managed just seven hits, but also drew seven walks and had an equal number of batters hit by a pitch in a 9-2 victory over the Bears.

After an uneventful first inning in which both teams had batters reach base,  Walla Walla broke through for a run in the home half of the second inning. With one out, catcher Tristan King was plunked by a delivery from Highline starting pitcher Matt Franceschina, moved to second base on a passed ball and, after a two-out walk was issued to Carson Green, scored on a looped single to right field by Mason Kokodynski.

The Bears threatened to equalized in the third. Tori Doten singled with one out and advanced to second on a passed ball. Cole Chambers delivered a two-out single to right, but Doten was cit down at home plate on a one-hop throw uncorked by Cesar Lopez.

Brandon Wagstaff kept the Sweets third alive when he was hit by a pitch with two out. He stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch before King sent him across the plate with a grounded single to left.

Lopez, who went 2-for-6 on the night, grounded a two-out RBI single to right-center in the fourth inning to grow Walla Walla’s lead to 3-0.

Highline broke through in the sixth. Zach Spradlin led off with a walk, raced to second on a wild pitch, hit the next station on a one-out grounder to first by Kealen Martin, and tallied on a single Cole Trotignon.

The Sweets used three hit batsmen and two walks to plate five runs in the home half of the sixth. Runs three and four of the inning came about on a single to center off the bat of David Le Bioda. Wagstaff (HBP), King (BB), and Patrick Caulfield (BB) earned an RBI apiece in the inning.

Walla Walla’s final run crossed in the eight inning. Green walked, negotiated to second on a wild pitch, maneuvered to third on a Caulfield infield grounder, and scored on a Highline error.

Six Sweets pitchers combined on a five-hitter and 11 strikeouts. Nathan Dahle, Ty Hueckman, and Charles Harrison threw two innings each while Wyatt Boone, Landon Boeneke, and Nick Irwin logged one frame apiece.

“We had some timely hitting and took advantage of their walks,” Sweets coach Larry Price said. “They were erratic and we capitalized on it. We got a little flat with the walks and hit batters, but stayed focused on what we had to do.”

Walla Walla ventures on the road this weekend for a three-game West Coast League series with the Wenatchee AppleSox. Games Friday and Saturday are scheduled for 6:35 and Sunday’s contest is set for 5:05.

The Walla Walla Sweets built an 8-1 Tuesday night and held on for an 8-4 victory over the Highline Bears in non-West Coast League baseball action at Borleske Stadium.

Walla Walla, which began its season-opening homestand with three-game sweeps of two WCL South Division rivals – three-time defending champion Corvallis and Bend – posted the franchise’s 35th non-league win on Tuesday. The Sweets are now 35-4 in games outside the WCL and are 27-2 since 2012.

The Bears played little ball to plate a run in the first inning against Walla Walla starter Bryson Spagnuolo. Zach Spradlin led off with a single, moved to second on a grounder to first by Cole Chambers, advanced to third on a Kealen Martin infield out from shortstop to first, and scored on a single off the bat of Matt Franceschina.

Walla Walla got that run back and more in the home first. Cesar Lopez and Justin Folz drew back-to-back walks with one out and scored on a three-run home run to right field by David Le Bioda.

Spagnuolo struck out the side in the second inning. He fanned both Micah McNicoll and Trey Hunt swinging, and sandwiched a called third strike to James Kobylt between the first and third K’s of the frame.

The Sweets added to their lead in the second. Carson Green doubled to lead off and scampered home on a Ben Johnson single.

Walla Walla tallied another run in the third. Brandon Wagstaff stroked a lead-off single, raced to third on a throwing error by Highline starter Cole Trotignon and, after Brock Ephan was hit by a pitch, scored when Green hit into an around-the-horn double play.

Lopez started a two-run Sweets fourth with a one-out double. He scored on a Folz single. Folz stole second, but was picked off of second for out No. 2. Le Boida was hit by a pitch and Parker Price doubled him home to give the Sweets a 7-1 lead.

The Sweets final run came in the seventh. Price was hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on a Wagstaff single.

Spagnuolo, Brennan Patterson, Andrew Mosiello, and Mason Kokodynski combined to limit the Bears to just one hit after their one-run, two-hit first and struck out nine in innings two through seven.

Martin smacked a three-run double in the eighth inning off reliever Dimick Wood to edge the Bears closer, but Wood recovered from his misfortune and retired the final two batters of the inning.

Highline got two batters on in the ninth inning, but Wood struck out Spradlin to end the game.

“I love how Andrew threw and Koko had a good inning,” Walla Walla coach Larry Price said. “We put pressure on the other team to pitch to us. If we keep hitting, we’ll be tough to beat down the road.”

The final game of the series is Wednesday night at 6:35. Fans who purchase merchandise during their time at the ball park will receive 40 percent off at the Sweets Shoppe.

The Walla Walla Sweets, coming off a pair of three-game sweeps against West Coast League opponents and off to the best start in franchise history, will step out of WCL play Tuesday and Wednesday when they close out a season-opening, eight-game home stand at historic Borleske Stadium against the Highline Bears

Walla Walla opened its 2019 season with a sweep of the three-time defending league champion Corvallis Knights and followed it up with similar success against the Bend Elks this past weekend.

Six different Sweets had multiple-hit games Sunday in a 16-11 slugfest. Cesar Lopez, Justin Folz, and Parker Price connected for three hits apiece while teammates Patrick Caulfield, who was named WCL Player of the Week on Monday, Brandon Wagstaff, and Carson Green produced two each.

Walla Walla had one home run heading into Sunday’s contest, but had two in the series finale with Bend. Lopez drove a 1-1 pitch from Elks’ starter Kyle Wade over the right-field fence leading off the second inning and Folz jacked a three-run bomb to cap a four-run, eighth-inning rally.

Price and Brock Ephan, who had just two hits apiece through the first five games, swung their way out of early-season funks to grab a piece of the offensive spotlight on Sunday. The Sweets shortstop hit a two-run double and scored in a five-run first inning, singled and scored in the fifth, and doubled in the sixth. Ephan led off the bottom of the eighth with a pinch-hit double and scored on a Lopez single.

The Sweets on Sunday trailed 2-0, then led 5-2, 6-2, 6-4, 6-5, 10-5, 10-7, 12-7, and 12-11 before their eighth-inning surge forged the final margin.

On a night when Walla Walla struggled in the field – to the tune of four errors – it was a defensive gem that kept the Sweets in front after seven-and-a-half innings. With Deron Johnson – the potential tying run – at second base, Bend’s Chase Fernlund singled to left field. Mason Kokodynski charged to field the base knock and unleashed a one-hop strike to catcher Tristan King to nail Johnson at the plate and end the inning.

The Sweets used some eighth-inning magic to subdue the Elks, 9-6,  on Saturday night. Walla Walla scored three times in the frame after squandering an early 6-0 lead. David Le Bioda provided the big blow of the inning – a two-out, two-run double.

The opening game of the series on Friday was all about pitching. Four Sweets – Bryson Spagnuolo, Nick Irwin, Charles Harrison, and Reid Sebby – combined on a four-hit shutout and 13 strikeouts in a 3-0 Walla Walla win.

Walla Walla heads into play this week with the No. 1 and 2 hitters in the West Coast League. Caufield and Folz are hitting .560 and .550, respectively.  The Sweets standouts are tops in other statistical categories as well. Caulfield leads the WCL in runs scored (10), hits (14), and stolen bases (seven).  Folz is the league’s top dog in both on-base (.654) and slugging (.950) percentage.

The Sweets and Highline met twice during the 2017 season with each team claiming a victory. Walla Walla is 34-4 all-time against non-league foes.

The first pitch both nights is scheduled for 6:35. Fans purchasing merchandise at Wednesday’s game will receive a special 40 percent discount.

No Walla Walla Sweets team had ever started a season 4-0, 5-0, or 6-0 during the first nine years of the franchise.

The latter part of that changed Sunday night at Borleske Stadium when the 2019 edition of the Sweets completed their second consecutive three-game sweep of a West Coast League opponent.

Walla Walla opened its season last week by brooming the three-time defending WCL champion Corvallis Knights.

The Sweets followed that achievement with three straight wins over the Bend Elks – the last of which was a wild 16-11 triumph on Sunday night.

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The final game of the weekend series did not start in promising fashion for the home nine. Bend used a Walla Walla error to plate two unearned runs in the first inning. RBI singles by Nelson Padilla and Justin Parsons produced the early two-run cushion.

Walla Walla roared back with five runs in its half of the first. Patrick Caulfield led off with a walk, stole his league-leading seventh base, and scored on a one-out double by Justin Folz. David Le Bioda was hit by a pitch and Parker Price – who ended the night with three hits after managing just two in the previous five games – brought both runners in with a double that grazed the top of the glove of Elks’ left fielder Jake Jarvis.  Brandon Wagstaff sent Price home with a double down the left-field line and scored on a Tristan King single. The score following the first inning was 5-2.

“It felt awesome,” Price said. “It’s a big weight off my shoulders. I was able to find some holes. We got a win and that’s a double bonus.”

Cesar Lopez increased the Sweets lead to 6-2 with a lead-off home run to right field on a 1-1 offering from Bend starter Kyle Wade.

“I was looking for a fastball and got a slider,” Lopez said. “I got a good swing on it. It felt good. It was a good day at the plate.”

Bend got itself back into contention in an effort to salvage the final game of the series on a two-out, two-run double to left off the bat of Chase Fernlund and added another run in the fourth on a Zach Needham two-bagger. After the rally, the score sat at 6-5.

The Sweets scored four times in the fifth inning. Folz led off with a single and moved to second one out later on a Price hit. Following a double steal, two of five Walla Walla had in the game, Wagstaff delivered a two-RBI double to left that brought the score to 8-5. Wagstaff scored on a single to center by Carson Green – who stole second and third, then raced across home plate on a King grounder to short. Following the action in the fifth, the score would sit at 10-5.

Nico Burgarello led off the Elks’ sixth with a walk. One out later, Bradley Morgan was hit by a pitch. Both scored on a two-out double by Jorge Perez. The score after the top of the sixth was now 10-7.

Walla Walla scored twice in its half of inning six. Lopez singled, Folz walked and, after a Le Bioda grounder to first advanced the runners, Price popped a double to right to give the Sweets a 12-7 advantage. He was thrown out attempting to stretch the hit to a triple.

The stage was set for wild eighth inning. Burgarello led off the top half by reaching on an error and moving to second on a Padilla walk. A Needham fielder’s choice loaded the bases one out later and Perez singled  to make it 12-8. Padilla scored on a Parsons’ grounder. Deron Johnson doubled in two to bring the Elks within one, 12-11. Fernlund followed with a single, but Johnson was thrown out trying to score the tying run on a one-hop throw from left fielder Mason Kokodynski.

“I didn’t get a lot of juice on it,” Kokodynski said. “I just wanted to be quick and accurate. Folz (at third base) said he was letting it go no matter what.”

Pinch-hitter Brock Ephan led off the home half of the eighth with a booming double to the deepest part of the ballpark (center field) and moved to third on a Caulfield knock. Lopez scored Ephan with a single, and Folz provided some pre-Fourth of July fireworks with a home run to right to bring the score to 16-11 and a home run that would finally conclude the scoring for the night.

Reliever Reid Sebby retired the Elks in order in the ninth. Two of the outs recorded were done so by strikeout.

The Sweets now sit 2 games in front of the upstart Ridgefield Raptors in the early South Division. The expansion team swept the Kelowna Falcons to move to 4-2 on the season.

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The Sweets host the Highline Bears for a two-game, non-league set beginning Tuesday. Game times both Tuesday and Wednesday is 6:35 PM.

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The Walla Walla Sweets are 5-0 for the first time in franchise history!

Walla Walla built a 6-0 lead after four innings of play, only to have the visiting Bend Elks rally for four runs in the fifth inning, and one in both the sixth and seventh frames to tie the middle game of a three-game West Coast League series on Saturday night at Borleske Stadium.

But the home team rallied for three tallies in the bottom of the eighth inning to secure a 9-6 victory.

“That’s the personality of our team,” Walla Walla manager Frank Mutz said. “I love the fact that they care. They do everything with pride, which is rare for a summer ball team.”

Sweets starting pitcher Travis Craven retired the Elks in order during the first three innings of the game and struck out six – two in each frame.

Walla Walla broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the third inning against Bend starter Gil Luna. Patrick Caulfield, the WCL’s second-leading hitter (.571 avg.), singled with two out, stole his WCL-leading sixth base, and scored on a single to center by Cesar Lopez. Justin Folz drew a walk, and David Le Bioda singled to right to score Lopez.

The Sweets added four more runs to their total in the fourth. Carson Green drew a one-out walk and moved to third on an errant pick-off threw by Elks’ starter Gil Luna. Tristan King walked and Brandon Wagstaff was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Caulfield walked to force in the first run of the frame. King scored on a wild pitch, Lopez brought home Wagstaff with a grounder to second and, one out later, Folz drove Caulfield home with a ground-rule double.

Bend mirrored the Sweets four-spot in the top of the fifth. Jorge Perez led off with a double and crossed the plate on a bad-hop single to right by Justin Parsons. Dante DeNiro reached base after being struck by a Brennan Patterson pitch, but was erased when Chase Fernlund hit into a 5-4 fielder’s choice that sent Parsons to third. Jake Jarvis doubled in Parsons and Nico Burgarello ended Patterson’s mound stint  with a two-run hit that made it a 6-4 game.

Nick Irwin entered for Patterson and began a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play by fanning Padilla. King completed the twin killing by throwing out Burgarello – who was attempting to steal second base.

The Elks inched a run closer on a Parsons’ sacrifice fly in the sixth inning and tied the game in the seventh on a Sweets error.

King started the Sweets eighth with a single to left. Mason Kokodynski then entered as a pinch-runner and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He moved to third on a left-field single by Brandon Wagstaff, and scored when Parsons mishandled the base knock.

“I was hunting a fastball,” King said. “He (Bend reliever Joe Williams) threw a first-pitch slider that I took. I was ready to hit a fastball. I got a good swing and made solid contact. That’s all I wanted to try to do.”

“I was looking for something middle in and to try to drive something in the gap,” Wagstaff said. “I hit it hard. It wasn’t in the gap, but it scored a run and that’s all you can ask.”

Caulfield moved Wagstaff to second with a single and both moved up a base on a wild pitch. David Le Bioda brought home Wagstaff and Caulfield with a booming double to right-center.

“I (wanted to) get a barrel on the ball with two strikes,” Le Bioda said. “I just wanted to put the ball in play.”

Jarvis started the Bend ninth with a walk against Sweets reliever Wyatt Boone. Burgarello was next and lofted a ball to the right-center gap  that Caulfield caught on a dive. Padilla grounded into a 6-4 fielder’s choice and, following a walk to Bradley Morgan, Boone got Bobby Peirce to bounce out to short to end the game.

The final game of the series, the first Kids Night of the season, is Sunday night at 6:05. All kids 12 years of age and under will be admitted into the game free. Tickets can be bought Here.

The Walla Walla Sweets improved their unblemished West Coast League-best record to 4-0 Friday night with a 3-0 victory over the Bend Elks at Borleske Stadium.

A quartet of Walla Walla pitchers – Bryson Spagnuolo, Nick Irwin, Charles Harrison, and Reid Sebby – combined on a four-hitter that was highlighted by 13 strikeouts.

Spagnuolo walked Nico Burgarello to lead off the game. Efry Cervantes followed with a 5-4 fielder’s choice and Bobby Peirce doubled him to third. But umpires ruled that Cervantes did not make contact with the second-base bag on his way to third and was called out as a result. Spagnuolo ended the inning by striking out Zach Needham on a called third.

Patrick Caulfield led off the home first by falling behind Bend starting pitcher Tyler Worrell 0-and-2. Two pitches later, Caulfield deposited a 1-2 Worrell delivery over the left-field wall to give the Sweets a 1-0 lead.

“He (Worrell) left a curveball up and I decided to put a ball in the air,” said Caufield, who has 10 hits – nine of which are singles – in 17 at-bats this season. “It felt good to put something in the air. It felt really nice.”

Spagnuolo started the second inning by fanning Tanner Cantwell, but allowed a walk to Deron Johnson – who moved to second on a passed ball. But Spagnuolo retired Jake Jarvis and Chase Fernlund on grounders to second to get out of the frame.

Burgarello collected a one-out single in inning three and advanced as far as third, but Spagnuolo struck out Cervantes and got Peirce to fly out to right to wiggle off the hook. “We had a willingness not to give in,” Spagnuollo said. “I was not worrying about three outs,  just making our defense work.”

Nick Irwin replaced Spagnuolo in the fourth inning and extricated himself from a first-and-second mess by K’ing Jarvis and Fernlund to end the frame.

An easier time was had by Irwin in the fifth inning. He sat Justin Parsons down on a fly to right, Burgarello flew to left, and Cervantes struck out looking.

“I just tried to do my job,” Irwin said. “It turned out really well.”

Harrison punched out Peirce and Needham to start the sixth, but he hit Cantwell with a pitch and Johnson walked prior to Jarvis grounding out to first.

Caulfield singled with one out in the seventh inning. He stole second, his fifth theft of the season, then scored on a Cesar Lopez single to increase the Walla Walla lead to 2-0.

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Harrison started a 1-2-3 eighth with back-to-back outs. Pinch-hitter Jorge Perez skied to center and Peirce went down swinging. Harrison hung a three-unassisted out on Cantwell after a walk to Needham.

“I controlled every pitch (fastball, curve, and change-up),” Harrison said. “I kept the hitters off balance. You have to make the best pitch you can every pitch.”

Click here to watch the post game interview with Harrison.

Walla Walla added additional insurance in the home eighth. Justin Folz led off with a double, swiped third, and scored on a Johnson throwing error.

Sebby pitched a scoreless ninth for the save. Johnson flied to left and Jarvis struck out. Nelson Padilla kept Bend alive with a double down the right-field line, but Sebby rallied from a 3-0 count to set Parsons down on strikes to end the game.

“The best thing I can do 3-and-0 is to try to take it pitch by pitch and take a breather,” Sebby said. “You can’t be all hyped up. I thought about coming back and beating him.”

“It was a team effort overall,” Irwin said. “Everybody had to plan. When something didn’t go right, we didn’t fall apart.”

The middle game of the three-game series – the annual Dog Days of Summer, presented by the Associated Veterinary Medical Center –  is tonight at 7:05.

Fresh off a season-opening, three-game sweep of the three-time defending West Coast League champion Corvallis Knights, the Walla Walla Sweets will seek additional good fortune this weekend when they host the Bend Elks for a three-game series at Borleske Stadium.

This weekend’s games will be Nos. four, five, and six of an eight-game homestand. The home cooking concludes next week when Walla Walla hosts the Highline Bears for a two-game, non-WCL set on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Sweets completed their sweep of the Knights Thursday with a 5-3 triumph. Walla Walla tallied 19 runs in the series while limiting Corvallis to just eight.

Pepperdine prospect David Le Bioda was one of the Sweets more significant contributors on Thursday. He socked both a single and a double, and scored three runs in his 2019 debut.

Justin Folz also collected two hits in the game – a lead-off single in the second inning and a two-out knock in the fifth. He finished 4-for-8 in the series and boasted power numbers of .667 (on-base percentage) and .625 (slugging).

But the Sweets offensive star of the series had to be centerfielder Patrick Caulfield. The Santa Barbara City College standout connected for eight hits – all singles – in 12 official plate appearances and stole four bases. His on-base and slugging percentages were simply off the charts after the opening series – .692 and .667, respectively.

Walla Walla also received clutch relief pitching against Corvallis. Three bullpen throwers earned victories and all tossed four innings each. Brennan Patterson, Landon Boeneke, and Nathan Dahle were the pitchers of record in games one, two, and three, respectively. Patterson gave up two hits and struck out three in the Sweets 8-2 victory on Opening Night, Boeneke allowed just one run and three hits in a rain-soaked 6-3 win on Wednesday, and Dahle yielded one hit during his Thursday stint in a 5-3 Walla Walla conquest.

Bend enters the weekend off a home series win over the Cowlitz Black Bears. Highlights included a 5-3 victory on Wednesday in which six different Elks broke into the hit column. Righthander Ryan Kaser, the fourth of five pitchers utilized by Bend in the contest, was credited with the win. He threw two innings of shutout baseball, gave up two hits, walked one and fanned one. Elks’ pitchers K’d nine overall.

A handful of Bend hurlers combined on a five-hitter on opening night when the Elks nipped Cowlitz, 2-1.

Bend holds a slight edge in the all-time series 25 victories to 23. The Sweets have managed six-game splits two of the last three seasons. Walla Walla’s best and worst season-series showings occurred in the J.C. Biagi era. The Sweets went 5-1 in 2013 on its way to a division championship, but slipped to 0-3 during the 2014 season.

Start time for games Friday and Saturday is 7:05. Sunday’s series finale will begin at 6:05.

The Bend set will feature a pair of promos. The annual Dog Days of Summer, presented by the Associated Veterinary Medical Center, is set for Saturday. Youngsters 12 years of age and under will be admitted into Borleske Stadium free during the season’s first Kids Day, presented by Sweet Basil.

First baseman David Le Bioda stroked two hits, scored three times and right-handed reliever Nathan Dahle logged four solid innings Thursday afternoon as the Walla Walla Sweets completed a series sweep of three-time defending West Coast League baseball champion Corvallis with a 5-3 victory at Borleske Stadium.

Walla Walla has now captured 12 of its last 18 all-time matchups with the Knights. The Sweets took last year’s season series four victories to two.

The home nine drew first blood in Thursday’s initial inning by traveling the small-ball route. Patrick Caulfield, who collected eight hits in the series, led off with a walk. One out later he stole second base, his fourth theft of the season, moved to third on a balk by Knights’ starting pitcher Tim Josten, and crossed  the plate on an infield grounder off the bat of Parker Price.

Corvallis tied the score in its half of the second. Trace Tammaro, Jake Holcroft and Stephen Lund started the frame with singles. Tammaro scored from third on a Nick Yovetich sacrifice fly to center.

Walla Walla produced a pair of tallies in its portion of inning two. Justin Folz led off with a single, but was erased from the base paths when Brandon Wagstaff hit into a 4-6 fielder’s choice. Le Bioda singled Wagstaff to second and catcher Tristan King followed with a double that sent Wagstaff scurrying home and Le Bioda to third. Carson Green sent Le Bioda to home plate with a sacrifice fly to the same vicinity Yovetich sent his a half-inning earlier.

Dahle’s outing did not exactly commence the way he would have liked. He began the third inning by walking Briley Knight on four pitches. But he retired Kai Murphy on a grounder to second base, Andy Atwood on a pop-up to shortstop, and Tammaro on a fly to left to end the inning.

“He was nervous,” Walla Walla manager Frank Mutz said. “Then, he was almost unhittable. He threw three pitches for strikes. I was happy with the way he flipped that switch

The Knights tied the score at 2-2 in the fourth. Yovetich lifted a two-out fly ball to center that bounced past a hard-charging Caulfield and ended up going in the scorebook as an inside-the-park home run.

The Sweets responded to the Corvallis tally in the last half of stanza No. 4. Le Bioda ripped a one-out double and Green drove him in with a two-out single to left.

Walla Walla increased its lead in the home half of the sixth. Le Bioda drew a one-out walk and Green grinded out a two-out free pass. Caulfield singled in Le Bioda to make it a three-run spread, 5-2.

The Sweets got two shutout innings from righty Mason Kokodynski in relief of Dahle. Kokodynski retired six of the last seven hitters he faced in innings seven and eight after surrendering a lead-off single to James Anderson in the seventh. He recorded back-to-back strikeouts of Yovetich and Cooper Wohlgemuth after the Anderson hit.

Wyatt Boone came out of the Walla Walla bullpen for the ninth inning to try and close things out but allowed consecutive doubles to Holcroft and Anderson at the outset. But he fanned Yovetich, got Wohlgemuth on a ground ball to short, and retired Sean Little on a pop fly to third to end the game.

“We have guys that I know are going to be in the zone,” Mutz said. “The last three innings are for guys we know we can rely on.”

The Sweets continue their season-opening, eight-game homestand Friday night when they open a three-game series with the Bend Elks at 7:05 p.m.

The Walla Walla Sweets successfully weathered a pair of lightning delays – one of 34 minutes and another of one hour, 26 minutes – and the visiting Corvallis Knights during West Coast League baseball action at dreary and drenched Borleske Stadium on Wednesday night.

Walla Walla guaranteed itself of no less than a series win over the three-time defending WCL champions after posting a 6-3 victory.

Center fielder Patrick Caulfield had four singles and two stolen bases in the game to lead the Sweets offensively. He singled in the first, third, fifth (and scored), and seventh innings.

Corvallis – which did not lead in Tuesday night’s encounter with the Sweets, an 8-2 Walla Walla triumph – used four first-inning hits to plate the game’s initial tally on Wednesday. Andy Atwood, Kai Murphy, and Briley Knight singled to start the frame. Atwood scored on a two-out base knock by Jake Holcroft.

The Sweets equalized in the fourth inning. Justin Folz reached on a one-out infield single and scooted to second on a throwing error by Knights’ starter Brodie Vassalakis. Folz stole third and produced the tying run on a Brandon Wagstaff sacrifice fly to right field.

Atwood led off the Corvallis fifth with a triple and scored on a Murphy sac fly that gave the lead back to the Knights, 2-1.

Walla Walla took the lead for keeps in the bottom of the fifth. Caulfield socked a one-out single then stole second. Cesar Lopez followed with a towering triple into the right-center field gap that knotted the score a 2-2, and scored the tiebreaking run when Parker Price reached base on a Knights’ error.

Wagstaff was hit by a pitch to start the home sixth. He stole second, moved to third on a Carson Green fly to right, and crossed the plate on a passed ball to give the Sweets a 4-2 lead.

Corvallis threatened in the seventh inning when it placed runners at second and third with no one out against reliever Ty Hueckman. But the Burns, Ore., native fanned Murphy and Knight, and retired Trace Tammaro 3-1 to escape unscathed.

The Knights closed within a run, 4-3, in the eighth inning against Hueckman prior to a two-run Walla Walla rally in the bottom of the inning. Caufield plated the first run with a single.

Right-hander Dimick Wood came on in the ninth to close out the game and did just that. He allowed a one-out walk to Murphy, but struck out the side to notch the save.

The teams conclude their three-game series this morning with a “School’s Out for Summer/Hookie from Work Day” promotion. First pitch is scheduled for 10:35.