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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Walla Walla, Wash. – The offense exploded early in the game for Walla Walla on Wednesday night. The Sweets pushed across seven runs in the bottom of the third inning and held off a late rally to defeat the Victoria HarbourCats by a final score of 9-7.

With the win, the Sweets have now won five consecutive series against West Coast League opponents and are 11-4 over that stretch.

It was an ominous start to the game for Walla Walla as Victoria got on the board in the top of the first. Jordan Hovey committed an error on the first play of the game as a hard-hit ball glanced off his glove and got into the left field bullpen to advance Michael Malinchak to second base.

A ground out from the next batter and a fly ball deep to right field off the bat of Jason Willow plated Malinchak from third on a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.

The Sweets responded in the bottom of the second inning off Victoria starter Owen Sharts. Jack Filby singled with one out and advanced to second on a passed ball.

Robby Teel then dumped a single into the right-centerfield gap to score Filby and even the score at 1-1. Then a walk to Hovey put runners on first and second with still one out.

Josh Prizina then hit a grounder to the third baseman who stepped on third and threw wildly back to first. The throw got past the first baseman and moved Hovey to third with Prizina reaching safely on the throwing error.

Prizina stole second and got caught in a pickle which gave Hovey just enough time to scamper home safely to give the Sweets the lead at 2-1. Then in the bottom of the third inning, the HarbourCats fell apart at the seams and Walla Walla took advantage.

A walk and a single put runners on the corners with one out in the inning. Cesar Lopez then dropped down a bunt which was fielded by Sharts as he promptly launched the throw up the right field line past the first baseman and scored both runners to make it 4-1.

Filby popped out with Lopez on third, but a two-out rally ensued. Teel dropped another single into right-centerfield to score Lopez and extend the lead to 5-1.

A walk to Hovey was followed up by a double from Prizina right down the left-field line and scored Teel from second and made it 6-1. Then with runners on second and third, Tyler Pritchard ripped a single back up the middle to score both runs and extend it out to 8-1.

A passed ball moved Pritchard to second and ended the day for Sharts as Po-Jui Huang took over on the mound for Victoria. The first pitch Huang threw to the batter Ryan Johnston got through the left side of the infield and scored Pritchard to cap the huge inning as it was now 9-1.

The HarbourCats chipped away late, first on a leadoff homerun by Cade Brown off Brayde Hirai in the sixth inning to trim the lead down to seven at 9-2. Then with one out and runners on second and third in the top of the eighth, a double by Tanner Haney off Tanner Cunha scored both runs to make it 9-4.

The Sweets needed every bit of that five-run margin in the top of the ninth as the Cats got the tying run to the plate in the inning. With Carson Woolery on the mound, a walk and an error by Quentin LaFontaine at short put two runners on with one out.

Brown then promptly doubled deep to right-centerfield as the hit one-hopped the wall and scored both runs to cut the lead down at 9-6. Jack Smith hit a slow roller that glanced off the glove of Woolery and Mitch Lesmeister tried to make a barehanded play but threw the ball past Teel at first which scored Brown and made it 9-7.

So with one out, a runner on second, and the tying run now at the plate, Woolery stood tall through the adversity. He got a groundout for out number two and then got a swinging strikeout for the third and final out of the inning to end the game and seal the victory for the Sweets by a final score of 9-7.

The Sweets are off on Thursday but then head out on their Oregon road trip beginning on Friday. They will start off by traveling to Corvallis for an all-important series against the Knights as both teams are currently tied for first place in the WCL South division.

Do not miss any of the action over the next few weeks as the Sweets are right in the thick of a pennant race to try to hold on to first place in the division and punch their ticket to the playoffs. First pitch of game one against the Knights on Friday is scheduled for 6:35.

Walla Walla, Wash. – The Moose was loose and Walla Walla’s offense put on a show as the team got back to their winning ways on Tuesday night. The Sweets downed the Victoria HarbourCats in game two of the series on a Terrific Tuesday presented by Gesa Credit Union, with special guest Mariner Moose in attendance, by a final score of 6-1.

Victoria got out to an early lead on yet another defensive mishap by the Sweets. Jed Fagg singled to start off the top of the second inning off Sweets starter Ty Hueckman.

Then on a hit-and-run, Jack Smith hit a grounder to the third baseman Jordan Hovey and he airmailed the throw to first base as it got up the line into right field moving both runners into scoring position at second and third with nobody out. Michael Malinchak lifted a fly ball into centerfield just deep enough to score Fagg from third on a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.

That proved to be the only run that Hueckman allowed in his outing as he settled in beautifully and battled through some tough innings early on. He ultimately finished his outing going six innings with eight strikeouts, just three hits allowed, and the one run, albeit unearned due to the error.

The Sweets jumped ahead in the bottom of the fourth inning as they tallied three runs with one swing of the bat. Two walks and a fielder’s choice put runners on the corners with two outs. Jordan Hovey hit a towering drive over the right field wall for a three-run homerun, giving Walla Walla the lead at 3-1.

Walla Walla tacked on to their lead in the bottom of the sixth. Zach Penrod led the inning off with a single, and back-to-back walks to Jack Filby and Hovey loaded the bases with one out.

All three runners stole as Willy Chang dropped down a safety-squeeze bunt which pushed across Penrod from third and extended the lead out to 4-1. Chang reached safely as the first baseman pulled his foot off the bag on the throw.

A few more insurance runs came in the bottom of the seventh. Danny Sinatro led off the inning with a ground rule double to right centerfield. A walk to Isaak Gutierrez and a single by Penrod loaded the bases with nobody out.

Cesar Lopez continued to swing a hot bat as he roped a single into right field and scored Sinatro from third. Then with one out and the bases still loaded, Hovey struck out swinging but the pitch eluded Victoria’s catcher and got to the backstop, which allowed Gutierrez to scamper home to make it 6-1.

From the seventh inning on, Ben Farris and Samuel Reed combined for three shutout innings with two strikeouts and four hits allowed. That sealed the victory for Walla Walla as they took game two from Victoria by a final score of 6-1.

The all-important series finale will determine if the Sweets can win their fifth straight series against WCL opponents with the game is scheduled for 6:35 PM on Thursday evening. With the Portland Pickles 17-2 drubbing of the Corvallis Knights, all three teams are tied for 1st Place in the WCL South. Eight games remain in the first half, meaning the Sweets are in the middle of an exciting mid-season pennant race.

Walla Walla, Wash. – Extra inning games are a great deal of fun when your team wins, but they are undeniably hard to bear when your team loses. The Sweets dropped game one of the series against the Victoria HarbourCats last night by a final score of 7-6 in 11 innings.

The offense arrived early for Walla Walla as they wasted no time in jumping out to an early lead off Victoria starter Tyler Thomas. Two walks, three hits and an avalanche of wild pitches and passed balls allowed the Sweets to tally three runs and make it 3-0 after the first inning.

The HarbourCats began to chip away as they scored their first run off Bryce Moyle in the top of the third. An error by Isaak Gutierrez with two outs put Jason Willow on base. He came around to score after back-to-back singles to make it 3-1.

Walla Walla answered in the bottom of the third with a two-out rally of their own. With two away, a walk to Zach Penrod and a pair of wild pitches put him on third. Jack Filby then drew a walk to put runners on the corners, and Cesar Lopez promptly ripped a single into right field to plate Penrod and extend the lead out to 4-1.

The next half inning started out with a bang for Victoria. Dustin Demeter smashed a solo homerun to left field that got up into the trees to lead off the top of the fourth, which trimmed the lead back down to two at 4-2.

Then in the top of the sixth, a walk to Trey Bigford, a wild pitch and a groundout put him on third base with two outs. Nick Plaia then drew a walk and stole second base with the throw getting away from Filby and into centerfield to score Bigford from third and brought the HarbourCats within one at 4-3.

The Sweets added some much-needed insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. A stand-up double by Jalen Garcia with one out was followed up by an RBI single to centerfield from Ryan Johnston, as he advanced to second on the throw to the plate. Gutierrez then strode to the box with two outs and ripped a single back up the middle to score Johnston and push the lead back out to three at 6-3.

That comfortable margin was short lived though as Victoria bounced right back with a two-run inning of their own in the top of the seventh. A double and a single to leadoff the inning put runners on the corners with nobody out.

The next batter hit a bounding ball to Filby but he was unable to field it cleanly, resulting in an error, and the runner from third scored easily. With runners now on first and second with one out, a double-steal attempt plated a run as the throw down to third from Matt Elser got past the third baseman and into left field which scored Willow and brought Victoria back within one at 6-5.

The HarbourCats just refused to go away as they completed the rally in the top of the ninth off the new pitcher, Penrod. With one out, Willow lifted a ball high and deep to right field that got up over the lights at Borleske Stadium. Garcia lost track of the ball as it banged off the wall which allowed Willow to get all the way to third.

With the infield drawn in, a high chopper hit back up the middle got over the glove of the leaping Penrod and was fielded by Filby. The only play was at first base however which scored the tying run from third and sent the game to extras tied at 6-6.

In the top of the 11th, the HarbourCats scored the decisive go-ahead run of the game off Johnston. Back-to-back singles with one out put runners on the corners, and Jack Smith then hit a ball just deep enough into right field to score the runner from third on a sacrifice fly and gave Victoria the lead for the first time in the game at 7-6.

The Sweets tried to rally late but came up just short. They got back-to-back infield singles from Johnston and Danny Sinatro with two outs in the inning to keep hopes alive. However, Robby Teel promptly struck out swinging to end the game as Victoria sealed the win in game one in 11 innings by a final score of 7-6.

Walla Walla will look to bounce back in game two as they try to even the series on Tuesday with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – So often one inning can change the entire complexion of a baseball game. Such was the case in the game on Sunday afternoon as a big fifth inning helped propel the Sweets to victory over the Portland Pickles by a final score of 5-3.

Haydn King got the start for Walla Walla and he continued his great start to the 2018 season. He would toss three scoreless innings to start his outing with a little help from his friends on the infield, who rolled up a pair of double plays in the second and third.

In the top of the fourth, the Pickles would get on the board as Gio Diaz led off the inning by reaching on an error by Sweets second baseman Jordan Hovey, who battled a shallow pop-up into right field. Diaz utilized his tremendous speed and came all the way around to score on an RBI double by to the left-centerfield wall by Zander Clarke to make the score 1-0.

The Sweets immediately responded in the bottom of the fourth. After lead-off walks to Nick Nyquist and Zach Penrod to start off the inning. Cesar Lopez grounded into a double play and it looked as though the great start to the inning would go by the way side.

However, Jack Filby strode to the plate and continued to show off the clutch gene that he possesses. After falling behind 0-2, Filby worked the count back to 3-2 and then ripped a single through the right side of the infield to score Nyquist from third and tie the game at 1-1.

The rest of Walla Walla’s lineup followed suit as in the bottom of the fifth, puttibg together a big inning off Portland’s Michael Newstrom. The first three batters of the inning reached base safely on a single, an error and a hit-by-pitch.

Danny Sinatro then hit a soft grounder to the Pickles second baseman with the infield playing back. Portland was unable to turn the double play as Sinatro utilized his remarkable speed to beat out the turn. The play would go down as a fielder’s choice at second base with a run coming across to score to make it 2-1.

With runners on the corners and still just one out in the inning, the Sweets got three consecutive RBI singles from Nyquist, Penrod and Lopez to push across three more runs and make it 5-1.

Portland answered in the next half inning as the WCL batting average league leader Diaz hit a double to right field that split a pair of Sweets defenders. He then came across to score on an RBI single by Clarke and cut Walla Walla’s lead down to 5-2.

Michael Peterson then took over on the mound for the Sweets and he tossed two scoreless innings in the seventh and the eighth. He allowed just one hit and recording one strikeout.

The Pickles tried to rally late off Walla Walla reliever Tanner Cunha in the top of the ninth. He struck out the first batter he faced but then gave up back-to-back base hits which brought the tying run to the plate. Mutz turned to a trusty veteran to shut down the rally.

Ryan Johnston took over pitching duties for the Sweets. Just as he did in game one, providing the walk-off single for the win, he delivered on the mound in the series finale. He got the first batter to fly out to right field, which did allow the runner from third to score, but Johnston then struck out Brody Barnum to end the game and seal the win by a final score of 5-3.

With the victory the Sweets have now won four consecutive WCL series, are 9-3 over that stretch, and sit just a half game back of first place in the WCL South division (even in the win column with Corvallis and holding a 2-1 edge in head-to-head). Every game and every series will be of great significance from now until July 4 (the end of the Sweets first half), as the Sweets battle for first place and a playoff berth in the first half of the season.

Walla Walla opens up a three-game series to end their homestand against the Victoria HarbourCats on Monday with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – A common theme in Sweets losses this season has been a struggling offense.  It was true again Saturday, as Walla Walla’s offense fell silent while dropping game two of the series to the Portland Pickles on Abbott & Costello Night by a final score of 4-1.

The Sweets have averaged just 1.29 runs in their seven losses this season compared to 6.7 runs in their 10 wins.

The Pickles jumped out to an early lead in the top of the second inning off Sweets starting pitcher Zach Penrod (Tomorrow). With one out in the inning, a bouncing ball to the third baseman Nick Nyquist (I Don’t Know) was unable to be fielded cleanly, resulting in an error.

The next batter Gabe Skoro dropped down a bunt that rolled right out in front of home plate. Walla Walla’s Willy Chang (Today) corralled the ball cleanly but rushed the throw to first. The ball sailed over the first baseman’s (Who) head and into right field to allow the runner Mikey Perez to come around and score from first to make it 1-0.

With Skoro on third and just one out, Noah Cardenas lifted a ball into right field which was caught by Jalen Garcia (No One). Skoro tagged and strode home easily to score on the sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

Penrod’s day came to a close in the top of the third inning after a hard ground ball back up the middle hit him in his left hand, his throwing hand, forcing him to exit the game. Fortunately for the Sweets, the injury appears to just be a bruised hand and Penrod should be good to return to action after a few days of rest.

Tyson Quolas (Inside) took to the mound in relief and he had a strong outing but allowed a pair of runs to score in the top of the sixth.

With two outs, a walk and a double put runners on second and third. That brought up Portland’s man of the hour, Skoro, and he promptly ripped a single right up the third base line and into left field to score both runners and extend the lead out to 4-0.

The Sweets tried to put together a late-inning rally, as the start to the bottom of the ninth looked promising. Danny Sinatro (Because) got things started with a single and was driven in on an RBI double by Nyquist to make it 4-1.

A broken-bat single to centerfield by Jordan Hovey (Remember) put runners on the corners with still nobody out in the inning. Despite the three-straight hits off Portland’s Brad Bonnefant, he would strike out the next two batters and get Tyler Pritchard (What) to ground out to seal the victory and give the Pickles the win by a final score of 4-1.

Walla Walla is still in a great position to take the important series against Portland as the rubber match takes place on Sunday with first pitch slated for 4:35 PM. Haydn King will toe the rubber with hopes of the offense returning to form.

Walla Walla, Wash. – It was fitting that on Adam West Night the Sweets required a superhero-type effort late in the game to come away with the win. Those late game heroics were provided by the veteran Ryan Johnston. His bottom of the 9th, 2-out single through the infield to score Jordan Hovey gave Walla Walla the win in walk-off fashion 5-4 over the Portland Pickles.

The Pickles tallied first in the in the top of the third inning off Sweets starting pitcher Sean Sullivan. Carson Breshears drew a walk with two outs and came all the way around to score on an RBI double off the left field wall by Zander Clarke to make it 1-0.

The Sweets wasted no time in answering as they put together a big inning in the bottom of the third. With one out Walla Walla loaded the bases off Portland’s starter Connor Pellerin on a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and another walk.

That brought Nick Nyquist to the plate. The 2-time All-Star flipped a single into centerfield to plate two runs and make it 2-1. The Sweets were not done yet. With runners on second and third and two outs, Jack Filby ripped a single through the right side of the infield to score both runners and extend the lead out to 4-1.

In the top of the fifth, Portland would respond after Gio Diaz reached on a single to leadoff the inning. He stole second base and then was driven in on an RBI single by Breshears to make it 4-2.

That closed the books on Sullivan’s day on the mound for Walla Walla as he finished with five innings of work, just five hits allowed, and two runs scored.

Portland would add on in the top of the seventh off the Sweets’ Michael Peterson. The leadoff batter in the inning Diaz hit a solo homerun right down the left field line that created some controversy. The ball appeared to glance off the side of the manual scoreboard in left field in foul territory, but the home plate umpired ruled that it hit the foul pole and the call stood to make it 4-3.

Samuel Reed took to the mound in the eighth for the Sweets and he was lights out, just as he has been all year. He struck out the first four batters he faced and kept the 4-3 lead intact with one out in the top of the ninth.

Filby then took over pitching duties but he would ultimately relinquish the lead. He allowed a single to the first batter he faced but rolled up a fielder’s choice to the next batter which put Diaz on first base with two outs. Then on a 3-2 count, Breshears blasted a double into the left-centerfield gap and Diaz came all the way around to score from first to tie the game at 4-4.

It was then the Sweets turn to put together a late-game rally of their own. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and down to his last strike, Hovey dropped down a bunt and was able to hustle his way to reach first base safely on an infield single.

He promptly stole second base to advance into scoring position and that set the stage for the exciting conclusion. On another 3-2 count with two away, Johnston poked a ground ball through the left side of the infield that split Portland’s defenders, with Hovey sprinting around third and sliding home safely just ahead of the throw to score the game-winning run, giving the Sweets the victory with a final score of 5-4.

Walla Walla will once again host the Portland Pickles for game two of the series Saturday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 PM. Lefty Zach Penrod will toe the rubber as the team celebrates the Abbott & Costello routine “Who’s in First”.

Wenatchee, Wash. – After struggling at the plate in the game on Wednesday, the Sweets’ bats came back to life in the series finale against the AppleSox on Thursday night. Walla Walla won the rubber match by a final score of 10-4, taking the pivotal series against Wenatchee and having now won three straight series against WCL opponents.

Wenatchee jumped on the board in the bottom of the first off Sweets starter Ty Hueckman on a hit-by-pitch to the leadoff man and an RBI single by Jacob Prater.

The turning point in the game for the Sweets was the top of the third inning. Josh Kutzke launched a double off the centerfield wall, and the rest of the lineup followed suit. They would load the bases with one out following a the double, a hit-by-pitch, and a walk. Isaak Gutierrez then came to the plate and roped a single into centerfield that scored Walla Walla’s first two runs of the game to make it 2-1.

With runners on the corners and still one out, Zach Penrod chopped a ground ball just a few feet into the grass toward third base. A great read on contact by Nick Nyquist allowed him to come across to score, with the only play available being at first base. Another hit-by-pitch and a passed ball put runners on second and third with two outs. Tyler Pritchard then hit a pop-up into shallow left field that was unable to be fielded cleanly by the AppleSox’ shortstop, with this fortuitous error allowing both runners to score, giving the Sweets a 5-1 lead.

Walla Walla tacked on another run in the top of the fourth after a double by Ryan Johnston and a single to right field by Nyquist to extend the lead to 6-1.

The AppleSox battled back in the bottom of the fourth, getting the first two batters of the inning on base via a walk and a single. A fielder’s choice at second put runners on the corners with one out, and A.D. Peña grounded out to the first baseman, scoring the runner from third to make it 6-2.

The six runs put an end to Wenatchee starting pitcher Connor McCord’s day. He finished allowing four earned runs, six hits and two walks over four innings of work. That brought Dawson Day to the mound for the AppleSox, and the Sweets would rough him up as well in his one inning on the bump.

Day came on in the top of the fifth and promptly allowed a leadoff double to Zach Penrod. Danny Sinatro would follow suit and double as well to score Penrod and extend the lead 7-2.

The offense then kept rolling in the frame. Sinatro would steal third base easily on a great jump from second with one out. With the infield pulled in, Matt Elser would hit a bounding ground ball that jumped up over the head of Wenatchee’s second baseman and scored Sinatro to give Walla Walla an 8-2 lead.

With a comfortable lead, Hueckman settled into the game nicely. He earned the win with 5 innings pitched, 3 earned runs and a pair of strikeouts. Pitch location and defense were effective tools for the righty from the University of Nevada, Reno.

The offensive show continued for the Sweets in the top of the seventh with runners on second and third and two outs. Johnston hammered a single through the infield and scored both runners to extend the Sweets lead to 10-3.

Wenatchee made a last-ditch effort to get back into the game in the bottom of the eighth following a leadoff hit-by-pitch and a stolen base to put a runner on second with nobody out. A single by Sam Swenson would plate the run and make it 10-4, where the score would stand for the remainder of the game. A pair of inning-ending double plays in the seventh and eighth innings were key plays that kept the Sweets momentum in the win.

The Sweets are now 8-2 in their last 10 WCL games and sit just a half-game out of first place as they get set to host the Portland Pickles. The three-game series begins on Friday night with first pitch slated for 7:05 (with a post-game fireworks show).

Wenatchee, Wash. – The Walla Walla Sweets offense had been rolling of late. The team had won five straight heading into the game on Wednesday, and scoring runs seemed to come easily. Unfortunately, both of those things ended as the Sweets lost 3-1 to the Wenatchee AppleSox in game two of the three-game series.

The AppleSox took the lead in the bottom of the first inning off Sweets starting pitcher Bryce Moyle. With one out, Michael Spellacy reached first base safely on a dropped third strike and came around to score on a single by Jacob Prater to make it 1-0.

The Sweets pushed across their only run of the game in the top of the fifth inning. They loaded the bases with one out on back-to-back singles and a walk. Newly signed Isaak Gutierrez then came up and lifted a fly ball just deep enough into centerfield to allow Jack Filby to come across on an RBI sacrifice fly to tie the game 1-1.

It did not take Wenatchee long to respond in the bottom of the fifth inning. A leadoff homerun by Alix Garcia made it 2-1 in favor of the AppleSox. The next batter, Isaac Barrera, doubled to right-centerfield to give Wenatchee a runner on second with nobody out.

Two batters later, Michael Spellacy singled back up the middle to score Barrera from second and push the AppleSox’ lead out to 3-1. The score stayed there through the rest of the game and rested as the final.

As has been the case early in the WCL campaign, the Sweets’ bullpen shined in this contest. Tyson Quolas came on in relief and threw two shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three. Gutierrez (a two-way player) took to the mound late and went one and two-thirds innings of scoreless work, allowing just a hit and striking out one.

Walla Walla had their chances offensively throughout the game. It was an evening where the club simply failed to capitalize with the one big hit that was needed to break the game open. They left 11 runners on base in the game Wednesday night, including seven of those runners being stranded in scoring position.

The series against the AppleSox wraps up on Thursday night, with the rubber match scheduled to begin at 7:05 PM.

Wenatchee, Wash. – The Walla Walla Sweets took the series opener on the road against the Wenatchee AppleSox by a final score of 7-3. With the win, the Sweets have now won five-straight WCL games and have scored 42 runs during the winning streak.

Walla Walla jumped on the board in the second inning after Tyler Pritchard reached on a single through the right side of the infield and stole second base with one out in the inning. Cesar Lopez then hit a bounding chopper to third base and reached first safely on an infield singer to make it runners on the corners with two outs.

With Willy Chang up to the plate, a ball in the dirt got just far enough away from AppleSox catcher Jordan Rathbone to allow Pritchard to score on a passed ball and advanced Lopez to third on the play. Three pitches later, the ball was wide at the plate and got back to the backstop to allow Lopez to score easily on a wild pitch and make it 2-0 in favor of the Sweets.

Back for his second year with Walla Walla, Dylan Riddle got the start and threw three strong innings. He finished with three strikeouts and only surrendered one hit, albeit a solo homerun to Wenatchee’s Jake Taylor, which made the score 2-1.

The Sweets tacked on in the top of the sixth after three straight singles loaded the bases to start the inning. Danny Sinatro then reached safely on an error by the AppleSox shortstop which scored a run and kept the bases loaded with still nobody out.

Then a ball hit deep in the hole by Lopez resulted in a fielder’s choice at second but pushed across Zach Penrod at the plate. So with one out and runners on the corners, Chang dropped down a safety squeeze bunt and was thrown out at first but allowed Pritchard to score stealing from third for the third run of the inning to make it 5-1.

The AppleSox scored a pair in the sixth inning off Brayde Hirai after he surrendered back-to-back walks to start the inning. A single by Johnny Sage back up the middle scored Evan Williams from second for the first run of the inning, and then a sacrifice bunt moved Mason Marenco to third with one away. Rathbone then smoked a ball deep to right field which was flagged down by Penrod but allowed Marenco to score from third to make the score 5-3.

Jack Filby then led off the seventh with a single and Ryan Johnston followed him up with a walk to give the Sweets two runners on with nobody out. Nick Nyquist struck out swinging but then Penrod came up and drilled a single to centerfield to score Filby from second.

On a hit-and-run with Penrod at first, Pritchard would hit into a 6-4-3 groundout with Penrod advancing safely to second just ahead of the throw, which scored the runner Johnston from third to make it 7-3.

Patrick Collins and Samuel Reed were able to keet the AppleSox at bay through the seventh and eighth innings. Then Sean Sullivan took to the mound in the ninth and struck out the side to end the game giving the Sweets the victory in the series opener.

Walla Walla will be back in action tomorrow night for game two versus Wenatchee to try to take the series early with first pitch slated for 7:05 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – The Walla Walla Sweets had an offensive outpouring in the game on Sunday afternoon and downed the Bend Elks by a final score of 12-6. With the win, the Sweets move to 7-5 on the season and now lead the all-time series against the Elks 23-22.

It was a shaky start to the game for Haydn King, who began the game on the mound for Walla Walla. He walked two of the first four batters he faced and with two outs, gave up back-to-back RBI singles to give the Elks a quick 2-0 lead.

The Sweets wasted no time in responding offensive as in the bottom of the first Jack Filby led off with a single and was followed up by Ryan Johnston who doubled to give Walla Walla runners on second and third with nobody out. Cesar Lopez then dug in with one out and singled back up the middle to score the Sweets first run of the game.

Then with runners on the corners, Robby Teel smashed a shot to right field that got up into the wind and carried over the fence for a three-run homerun to give the Sweets a 4-2 lead.

In the bottom of the second inning, Isaak Gutierrez singled to lead off and was advanced to third on a single through the right side by Filby. Then Johnston drilled a double into the right-centerfield gap that got all the way out to the wall and scored both runners to make it 6-2.

Michael Warkentin led off the top of the third for the Elks with a double and eventually came around to score on an RBI single by Jerred Seamons to cut the Sweets lead down to three.

Walla Walla continued to pour it on though as in the bottom of the fourth they loaded the bases with two outs on a pair of singles by Filby and Nick Nyquist and then a walk to Lopez. That brought Teel to the plate again, and he delivered a single right back up the middle to score two runs and give him five RBI on the day. Lopez also came around to score on the play on a throwing error by the Elks centerfielder Ty Holmstrom that got away from the third baseman and into the Sweets dugout to make it 9-3.

King’s day on the mound came to a close after a long 108 pitch, five-inning outing. He did allow three runs but at times was electric, racking up nine strikeouts on the day.

The Sweets tacked on again in the bottom of the seventh as they loaded the bases with one out on a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch. Zach Penrod would get an RBI on a groundout to the first baseman, but a walk to the next batter Filby would load the bases once again.

Johnston came up and drew a walk to score the runner Josh Prizina from third, and then a passed ball to Nyquist allowed Gutierrez to score the twelfth run of the game for Walla Walla.

The Elks put together a bit of a rally in the top of the eighth off Sweets reliever Tyson Quolas. He would retire the first batter but then allowed the next five hitters to reach base safely on three walks and two singles, giving Bend three runs in the inning to make it 12-6.

Samuel Reed then came on and got a ground ball double play to end the inning and limit the damage any further. Gutierrez was called on in the ninth to shut the door, and he did so successfully.

He sent the Elks down in order, one-two-three, to end the game and give the Sweets the victory in a high scoring affair by the final of 12-6.

The Sweets have an off-day on Monday but will take to the road on Tuesday to begin a three-game series against the Wenatchee Applesox with first pitch of game one slated for 7:05 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – It was another wild finish for the Walla Walla Sweets and they would take home the victory by a final score of 8-7 over the Bend Elks. Walla Walla got the power bats going early but would have to rally late to come back to seal the victory.

Zach Penrod got the start for the Sweets and the hard throwing left-hander from Northwest Nazarene University was absolutely lights out on the mound. He tossed five scoreless innings and struck out eight Elks while only allowing two hits.

Walla Walla got on the board first as Nick Nyquist led off the bottom of the fourth inning being hit by a pitch. Penrod flied out to centerfield which brought Josh Prizina to the plate with one away and a runner on first and he promptly hammered a line drive deep into the left-centerfield gap that cleared the wall for a two-run homerun, the first homerun of the 2018 season for the Sweets, to give them a 2-0 lead.

Then in the bottom of the fifth, Mitch Lesmeister got plunked in the helmet with one away which resulted in him being replaced in the lineup by Tyler Pritchard. So with one out and a runner on first, Jack Filby strode in and launched a shot deep to right field for a no-doubt two-run homerun and extended the lead out to 4-0.

The Elks would start their rally in the top of the seventh inning as they got the first two batters of the inning on base via a single and a hit-by-pitch off Sweets pitcher Patrick Collins. A sacrifice bunt advanced both runners into scoring position and with one away, Ty Holmstrom smashed a double to right-centerfield and plated both runs to make it 4-2.

That brought Tanner Cunha to the mound for Walla Walla and he walked the first batter he faced to make it runners on first and second with one away. The next batter drilled a hard groundball to the second baseman Pritchard who could not field the ball cleanly to turn the double play and settled for the out at first which moved both runners up 90 feet and into scoring position once again in the inning.

The next batter Brett Auerbach stepped in and he delivered a double to left-centerfield to score both runners which tied the game at 4-4.

Carson Woolery then took to the mound for the Sweets and despite his early season success, he struggled to find outs early in his appearance. He gave up a leadoff single to Tristen Alvarez and the next batter Jake Holton came up and lifted a deep drive to right field that just barely cleared the wall for another two-run homerun, this time for the Elks, to make it 6-4.

A single and two stolen bases for the next hitter Michael Warkentin put him on third base, and with two outs, Jerred Seamons pushed a single through the left side of the infield to score Warkentin and extend the Elks lead out to 7-4.

The bottom of the eighth would prove to be the decisive inning for the Sweets as they were able to put together a comeback of their own. Ryan Johnston led off with a walk, Nyquist doubled, and Penrod walked to load the bases with nobody out in the inning.

Ace Embree then took over on the mound for the Elks and he promptly struck out the first two batters he faced, and it looked momentarily as though the Sweets rally hopes would be put to bed. That would prove not to be the case as Cesar Lopez strode to the plate and smoked a hard groundball past the Elks first baseman to score two runs easily.

Penrod got caught hanging off third base but the thrown back to the bag to try to retire him got up the line and into the left field bullpen which allowed him to score the third run on the play and tie the game at seven which also advanced Lopez to third base.

The next batter Jalen Garcia came up and he pushed a single through the hole between the third baseman and shortstop to score the runner Lopez from third and give the Sweets the lead once again at 8-7.

Then Samuel Reed came on to close the door in the ninth and he did so successfully in front of an energized crowd at Borleske Stadium. He sent the Elks down 1-2-3 with a strikeout, a flyout and a strikeout to end it to earn the save and give the Sweets the victory in a wild finish on Saturday night.

The Sweets square off with the Elks for the series finale on Sunday afternoon as they search for their fourth straight WCL victory and a series sweep with first pitch slated for 4:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – The Walla Walla Sweets took the victory in the opening game of the three-game series against the Bend Elks by a final score of 5-1. The Elks continued their streak of struggling to settle into games early, while the Sweets offense sustained their early run production from over the last few games.

It did not take long for the Sweets to get on the board in this one, as things quickly unraveled on the mound for Elks starter Brett Swartz. He gave up back-to-back walks to start the game to Jack Filby and Cesar Lopez, which brought Nick Nyquist to the plate and he promptly roped an RBI single into centerfield to score Filby and give the Sweets a 1-0 lead.

Zach Penrod then dug into the batter’s box and was hit by a pitch to load the bases with still nobody out. That brought up Robert Teel, who drew a four pitch walk to push across another run and extend Walla Walla’s lead out to 2-0.

So with the bases loaded and still nobody out, Tyler Pritchard strode in and ripped a single through the right side of the infield which scored two runs and pushed the lead out to 4-0 in the first inning.

Having the first six batters of the game reach base safely ended Swartz day without him recording an out and that brought Brennan Patterson to the mound for the Elks and he retired the next three Sweets hitters to get out of the first without allowing any more damage.

Walla Walla then scored in the third inning as they loaded the bases once again but this time with two outs, and a walk to Lopez would score Willy Chang from third to give the Sweets their fifth run of the game.

Darius Vines was just as terrific in the start on Friday as he was in his first start of the year, going five strong innings, striking out seven and only allowing four hits. The only blemish for him on the day came in the fifth inning when he fielded a dribbler back to the mound and his throw to first was wide and into the basepath which was unable to be snagged by Nick Nyquist and got up the line to allow an unearned run to score.

Sean Sullivan came on in relief in the sixth and the California, Berkeley commit shined once again as he threw three shutout innings and struck out four in what was yet another dominant bullpen appearance for the young right-hander. Tyson Quolas then took to the mound in the ninth and worked a 1-2-3 inning to close the books on the game and seal the victory for the Sweets.

The Elks and Sweets will square off for game two of the series Saturday evening at Borleske Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – The Walla Walla Sweets were able to take home the victory in game two versus the Highline Bears by a final score of 6-4. The Sweets would get revenge by sweeping the Bears after having split the two-game series last year.

Michael Peterson got the start for Walla Walla and had a shaky start to his outing. He surrendered back-to-back base hits to start off the ball game, which allowed a run to come across to score for a quick 1-0 Highline lead. Then with two outs and a runner on third, Peterson gave up his third base hit of the inning back up the middle past a diving Jack Filby and allowed the second run to score in the inning to make it 2-0.

After the tough first inning however, Peterson settled in and dominated the next four frames. He retired 13 consecutive hitters and ended his outing on a high note as once he got rolling out on the mound he certainly did not stop.

Walla Walla finally answered offensively in the third inning, as Matt Elser lead off and drilled a double to left field. Jordan Hovey then came up and similarly double to left field to plate the runner Elser. Hovey got picked off second base for the first out of the inning, but Jack Filby and Cesar Lopez punched back-to-back singles back up the middle and gave the Sweets two runners on with just one out.

A past ball to the next batter Nick Nyquist moved both runners into scoring position at second and third, and then Nyquist lifted one just deep enough into left field to score Filby from third on a sacrifice fly. Also on the play, the ball got away from Highline’s catcher on a hard slide at the plate which brought home a hustling Lopez to give the Sweets a 3-2 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Tyler Pritchard and Josh Prizina hit consecutive singles to once again get two runners on for the Sweets. A strikeout and a flyout kept the runners on first and second now with two away, but Filby came up and drill a double deep into the left-centerfield gap and drive home both runs to extend the lead out to 5-2.

Going scoreless for the next few innings, the Sweets tallied once again in the bottom of the eighth after Mitch Lesmeister reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second base, and scored on an RBI double by Tyson Quolas to make it 6-2.

The Bears made things interesting in the top of the ninth as Jalen Garcia came on in relief for the Sweets. He retired the first two batters in order, but then Highline sparked a two-out rally.

Ben Wadowski got things started as he smoked a triple into the right-centerfield gap. The next batter Armond Swanson III drew a four-pitch walk to give the Bears runners on the corners.

A balk from Garcia pushed across Wadowski from third and moved Swanson III to second base, and the batter Clay Spacher then promptly doubled to plate another run and make the score 6-4. Another balk moved Spacher to third but finally with two outs and the tying run up at the plate, Garcia got Cody Simmons to ground out to the second baseman Lesmeister to end the game and seal the victory for Walla Walla.

The Sweets have an off day on Thursday but will be back in action on Friday as they return to league play and will host the Bend Elks in a three-game weekend series with first pitch on Friday slated for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – The Walla Walla Sweets were able to get the victory Tuesday night in a non-league matchup against the Highline Bears by a score of 4-0. With the win, the Sweets move to 30-4 all-time against non-league opponents.

Several new arrivals for Walla Walla got the offense to arrive early on in the game as Cesar Lopez got the bottom of the first inning started off with a bang by drilling a ground rule double to right field. Then with one out Robert Teel would get plunked in the back by a curveball to make it first and second, and then a groundout to the right side by Jalen Garcia would advance both runners 90 feet into scoring position.

So with two outs and runners on second and third, Tyler Pritchard came to the plate for his first at-bat in a Sweets uniform and he delivered. He lifted a flyball into shallow centerfield and Highline’s Ben Ranieri would hustle in and lay out but be unable to make the catch which would allow Pritchard to reach second with a double and both runs to come across to score to give the Sweets an early 2-0 lead.

Walla Walla Community College Warrior Brayde Hirai would get the start for the Sweets and he was exceptional in picking up the win. He would go five shutout innings and only allow two hits through those five frames.

Hirai was not the only W2 pitcher who was tremendous on the mound, as both relievers who came on were equally as lights out. Sean Sullivan appeared in the sixth and seventh innings, did not surrender a hit and would strike out five of the six batters he faced. Tanner Cunha would then come on to close the door and he did just that, allowing just one base hit and striking out four in his two innings of work.

The Sweets would tack on some insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning but in rather unceremonious fashion.

The first three batters of the inning would reach base safely on a single, a hit-by-pitch and a walk, to load the bases with nobody out. Josh Kutzke would then ground into a 5-2-3 double play and not allow any runs to score.

Then with two outs and runners still on second and third, Dimick Wood came to the plate and looked at a ball in the dirt that got away from Highline’s catcher and would allow Pritchard to score from third on a past ball to make it 3-0. Wood ultimately drew a walk and with runners on the corners and two outs, he would get into a pickle between first and second which allowed Josh Prizina to score from third before Wood was tagged out to end the inning and give the Sweets their fourth and final run of the ballgame.

The Sweets host the Highline Bears once again on Wednesday evening with first pitch slated for 6:35 PM.

Walla Walla, Wash. – The Walla Walla Sweets had their game scheduled for Saturday night postponed due to rain, which resulted in the team hosting the Corvallis Knights for two seven-inning games on Sunday evening. The Sweets would drop the first game in a pitcher’s duel by a score of 2-1 but would rally in the second game and win a thriller by a final of 10-9.

Bryce Moyle got the start for the Sweets in game one and threw well through two frames but struggled in the third. Briley Knight drilled a ball deep into left field that eluded Sweets left fielder Matt Elser and glanced off the wall, allowing Knight to reach third base with a triple and just one away in the inning.

The next batter Chad Stevens hammered an RBI double to the left-centerfield gap to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. Following a groundout, Cameron Haskell dug in with two outs and punched a single through the right side of the infield to score Stevens and make it 2-0.

The Sweets would go scoreless until the bottom of the seventh, when they tried to spark a late-game rally. Josh Prizina led the inning off with a single through the right side of the infield and was promptly pinch ran for by Tyson Quolas.

The next batter would strikeout, bringing Jalen Garcia to the plate and he smacked a single into left field to give the sweets runners on first and second with one out in the inning. Haydn King would come on as a pinch-hitter and look at ball one in the dirt that got past the Knights’ catcher Austin Baek and move both runners into scoring position at second and third.

King lifted a fly ball into centerfield and in a full sprint, Chandler Anderson would slide in and make a beautiful grab to record the out, but Quolas would tag up from third and advance home for the Sweets first run of the ball game.

Garcia was able to advance on the play as well, so with a runner on third and two outs in the bottom of the seventh Willy Chang strode in as the Sweets’ last chance to try to extend the game. He would battle in his at-bat against newly entered pitcher Eli Morse, but Chang ultimately struck out swinging to end the game and the Knights took the victory by a score of 2-1.

Game two would be a much more high-scoring affair and it did not take long for the offense to show up for both teams.
In the top of the first inning, Knight would double to centerfield with one out and the very next batter Cody Hawken would come to plate and crush a 2-0 fastball off Sweets’ starter Ty Hueckman over the left field fence to give the Knights a quick 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the first, the Sweets would strike back as they were able to load the bases off Knights’ starter Trevor Wells on a pair of singles and an error. So with no outs yet recorded, Zach Penrod would come up and draw a walk to push across a run and make it 2-1.

That would bring up Prizina, who dug in and promptly smoked a double down the left field line that would plate all three baserunners and give the Sweets a 4-2 lead. Matt Elser would be next as he peppered a ball hard to the shortstop Stevens who was unable to field the ball cleanly and allowed Elser to reach safely and advance Prizina to third.

Following a strikeout and a flyout, Jordan Hovey came to the plate with runners on the corners and two away in the inning and looked at a ball in the dirty that got past the catcher and allowed Prizina to come across to score for the fifth run of the inning to make it 5-2.

Both teams would tack on another run in the second inning to push the score to 6-3 and that’s where the score would stand until the bottom of the fourth inning. The Knights brought on the young right hander, Dennis Boatman who would give up three consecutive walks to start the inning and load the bases with nobody out.

Corvallis would then go to their bullpen once again and bring in Louis Crow, but Penrod would be up to the task as he delivered a two-RBI double off the right field wall to extend the lead out to 8-3. Then with one out and runners still on second and third, Elser would chop a ball to the second baseman with the only play to be made at first which would allow another run to come across on a fielder’s choice and give the Sweets a 9-3 lead.

That comfortable lead quickly evaporated however as the Knights would put together their own carousel inning in the top of the sixth. The first two batters would reach safely on an error and a ground rule double off Sweets’ pitcher Tanner Cunha, which would send Penrod to the mound in relief.
He would surrender a base hit to the first batter he faced, Alec Cook, which would score the first run of the inning. A walk to the next hitter would load the bases, and a single would push across another run and keep the bases loaded with still nobody out.

A strikeout and a fielder’s choice would give the Sweets two outs in the inning, but another run would score on the FC and keep runners on second and third. Haskell would come up for Corvallis and drill a single back up the middle to score both runners and cut the Sweets lead down to one as the inning would come to a close with the score now 9-8.

The Sweets would score a much-needed insurance run in the bottom of the sixth after Josh Kutzke would single up the middle and be pinch ran for by Darius Vines, who would advance to third on a double by the next hitter Elser.

Garcia would then come up and drive a double to left field but only score the runner from third as both runners had to wait to ensure that the ball would not be caught. That unfortunately would be the only run the Sweets would scrape across in the inning, but fortunately it would be just enough.

In the top of the seventh, Samuel Reed would come on in relief for Walla Walla and surrender a walk, get a strikeout, then another walk to make it first and second with one out. That would send Jack Filby to the mound to try to close out the game and seal the victory.

He would give up a base hit to the first batter he faced and load the bases with still one out. A ground ball to the newly entered shortstop Quentin LaFontaine would be flipped on to the second baseman for a fielder’s choice and the second run of the inning, but a run would score and cut the Sweets lead down to one.

So with two outs and the tying run just 90 feet away at third base and the go-ahead run on first, it would be Filby against Knight for the biggest at-bat of the game. The talented UCLA commit Filby would win the showdown as he would strikeout Knight swinging on three pitches to end the game and give the Sweets the victory in a thrilling, rollercoaster of a game by a final score of 10-9.

With the split in the doubleheader, the Sweets were able to take the series against the Knights 2-1. Walla Walla will be back in action on Tuesday as they open up a two-game non-league series at home against the Highline Bears with the first game scheduled to begin at 6:35 PM.

At 3:30 pm, the field was very wet, standing water throughout the stadium, and a forecast that showed 40-60% chance of rain from 6 PM – 10 PM. Given the circumstances, game officials made the decision to cancel the scheduled contest between the Sweets and the Corvallis Knights on Saturday, 6/9. The game will be rescheduled as part of a double-header on Sunday, 6/10.

The start time for Game 1 remains the same – 4:35 PM first pitch, with a 4:00 pm gates open. Game 2 will begin 30 minutes following the conclusion of Game 1. Both contests will be 7-inning games.

“This isn’t ideal for anybody,” said team president Zachary Fraser. “It creates significant logistical challenges for both sides, but you make the call based on the information you have in front of you at the time.

“In consultation with our turf management team, we made the decision early to allow both teams to avoid getting players warmed up only to shut them down early. Just our luck that the forecast keeps pushing out later into the evening!”

For fans who had tickets for the 6/9 contest, the rain-out policy can be found here: https://wallawallasweets.com/tickets/season-tickets/ 

Tickets are not refundable for cash or tender. In the event that a legal (4 1/2 innings if the home team is ahead, 5 innings if the visiting team is ahead) or made-up game is not played, your ticket will become a coupon, good for exchange for any subsequent ticket for a regular price, regular season game during this current season (subject to available inventory when presented). Exchanges may be made at the Sweets Shoppe or at the Borleske Stadium Box Office, and coupon must be surrendered.

The team will work with different customers that have the same tickets for Game 1 and Game 2 (meaning they would be sharing a seat) to make sure that both parties are taken care of with comparable seat placement.

Walla Walla, Wash. – The Sweets came away with the win on Opening Night at Borleske Stadium by a final score of 2-0 against the Corvallis Knights. Walla Walla’s pitching staff has now allowed just two runs over the last 31 innings.

Darius Vines (RHP) got the start for the Sweets and pitched to the same caliber that had him tabbed as the #8 prospect in the West Coast League following the 2017 season with W2. He went six strong innings allowing just three hits, no runs and struck out three batters.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Zach Penrod (Utility) drew a walk and stole second base to advance into scoring position with one away in the inning. That brought to the plate three-year Sweet and two-time WCL All-Star Nick Nyquist who drove a base hit into left field to plate Penrod for the first Walla Walla run in the ball game.

Then in the bottom of the seventh inning, Mitch Lesmeister (IF) drew a walk with two outs and stole second base to give an RBI opportunity to Jack Filby (IF), and he delivered. On a two-strike count, Filby ripped a single back up the middle to drive in Lesmeister and give the Sweets a 2-0 lead.

Brayde Hirai (LHP) and Sean Sullivan (RHP) threw back-to-back scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth inning respectively to give the Sweets a chance to win it in the ninth.

Carson Woolery (RHP) then came on for his second save opportunity of the season and kept Sweets fans on the edge of their seats before closing the door.

Woolery would walk the leadoff man, strike out the next, bean the next batter, then strikeout the next. So with two outs and runners on second and third following a double steal, Woolery would get Trace Tammaro (IF) to ground out to Walla Walla’s second baseman Jordan Hovey (IF) for the final out of the ball game and give the Sweets the victory on Opening Night at Borleske Stadium by a score of 2-0.

The Sweets will take on Corvallis again on Saturday night for the second game of the series with first pitch slated for 6:35 PM.

Bellingham, Wash. – It took a while, but the Sweets offense finally came back to life as they took the final game of the series versus the Bellingham Bells by a score of 5-1 in 13 innings. In a game that had no shortage of dramatic moments, the Sweets showed they possess the ability to come together as a team and close a game out when needed.

Haydn King (LHP) got the start for Walla Walla and had a strong showing in his 2018 season debut. He allowed just two hits in five innings of work but did allow the only run of the game for the Bells, albeit an unearned run, on an error with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning by left fielder Tyson Quolas (OF).

With the Sweets not having scored in the previous 27 innings, they would finally push a run across the plate in the seventh inning of this one. Zach Penrod (Utility) led off the inning with a walk, stole second base, advanced 90 feet to third base on a bloop single by Matt Elser (Utility), and with one away in the inning, King would come to the plate and lift one just deep enough into centerfield to allow Penrod to come across to score on a sacrifice fly.

Samuel Reed (LHP) came on in relief of King and threw three solid innings but faced trouble in the bottom of the eighth. With runners on second and third and two away in the inning, the batter Dusty Stroup (IF) smoked a hard ground ball down the third base line, but Willy Chang (Utility) laid out to make the diving stop and in one motion got up and threw the ball in time to first base to retire the side and keep the game tied at 1-1.

Then in the bottom of the ninth, Brian O’Rourke (RHP) would take over on the mound and immediately beaned the first two batters he faced. The Sweets would then turn to Darius Vines (RHP) to try to work out of the jam and extend the game to extras.

The next batter, Marques Carlson (OF), tried to drop down a sacrifice bunt but the placement made it a tough play. Vines would come off the mound and field the ball cleanly but throw wide to first base resulting in second baseman Jordan Hovey (IF) having to lay out to corral the ball in, and he did so successfully to keep the ball on the infield with the runner reaching first base safely.

So with the bases loaded and nobody out in the inning, Vines would face what could be considered the most difficult situation possible for a relief pitcher with the winning run standing just 90 feet away at third base. Ben McKay (IF) promptly grounded out to the catcher Elser, who quickly fielded the ball out in front of home plate and tagged out the runner from third trying to advance home.

With one away and the bases still loaded, the hottest hitter in the West Coast League Jordan Stoner (OF) would stride in, and Vines rose to the occasion as he struck out Stoner for the second out of the inning. Guthrie Morrison (OF) dug in next and chopped a ground ball back over the mound, and on a tough play, Jack Filby (IF) would hustle in to field the ball and throw on to first to retire the side and send the game to extra innings.

In the top of the thirteenth inning, the Sweets would finally hit paydirt with a few fortunate bounces along the way. Chang would lead off the inning by drawing a walk which was followed by a botched bunt attempt that went foul with two strikes by Quolas for the first out.

Filby would come up next and hammer a ground ball to the second baseman Grant McCormick (IF), who was unable to field the ball cleanly and allowed both runners to reach base safely. Jalen Garcia (OF) would then deliver the biggest hit of the game as he drilled a single into left field that allowed Chang to come all the way around to score from second base to give the Sweets a 2-1 lead.

Hovey would draw a walk to load the bases and that would bring up Penrod who hit a hard ground ball to the second baseman McCormick, and he bobbled the ball which would force the Bells to take only the out at second base and pushed across another run on the fielder’s choice to extend Walla Walla’s lead out to 3-1.

Josh Prizina (Utility) would draw a walk to load the bases once again, bringing Elser to the dish. He would strike out swinging, but the drop third strike would get past the Bells’ catcher Cody Pasic (C) and allow two more runs to come across the plate giving the Sweets their final tally of five runs in the game.

Quolas would get his redemption on the mound as he was sensational coming on in relief in the tenth and throwing four shutout innings to close the book on the game and take home the victory as Walla Walla would win a wild extra-inning game by a final score of 5-1.

The Sweets will have a much needed off day on Thursday but will be back in action for their home opener on Friday night as they take on the Corvallis Knights with first pitch slated for 7:05 PM.

Bellingham, Wash. – The Sweets lost a pitchers’ duel Tuesday night 1-0 in the second game of the series against the Bellingham Bells. Walla Walla has now lost four straight after taking the opening night victory from the Pippins.

Zach Penrod (Utility) got the start for the Sweets and went four strong innings on the mound. He allowed no hits and no runs but walked four batters through those four frames.

The young right-hander Patrick Collins (RHP) came on in the fifth in his first appearance for the Sweets and looked strong. He did allow the only run of the game after giving up a leadoff double to Connor Mack (OF) and allowing him to come around to score on an RBI single from Guthrie Morrison (OF), but Collins only allowed those two hits in his two innings of work and stuck out two batters.

Carson Woolery (RHP) would come on in the seventh and go two strong innings to close out the game for the Sweets. He surrendered just one hit and struck out one batter in his appearance out of the bullpen.

Walla Walla had limited opportunities offensively to push across any runs as they only had two hits in the game and were only able to advance runners into scoring position twice.

The Sweets look to get their offense back on track in the series finale against the Bells on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM.

Bellingham, Wash. – The Walla Walla Sweets dropped the opening game of the three-game series versus the Bellingham Bells by a final score of 5-0. With the loss, the Sweets have now lost three straight and currently sit at 1-3 here early on in the season.

Tanner Cunha (LHP) got the start for the Sweets and threw well but dealt with a tight strike zone in the first inning. He allowed just one hit in the inning but walked three batters and surrendered a hit-by-pitch ultimately resulting in two runs coming across to score.

The first inning continues to be a challenge for Walla Walla pitchers, as now over the last three games the team has allowed nine runs in the first inning.

Cunha settled in nicely but ran into some trouble again in the fourth inning. After getting the first two outs in the inning, he walked the nine-hitter in the Bells lineup which gave Jordan Stoner (OF) an opportunity to hit, and he crushed a two-run homerun over the left-centerfield fence to extend the Bells’ lead out to 4-0.

After going 3-for-4 in the game tonight against the Sweets, Stoner now carries a .733 batting average through the first three games of the 2018 West Coast League season.

The Sweets would have several opportunities to score, as they were able to get two runners on to start both the fourth and the eighth inning, but unfortunately were unable to push across any runs in either instance. UCLA commit Jack Filby (IF) continues to be a bright spot at the top of the Sweets lineup, going 2-for-4 in the game and now possessing a .467 batting average on the season through four games.

In the bottom of the eighth inning the Bells would push across their fifth and final run of the evening as Cody Pasic (C) drew a walk and would come all the way around to score from first base on an RBI-double by Will McGillis (IF).

Walla Walla looks to get back on track as they take to Joe Martin Field once again tomorrow night and look to even the series at one game apiece with first pitch slated for 6:35 PM.