Comeback Bid Falls Short as Five-Game Winning Streak Ends
Published on July 12, 2016 under West Coast League (WCL)
Gresham GreyWolves News Release
WENATCHEE, WA. - The Gresham GreyWolves' five-game winning streak was finally halted on Monday night as the Wenatchee AppleSox opened up an early three-run lead before hanging on for a 5-4 victory.
For the second time in as many nights, Gresham (5-1, 16-17 overall) mounted a ninth-inning rally as it tried to keep its magical start to the second half alive. This time, however, the rally fell short as the club left the tying run on third base.
The GreyWolves actually jumped out to an early two-run advantage, striking for one in the second and another in the third after successful at-bats from All-Star's Jeffrey Mitchell, Jr. (California) and Ryan Smith (Southern Illinois). That lead would ultimately be short-lived though as Wenatchee (1-5, 11-22) battled back for a pair of runs in the home half of the third.
A brief lapse in control on the mound paved the way for three more AppleSox runs across the next two innings, giving the home team a 5-2 lead through five full. Gresham got one of those runs back in the sixth via an RBI groundout from Matt Karo, and after a scoreless seventh and eighth frames, the visitors from Oregon found themselves needing at least two runs in the top of the ninth to keep the game going.
They nearly got them.
Instead, a bang-bang play at the plate ended the game, the five-game winning streak, and the team's long six-game road trip through British Columbia and northern Washington. After cutting the deficit to 5-4 on an RBI single off the bat of Washington product Jack Johnson, the GreyWolves eventually loaded the bases with two outs and Josh Adams standing at the plate.
With a 2-1 count, the fifth pitch thrown to Adams ended up getting away from catcher Alex Gonzales (Scottsdale CC) and rolling all the way to the backstop. A charging Dylan Doherty (Cal Poly) quickly scampered from third to home on the play but was ruled to have been tagged out just before touching the plate.
The close call was the final dagger in Gresham's first loss of the second half of the season. Starter Matt Young (2-0) earned the win for Wenatchee, while right-hander Donavon Ramirez (2-2) was credited with the loss for the GreyWolves.
Gresham will look to get back to its winning ways as it opens a three-game series at home against the Victoria HarbourCats on Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. at Oslund Field. -- Connor Pelton Media Relations - Gresham GreyWolves Co-Managing Editor - House of Sparky Cell: 503-998-7686
West Coast League Stories from July 12, 2016
- Knights Lose 3-0 - Corvallis Knights
- Velasquez Named WCL Pitcher of the Week - Yakima Valley Pippins
- Comeback Bid Falls Short as Five-Game Winning Streak Ends - Gresham GreyWolves
- HarbourCats Take Series on Cannon's Walkoff Single - Victoria HabourCats
- Bells Ground Bluejackets - Bellingham Bells
- Kelowna Falcons Fall in Pitcher Duel - Kelowna Falcons
- Pitching Powers Pippins Past Perth Heat - Yakima Valley Pippins
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