Pippins Close Anniversary Season with Home Sweep
August 9, 2024 - West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
YAKIMA, Washington - Yakima Valley sent Pippins fans home happy on Thursday with a win in the final game of the 10th anniversary season of Pippins baseball in the West Coast League.
Pitcher Ethan Salscheider and catcher Mauricio Guardado carried the load for the Pippins in their final game in the WCL. Yakima Valley won 6-3 and sent Kamloops packing with a series sweep.
The Pippins starting pitcher went seven full innings and recorded six strikeouts. Salscheider matched a single-game career high with that strikeout total and finished his Pippins career with one of his best performances.
Trace Green and Garin Gurtler both pitched one inning in the eighth and ninth frames, respectively. The relief arms combined for just two hits and no runs allowed, as they helped the Pipps hold on.
Offensively, Guardado went 2-for-3 with some power at the plate on display, belting a double and a triple to lead the way for the Pippins offense. Julian Angulo joined him with two hits, while Rece Schuerman, Kaden Kirshenbaum and Aidan Morrison contributed one hit each.
The Pipps got it going early with two runs in the first. Spencer Shipman and Angulo came around to give Yakima Valley the early advantage over the NorthPaws. Angulo smacked an RBI double that brought the Whitworth College senior around to score.
In the fifth, Yakima Valley extended its lead to 3-0. Guardado was able to score on a balk by Kolby Lukinchuk, who got the start for Kamloops.
The NorthPaws finally got on the board in the sixth, knotting the score at 3-3. Ethan VanDelinder, Matthew Olivares and Keegan Drinkle each came around to score.
But Yakima Valley came up with a response an inning later. Toussaint Bythewood scored, alongside Guardado and Morrison. The Pipps scored their final runs of the game and held on to the 6-3 advantage.
The Pippins finished the 2024 campaign with a 21-33 record in league play. This was a one-game improvement from last season, as Yakima Valley's focus now shifts to 2025.
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