Pippins Come from Behind, Stun Elks
July 12, 2025 - West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
YAKIMA, Washington - The Yakima Valley Pippins used a three-run eighth inning to complete a two-run comeback and stun the Bend Elks, 6-5, Friday night. Seth Mahler sparkled in three innings of relief, and Ethan Buckley picked up a timely hit to complete the comeback.
The Pippins entered the bottom of the eighth trailing 5-3. Jake Porter started the offense by drawing a leadoff walk. Braden Bartholomae struck out before Jack Varney walked to put two runners on base. Dillon Anderson singled to load the bases, setting up Greg Luna to pull the Pippins within one run on an RBI fielder's choice that scored Porter. With two outs, Kyler Bittner was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Ethan Buckley was next, sending a towering fly ball high on the infield that was misread by the Elks' defense. The ball landed near the normal second base position for a single, scoring Luna and Varney and putting the Pippins in front, 6-5.
In the top of the ninth, Mahler began his third inning of relief allowing a leadoff single to Makoa Sniffin. He responded by striking out Easton Amundson to get the first out of the frame. A flyout by Vinny Salvione and a pop out to Luna at third by Zach Carlson secured the win.
All-Star Ty Pangborn had a solid West Coast League-leading eighth start of the season for the Pippins. Despite not earning a strikeout, Pangborn limited the Elks' scoring output to five runs, the last of which was a screaming 109 mile-per-hour line drive over the right-field wall for a solo home run by Amundson in the seventh. Pangborn exited the game after Salvione followed the home run with a single.
Bend broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth. With two outs, Dawson Santana singled, setting up Jace Miller to drive a double to the outfield, allowing Santana to score.
Both teams traded the lead in the first two frames. Bend scored first, cashing in a Santana single on a Sniffin sacrifice fly to Porter in left field. The Pippins responded in the bottom of the first inning, bringing home Anderson and Luna's singles on Ethan Hogan's two-RBI knock to give the Pippins a 2-1 lead.
In the top of the second, the Elks regained the advantage. Matt Dobson led off the inning with a triple, scoring on a Ryan Vanderbrink groundout to second base to tie the game. The next batter, Benji Solano, reached with one out on the first of five errors committed by the Pippins. Solano scored later in the inning after Sniffen reached safely on Yakima Valley's second error of the inning.
The Pippins evened the score in the bottom of the second inning. Bartholomae was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat as a Pippin and came around to score on Anderson's second of three singles on the night.
Mahler earns the win in relief of Pangborn to improve to 1-2 this season, allowing only two hits and picking up three strikeouts while holding Bend scoreless. Elks' reliever Mathew Elliot earns the loss after allowing Luna to score, falling to 0-3.
The Pippins improve to 2-5 in the second half of the season, and 9-25 overall. The Pippins are 1-0 at The Orchard in the second half. Bend falls to 5-5 in the second half and is now 18-17 this summer.
Game two of the three-game series is set for Saturday at 6:35 p.m. It is Surprise Saturday at The Orchard. The series will wrap up on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. before the Pippins take four days off to celebrate the all-star game in Bellingham. Tickets for both games can be purchased at www.pippinsbaseball.com/tickets, the only official ticketing link of the Yakima Valley Pippins.
West Coast League Stories from July 12, 2025
- Johnsen to Represent South Division During All-Star Game Broadcast - Yakima Valley Pippins
- Pippins Come from Behind, Stun Elks - Yakima Valley Pippins
- AppleSox Fall, 6-5, to Nanaimo - Wenatchee AppleSox
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