Pippins Dominate in Final Non-League Game of Summer
July 16, 2024 - West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
YAKIMA, Washington - Yakima Valley played one of its better games of the season in the final non-league matchup in 2024. The Pippins defeated the CCL Showcase team 12-2 and went into the WCL All Star break with their third win of a four-game homestand.
Yakima Valley began the offense in the third frame. Five runs came across as the Pipps took an early lead. Toussaint Bythewood smacked a 2-RBI double into the outfield to bring in Jake Lockwood and David Ballenilla.
Then, DJ Dillehay's 2-RBI single brought a few more in for Yakima Valley. Casey Wayne, Kaden Kirshenbaum and Bythewood all scored before the end of the third. The Pippins led 5-0.
The offense did not stop there. A three-run fourth frame gave the Pippins an 8-0 advantage. Zach Blaszak hit a ground ball that allowed a run to score, as Ballenilla, Lockwood and Bythewood each came in to score their second runs of the game.
CCL finally responded with two runs in the sixth. Back-to-back RBIs from Jack Barker and Jack Edmunds gave them their first runs of the night. It would end up being their only scored runs against Yakima Valley.
The Pippins brought in four more unanswered runs to finish up the game. Three runs in the seventh and one run in the eighth did the job for Yakima Valley. This stretch was highlighted by Dom Longo's RBI single and a ton of drawn walks by the Pipps.
On the mound, Yakima Valley cleared out the bullpen. Tyler Disch made the start for the Pipps and had one of his best performances of the season. The Yakima Valley College product went for three complete innings, and allowed no hits or runs. He punched out two of the nine CCL batters for the Pippins pitching staff.
Colton LaFave came in for relief for just the second time of the summer. The routine starter delivered two innings of work and allowed the first two hits for CCL in this game. However, he continued the combined shutout through the fifth.
It was not until Nic Lewandowski made his second appearance of the homestand on the mound did the Showcase team score their first runs. Both of CCL's runs came in against the Tacoma Community College pitcher in his lone inning of work.
Carl Moland-Kovash, Zaid Flynn and Garin Gurtler finished the rest of the game for the Pipps. They each threw just one inning and combined for four strikeouts and just one hit allowed.
Yakima Valley finished the season series against the CCL Showcase squad with a 3-0 record and outscored them 34-8 in three games.
The Pippins won't be in action until Friday on the road against the Wenatchee AppleSox. However, Preston Allen and Spencer Shipman will make appearances in Wednesday night's WCL All Star game on MLB Network.
Yakima Valley will return home for another series on July 26 against the Bend Elks. The Pippins will play six more league games prior to this series, as they look to continue the push for the final few playoff spots in the WCL South Division.
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West Coast League Stories from July 16, 2024
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- Pippins Dominate in Final Non-League Game of Summer - Yakima Valley Pippins
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