Pippins Fall in 10th Season Opening Game
June 1, 2024 - West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
YAKIMA, Washington - Opening Night of the 10th anniversary season of Pippins Baseball didn't go quite as planned in the final analysis, as the Springfield Drifters beat Yakima Valley 7-2 on Friday before 2,355 fans at Yakima County Stadium.
Ethan Salscheider got the start on the mound for the Pipps on a beautiful 76-degree night in Yakima and pitched five complete innings. He gave up six hits and three runs, but only two of them earned. Overall, the defense for Yakima Valley struggled in the infield, with three errors on the night, compared with just one for Springfield.
The Pippins got the scoring going in the first inning. A leadoff single by Pippins newcomer David Ballenilla ended up becoming the first scored run for Yakima Valley. Julian Angulo's RBI double brought home Ballenilla, who had stolen second. Brennan Morgan followed Angulo's double with one of his own, which made it 2-0 Pippins early.
On the mound, Salscheider allowed just one run through the first four innings, but gave up a 2-run home run in the top of the fifth to Kedren Kinzie, which made the score 3-2. That big blast was followed by a single by catcher Kooper Jones. "Salsa" finished out the fifth inning but was replaced by James Rivera in the sixth.
Rivera went 2.1 innings and recorded four strikeouts in his Pippins debut. However, in the eighth inning, the Drifters caught fire offensively. A leadoff double for Aiden Gebhard started a run of five straight baserunners. An RBI single from Jack Peper brought Gebhard home, followed by Ryder Dykstra reaching base. Back-to-back RBIs from Ely Kennel and Elijah Maris helped make it 7-2.
Yakima Valley relieved Rivera in the eighth with Big Bend pitcher Garin Gurtler, who came in and shut the door on the Drifters to close the inning. But the Pippins failed to score in the eighth, which brought out 6-foot-6 righty Carl Moland-Kovash to the mound to pitch a scoreless ninth.
Needing a five-run comeback to extend the game, the Pippins got a leadoff walk from Angulo in the bottom of the ninth. Morgan followed with a single, his second hit in four tries in his Pippins debut. Jack Sheward popped out for the first out of the inning and was followed by a double play groundout from Casey Wayne to finish the game.
Drifters starter Kyle Larsen earned the win for Springfield, tossing eight complete innings and punching out three Pippins batters. Salscheider took the loss in his first start of the 2024 season, as he finished with four strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA.
The Pippins are back in action on Saturday night against the Drifters, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Yakima County Stadium. Tickets are available at PippinsTickets.com.
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West Coast League Stories from June 1, 2024
- Sweets Drop Season Opener - Walla Walla Sweets
- Pippins Fall in 10th Season Opening Game - Yakima Valley Pippins
- Sox Take First Game of 2024 - Wenatchee AppleSox
- HarbourCats Edged in Season Opener - Victoria HabourCats
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