Pippins Hit Fifth Homer, Drop Game Two to AppleSox
June 20, 2024 - West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
YAKIMA, Washington - Yakima Valley's experienced infielder, Spencer Shipman, found his first home run of the 2024 campaign, but it was not enough to lift the 10-win Pippins over the Wenatchee AppleSox on Wednesday night.
The top team in the WCL North Division took down Yakima Vally 6-3 at The Orchard in game two and forced a decisive game three to be played Thursday. Walks allowed by the Pippins pitching staff caused some issues defensively, and the flaming bats from game one did not return for the Pippins.
Colton LaFave got the nod to start for the Pipps in game two and turned in a four-inning performance, allowing two hits and no earned runs. However, he got the walks going early for Wenatchee, and had to work out of bases loaded jam in his final frame.
The scoring started in the fifth inning, when Wenatchee plated three runs. Elijah Pelayo, Max Hartman and Cannon Peery each came across to give the AppleSox a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. Two separate RBI singles from Peery and Boscarino got the offense up and running for Wenatchee.
Yakima Valley's response came on Shipman's first home run of the season. He hit two homers last year, and the first one came in his second appearance of the 2023 season. His second bomb didn't come until the penultimate regular season game. The Whitworth College product's big fly cut the deficit to two runs, as the Pipps trailed 3-1.
Yakima Valley was able to add another run later, as Preston Allen came around to score after he ripped a leadoff single in the sixth. Once again, Shipman came to the rescue, as he added an RBI double to his stat sheet by bringing Allen home. It was then 3-2.
But Wenatchee put up another three spot. Kade Benavidez and Peery drew back-to-back walks, and eventually came in to score two of the AppleSox's three runs in the seventh. Two RBI singles from Antonio Gianni and Hunter Friedberg extended Wenatchee's lead to 6-2.
Jack Sheward scored the Pippins final run of the game in the seventh, and Yakima Valley could not make the comeback in the ninth inning to extend the game. The Pippins fell to 10-7 on the year, and Wenatchee found their 13th win to advance to 13-4.
The Pipps used five different arms in relief of LaFave, highlighted by newcomer Justin Cuellar. In his second appearance of the homestand, he pitched two scoreless frames, in the eighth and ninth. The 6-2 incoming freshman at UCLA did not allow a hit and had one of the three strikeouts from the Pippins pitching staff in this contest.
Overall, Yakima Valley walked 10 Wenatchee batters, as Benavidez drew a free base three separate times. Both Jonathan Fitz and Peery drew two walks a piece. These costly free passes led to loaded-bases situations during the game that the Pippins struggled to close out of without allowing runs to score.
Offensively, Allen extended his league-leading hit sum with a 1-for-4 night. His single in the seventh gave the Chaffey College slugger his 25th hit of the season, and third of this Wenatchee series in nine tries.
Rece Schuerman went 1-for-3 at the dish and was hit by a pitch after driving in five runs a night earlier. Shipman went 3-for-3 at the plate. Drew Johnson found his second two-hit game in his last three appearances and finished 2-for-5.
The Pipps will try to take the series in game three on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. PT from Yakima County Stadium. The home team is 4-1 in decisive game threes this season, most recently winning 9-2 against Walla Walla in this same scenario. Yakima Valley averages 9.4 runs per game in rubber matches this season.
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West Coast League Stories from June 20, 2024
- Pippins Hit Fifth Homer, Drop Game Two to AppleSox - Yakima Valley Pippins
- Sox Strike Three Times in Two Frames to Top Pippins - Wenatchee AppleSox
- HarbourCats Score Two Late Runs to Beat NightOwls for Second Straight Night - Victoria HabourCats
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