Pippins Offense Not Enough to Topple AppleSox
July 21, 2024 - West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
WENATCHEE, Washington - Yakima Valley's offense came alive in the seventh inning and was one of the most exciting stretches at the plate of the season. However, it did not end up leading to a road victory when the Pippins needed one.
Game two between the Pipps and the Wenatchee AppleSox was a shootout. The final score was 12-9, as Wenatchee took the series from Paul Thomas Senior Field on Saturday night. The Pippins took an early lead, but Wenatchee's consistent offensive attack was too much to handle.
Two runs came in the first inning for Yakima Valley. It seemed like the Pipps had figured out the offensive struggles from the first game of this series, as Zach Blaszak and Drew Johnson started the night strong.
They scored the first two runs of the game off a 2-RBI double from Julian Angulo. This would be the first of two 2-RBI base knocks for the Cal Poly Pomona product in this contest.
However, Wenatchee struck quickly. They brought in three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a one run lead. Aiden Dougherty, Evan Cloyd and James Castagnola were brought in to make it 3-2 Wenatchee.
The Pipps tied it up an inning later thanks to an RBI single from Blaszak. He brought in Adrian Hinojosa, who scored the first of his two runs on the night. It was 3-3 after the second inning.
Wenatchee then scored four unanswered runs to hold the lead all the way to the seventh frame. The middle of the game belonged to the home club, as Dougherty and Brady Bean each scored once, and Cloyd scored twice during this stretch.
The AppleSox offense was highlighted by a few nice hits from the catcher, Luca Boscarino, over the middle innings. He collected two RBIs on a single and a double. The Reinhardt University product finished the night with three RBIs in five plate appearances.
Even though the Pippins found themselves down 7-2 headed into the seventh frame, they continued to show a ton of fight. This led to one of the most exciting offensive innings of the season for the Pipps.
Six runs scored, and the offense began with David Ballenilla reaching on a one-out single. This was followed by base hits from Hinojosa and Johnson, alongside a drawn walk from Blaszak.
With the bases loaded, and Johnson already adding a run off his base knock, the Pipps brought Angulo back up to the plate in a 7-3 ball game. This is where Angulo shined once again.
He smacked another 2-RBI double into the outfield, which brought in Hinojosa and Blaszak. The Pipps added more runs off RBIs from Dom Longo and Owen Egan, and suddenly Yakima Valley led 9-7 headed into the seventh inning stretch.
The offense exploded out of nowhere, and the Pipps were able to hold this two-run lead until the eighth. That is where everything went downhill for the road team.
Wenatchee showed why it is the top team in the North Division, as the AppleSox clutched up with a five-run eighth frame to take back the lead and eventually win the game. Bean, Dougherty, Roberto Gonzalez, Boscarino and Max Hartman scored to make it 12-9.
Timely swings from Castagnola and the newly entered Hartman highlighted the inning. Wenatchee extended out a lead that never was tested in the top of the ninth, as the Pipps lost their fifth straight road series.
On the mound, AJ Hendrickson struggled out of the gate. He gave up five of the 12 runs in this game for the Pippins, but only three of them were earned. He punched out three of the six total Wenatchee strikeout victims and left the game in the fourth.
Lee Souza picked up the pitching duties for three more innings, and allowed two runs off four hits. He limited the walks allowed to just one in this appearance, which showed some promise alongside two strikeouts.
Owen Egan was the final arm used by Yakima Valley. The UCLA Bruin went the final two innings, and allowed five earned runs off three walks and five hits. This was Egan's worst performance of the season, in a summer where he has been arguably the most clutch player for the Pippins.
Offensively, Angulo carried the load for Yakima Valley. He finished with a 3-for-5 effort at the dish and four RBIs. This was his best game of the summer, and no one else for Yakima Valley had more than one hit. However, Hinojosa, Blaszak and Johnson each scored twice in this game, and provided some crucial defense.
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West Coast League Stories from July 21, 2024
- Early Lead Slips Away into Sweep in Ridgefield - Victoria HabourCats
- Pippins Offense Not Enough to Topple AppleSox - Yakima Valley Pippins
- Five-Run Eighth Propels AppleSox Past Pippins - Wenatchee AppleSox
- HarbourCats Battle, But Drop Second in a Row to Raptors - Victoria HabourCats
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