Pippins Pitchers Strike out 14 in Exhibition Victory
July 15, 2024 - West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
YAKIMA, Washington - Yakima Valley pitchers dominated on the mound and finished with double-digit strikeouts for the second night in a row. However, this time it resulted in a bounce back win for the home team.
The Pippins fanned 14 batters en route to an 8-2 win over the Northwest Star Academy Nighthawks at The Orchard on Sunday. Parker Smith, Justin Cuellar and Lee Souza each pitched three complete innings, and shoved on the mound in the third straight nonleague matchup for Yakima Valley.
The Pipps took the early lead in the first, as Adrian Hinojosa scored on an RBI double from Preston Allen. One run in the second by Jackson Bui came in for the Nighthawks on a Cole Cuypers RBI single to make it a 1-1 game. However, Yakima Valley added two more in the third as Hinojosa and Drew Johnson came across.
Allen smacked another RBI - this time it was a single - and the Pippins led 3-1. Two more unanswered runs were brought around by Yakima Valley, as Mauricio Guardado came in on Hinojosa's RBI single, and Julian Angulo scored on an RBI from Rece Schuerman. It was 5-1 before Northwest Star could respond.
The road team punched back with one of their two scored runs in the sixth to cut into the deficit. Bui came around on an RBI base knock from Hideo Atsumi. It was 5-2 after the sixth frame.
Then Yakima Valley added their final three runs an inning later. Johnson, Angulo and Schuerman came around to give the Pipps a seven-run advantage late in the game. Owen Egan and Spencer Shipman both finally got involved with back-to-back RBIs.
Even though the offensive numbers were solid, it was really the pitching acumen that kept Yakima Valley in front all night long.
Smith got the start in this game, and his first start of the 2024 summer was solid. The Gonzaga pitcher only gave up one run, and punched out three Nighthawk batters before his night was done. The sophomore from Spokane, Washington, was relieved by Cuellar in the fourth.
The future UCLA Bruin dominated in his three innings of work. He entered this game with just three strikeouts in league play but finished this contest with six strikeouts against Northwest Star. It was by far his best performance of the summer, even if his stats won't translate to his WCL season stat line.
The final pitcher was Lee Souza, who had a dominant showing himself. He made his nonleague pitching debut in this game and finished with five strikeouts in just three innings. The Yakima Valley College pitcher was the only arm to not allow a single run for the Pippins in this ball game.
Yakima Valley will play the final game of a four-game homestand on Monday evening against the CCL Showcase Team at The Orchard. The first pitch is scheduled for a 6:35 p.m. start, as the Pippins look to head into the WCL All Star break with another victory.
• Discuss this story on the West Coast League message board...
West Coast League Stories from July 15, 2024
- Kane and Van Dyke Receive WCL's Moss Adams Weekly Accolades - WCL
- Pippins Pitchers Strike out 14 in Exhibition Victory - Yakima Valley Pippins
- AppleSox Sweep CCL - Wenatchee AppleSox
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
