Pippins Rally, Hold off Bend for 9-6 Holiday Victory
July 5, 2023 - West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
BEND, Oregon - Yakima Valley took the lead for good with a three-run seventh inning on Independence Day en route to a 9-6 win over the Bank Elks on Tuesday.
The win marked the beginning of the Pippins' 27-game second half after completing the first half with a 10-17 record.
Payton Graham earned his third save of the season with three innings of work, and worked through a ninth-inning scare to secure the victory. After getting two strikeouts to start the ninth, Graham hit a batter then walked two to load the bases. But he got a grounder to third, which Pippin Chris Clement fielded cleanly and fired to first to end the game.
Trailing 5-4, the Pippins took the lead for good with three runs in the seventh. Josh Hankins and Gabe Villaflor drew inning-opening walks, and pinch-hitter Kyle Williamson advanced them up a base with a sacrifice bunt with a sacrifice bunt that the Bend pitcher misplayed for an error, which allowed Hankins to score.
Later, Zack Blaszak plated another with a single to center, and Blake Balsz added a sacrifice fly to score the final run.
Clement started Yakima Valley's scoring with a sacrifice fly in the first, and Villaflor brought in another with a bases-loaded walk.
In the fifth, Maxim Fullerton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in a run, and Blaszak had a single back to the mound to score the second run that frame.
Blaszak was 3-for-4 for the Pippins, who only managed five hits but drew 11 walks and three hit batters.
The Pippins defense turned three double plays in the game.
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West Coast League Stories from July 5, 2023
- Pippins Rally, Hold off Bend for 9-6 Holiday Victory - Yakima Valley Pippins
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