Pippins Season Comes to End in 4-3 Loss at Bellingham
August 14, 2014 - West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - A memorable first season of Yakima Valley Pippins baseball came to an end Tuesday night, as the Bellingham Bells knocked off the Pippins, 4-3, to advance to the West Coast League championship series.
The Bells (39-17 overall, 2-0 postseason) took an early lead against Pippins starter Eli Morgan. Danny Miller's two-run double gave the Bells a 2-0 lead after one inning, and they added a run in the 2 nd to make it 3-0.
The Pippins bats got to Bellingham starter Aaron Sandefur in the top of the 3 rd, as Mitch Skaggs drove in the first run on an RBI single to center, with another run scoring on a throwing error by Jack Klein to cut the Bellingham lead to 3-2.
In the middle innings, Morgan settled in nicely for the Pippins. After surrendering hits to the first four hitters he faced, Morgan settled in and allowed just two hits and one unearned run over his final six innings of work. The incoming freshman at Gonzaga retired the final 10 hitters he faced Wednesday night. Morgan finished the season 8-0 with a 3.04 ERA in the regular season, tying Jackson Lockwood (Corvallis) for most wins by an individual in one season. His 8-0 record also marked the most wins without a loss in league history.
After Morgan departed, the Pippins tied the game in the top of the 8 th, as Skaggs, who finished 3-3 with 2 RBI, brought in the tying run on a sacrifice fly to center field.
With the score tied entering the bottom of the 9 th, the Pippins committed two costly errors and walked one to load the bases for Miller with two outs, and he delivered a single to center to walk off on the Pippins and advance the Bells to the WCL championship series, where they will take on the Corvallis Knights.
Yakima Valley finished its first season with a record of 35-19 in the regular season, the most wins by a first-year team in WCL history. The Pippins also became the first first-year club to win a divisional title. The long offseason now begins before the Pippins get ready to return for their second season starting next June.
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