Pippins Swept by Falcons on the Road
July 1, 2024 - West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
KELOWNA, British Columbia - Yakima Valley's struggles over the past week continued with another loss on Sunday night to the Kelowna Falcons. The final score was 5-4 after the Falcons walked-off the Pippins for the sweep.
It was the second straight weekend road series in which the Pipps went down with three straight losses.
The offense was slightly improved from game two for the Pipps. Julian Angulo, Rece Schuerman and Spencer Shipman each found multiple hits in this game. Schuerman led the way with a 3-for-5 effort at the plate, while Angulo and Shipman both smacked two hits.
The scoring began in the first inning from Yakima Valley. Casey Wayne scored off the bat of Preston Allen, who found his lone RBI of the night.
Kelowna responded with a run of its own to tie the game in the same frame as an RBI single from Dante Vachini brought in Jacob Devenny.
Kelowna took a 4-1 lead in the third after RBIs from Aidan Kuni and Brecken Menuet. Kuni smacked a ball to right field, and brought in Devenny and Flores, while Menuet hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Kuni across.
Yakima Valley did not cut into the deficit until the fifth inning, when Wayne hit a ball to right field. The fly ball was caught, but Shipman was able to come in to score to make it 4-2.
The Pipps added another run in the back half of the game to draw even closer with Kelowna. This time, Wayne scored on Angulo's effort at the dish. He reached on an error by the Kelowna catcher, Caden Mitchell, and it was then 4-3. The Falcons still held the lead, but not for long.
In the final inning, Yakima Valley was able to tie the contest. Angulo scored on a balk call against Kelowna. This was the third unanswered run scored by Yakima Valley, as it appeared there would be a chance for the Pippins to avoid the series sweep.
However, the Falcons offense clutched up in the bottom of the ninth, and Trey Duffield's single to left field brought in Devenny to score his third run of the game.
Yakima Valley was swept for the second consecutive time on the road, and head into an off day as winners of just one game out of the last nine they have played.
Carl Moland-Kovash made his first start as a Pippin and gave up some early runs. He allowed four earned runs on four hits in 2.0 innings. The Whitman righty was ultimately replaced by four other Yakima Valley relievers, which included Justin Cuellar, Donovann Jackson, Garin Gurtler and AJ Hendrickson.
The relievers combined for just one earned run and five punchouts. They were highlighted by Jackson and Gurtler, who both had two strikeouts in their appearances.
Cuellar had a nice response outing by keeping Kelowna scoreless over two complete innings. He dealt no walks and pitched well after allowing a season-high six earned runs in his prior outing on the bump.
Offensively, the Pippins struck out 10 times, but the nine hits limited the impact of that strikeout total for most of the game. Schuerman's three-hit day set a new single-game season-high for him, as he finished this series with six hits overall.
The top of the order had a combined effectiveness of just 1-13 between Wayne, Toussaint Bythewood and Allen. The Pipps got the necessary production from the middle of the order, and it was nearly enough to pull out a victory.
Yakima Valley has Monday off and will begin a three-game series against the Cowlitz Black Bears on July 2. Game one is scheduled for a 7:05 p.m. PT first pitch on Celebrate America Night. The Tuesday contest also starts the second half of the West Coast League season for the Pippins.
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West Coast League Stories from July 1, 2024
- Rico and Hangas Receive WCL's Moss Adams Weekly Accolades - WCL
- Pippins Swept by Falcons on the Road - Yakima Valley Pippins
- NightOwls Power Their Way to Big 13-4 Win Against the HarbourCats - Victoria HabourCats
- Wild Comeback Puts Wenatchee on Precipice of First-Half Title - Wenatchee AppleSox
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