Pippins Walk off First Extra-Inning Contest of 2025
Published on June 15, 2025 under West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
YAKIMA, Washington - Jaden St. Cyr had been unable to drive a run home in the 2025 season. That changed Saturday night when he legged out an infield single to walk off Yakima Valley over the Northwest Star Nighthawks 9-8 in 11 innings.
The Pippins were deadlocked with Northwest Star 8-8 entering the 11th. Jake Porter would loop a two-out double into right field, and Finley Spicer would follow that up with a single, his third of the night, to advance Porter to third. With the table set, St. Cyr would stroll to the plate thus far 2-for-5 with an RBI thanks to a hit back in the third inning. Facing Nighthawks pitcher Nolan Donivan, St. Cyr would chop a ball into the infield grass, creating a tall bounce. By the time Northwest Star shortstop Luke Kovac could glove the ball and get a throw off, St. Cyr had made it safely across first base, winning the game.
Yakima Valley had its chance to win the contest in the bottom of the ninth. Charlie Schebler, Jake Porter, and Spicer would all reach following a Langan Naylor strikeout. St. Cyr would send a fly ball to shallow left field, where it was caught on a sliding play by Kellen Desbians, preventing the run from scoring. Jared Stevenson would then ground a ball up the middle, forcing Spicer out at second and leaving the bases loaded.
The victory was made possible by Seth Mahler, who was only originally scheduled to throw one inning in relief. Mahler entered the game in the top of the eighth with the bases loaded, with the Pippins leading by one run after James Lawrence allowed one run. He retired the first two batters he saw on two pitches and would then go on to face nine more batters, setting them all down to complete 3.2 innings of scoreless relief, striking out two.
The Nighthawks got on the board early, scoring three runs off Pippins starter Michael Getzinger, who faced eight batters in the first inning. RJ Starr would score on a sacrifice fly by Kovac, and Aaron Henry would score thanks to a bases-loaded walk to Makani Geisen, the third straight free pass issued by Getzinger in the inning. Holt Williams would score during the next at bat, as Morrie Solam grounded out to the third baseman, Preston Allen.
The Pipps responded in the bottom of the first. Naylor led off with a single, and advanced to second and third on a stolen base and a wild pitch, respectively. He then came around to score on Kyler Bittner's RBI single, making it 3-1 after the first inning.
Yakima Valley cut the lead to one in the bottom of the third inning. Porter mashed a one-out triple to the right field wall, which St. Cyr followed with a single, bringing Porter in standing up.
Leading 3-2 in the top of the fourth, Northwest Star got a run back following a leadoff single by Branson Castleberry. The Nighthawks second baseman circled the bases after Getzinger committed an error trying to field a bunt by Starr.
Now trailing in the bottom of the fourth, Yakima Valley said enough was enough. The Pippins sent 10 men to the plate to take a 6-4 lead. All four Yakima Valley runs scored by Jared Stevenson, Allen, Naylor, and Bittner came with two outs and some sloppy defense by the Nighthawks. Shortstop Kovac committed two errors, and Cole Hansen sealed the inning with a two-RBI double to right field.
The Nighthawks retied the game in both the seventh and eighth innings. Two walks turned into runs in the seventh after a throwing error by Max Senesac sailed into right field, and Williams grounded out to Naylor. The Pippins responded with two of their own, scoring Allen and Naylor on an error by first baseman Trey Williams. In the eighth, a walk and an error were cashed in by Northwest Star on an RBI single by Starr and an RBI groundout by Kovac.
The Pippins will have a quick turnaround as they go for the series sweep on Sunday at 1:05pm. The special start celebrates Father's Day, and any dad will get into the game free with a paying child. It is also Sunday Funday, with children 12 and under and their dads allowed run the bases following the game. Tickets can be purchased at www.pippinsbaseball.com/tickets, the only official ticket link for the Yakima Valley Pippins.
West Coast League Stories from June 15, 2025
- Bells Take Series with 8-2 Rout - Victoria HabourCats
- Pippins Walk off First Extra-Inning Contest of 2025 - Yakima Valley Pippins
- Applesox Shut Out Port Angeles - Wenatchee AppleSox
- Bells Even up Series with Huge Win - Victoria HabourCats
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