WCL Walla Walla Sweets

Sweet Sweep

Published on July 11, 2011 under West Coast League (WCL)
Walla Walla Sweets News Release


Bremerton-- Powered by the middle of their lineup, the Walla Walla Sweets overcame three errors and nine walks to earn their fourth consecutive victory and sweep the Kitsap BlueJackets, 10-5, on Sunday at the Kitsap Fairgrounds and Special Event Center.

Elliot Stewart, Scott Gottschling, Kevin Williams and Brenton Allen, the 4-5-6-7 hitters in the lineup, combined to go 8-18 with nine RBI and four runs scored to lead the 12-hit attack.

Trailing 1-0 in the second, Allen ripped a 1-0 pitch over the wall in right for his first home run of the summer, tying the game at 1-1. The Sweets gave the lead right back on an infield error in the bottom of the second but responded with two in the third. Alex Stanford reached on an error to start the inning and Kitsap starter Terik Goldfinch walked two batters to load the bases with one out. Gottschling followed by chopping a pitch down third baseline that Goldfinch tried to bare-hand but bobbled, scoring Stanford to tie the game. Williams followed with a sac fly to left to give the Sweets their first lead of the night; a lead they would not relinquish.

Williams was the main reason that did not happen with the defensive play of the year. Andrew Biancardi doubled to start the third and Austin O'Such walked to put the first two runners on against Sweets starter Daniel Jewett. With a 1-1 count on Claude Johnson, Kitsap sent both runners in motion and that's when Williams made his play. Johnson lined the pitch up the middle and Williams reached as high as he could, snagged the line drive and reacted out of instinct after that. He touched second to double off Biancardi and alertly threw to first to retire O'Such and complete the 6-3 inning-ending triple play.

The play kept the Sweets in the lead, a lead they extended in the fifth. Wentz (HBP) and Stewart (1B) reached to start the inning but were still there after back-to-back strikeouts. Poised to not make it three, Allen rolled a ground ball through the right side, scoring Wentz from second to make it 4-2.

Kitsap quickly responded with a run in the fifth on a sac fly. Cole Norton collected his third hit to start the inning with one out and he and Even Potter (BB) advanced into scoring position on a balk by Jewett. The left-hander gave up sac fly to Biancardi and then walked O'Such on four pitches; handing the ball to Derek Peterson. Facing Johnson, Peterson was behind 2-1 in the count when he used a third-to-first pickoff move that caught O'Such in a rundown. Peterson stepped off and threw to Stanford at second and he quickly relayed the ball home to nab Potter trying to score from third to end the inning.

Using that momentum, the Sweets exploded for four runs on just two hits in the sixth. Stanford singled with one out, starting a string of six-straight Sweets batters to reach base. Sheldon Lee then walked the next two batters on five pitches and fell behind Stewart 2-0 before handing the ball to Craig Lanza. The right-hander walked Stewart to force in a run, hit Gottschling with a 1-2 pitch to force in another and Williams capped the inning with a two-run single through the right side.

The BlueJackets attempted to rally in the bottom of the sixth and did score two runs, thanks to three-straight walks from Peterson. Jimmy Litchfield was called on during the inning and walked in a run and allowed a sac fly, cutting the lead to 8-5. Litchfield was lights out the rest of the night. Making his longest and most productive appearance of the summer, Litchfield tossed four scoreless innings of relief and allowed just three hits. After the first two batters reached in the seventh, he recorded three straight outs, he struck out the first two batters of the eighth before having to work out of a two-out jam and closed the door in the ninth after allowing a leadoff single.

Williams led the way with four RBI, the fourth coming on an RBI triple in the eighth inning. Gottschling and Allen each drove in a pair, Stanford had two hits and two runs and Zach Wentz reached base five times with three walks, a hit by pitch and a double and scored three runs. Making the start near his hometown, Jewett gave up three runs on five hits over 4.2 innings. He walked four and struck out just one. Norton was a perfect 4-4 for the BlueJackets and scored two runs. Gofinch lost his second-straight decision, allowing four runs on six hits over 4.2 innings. He struck out eight, two each in the first, second and fifth. Matt Cartwright struck out three over two scoreless innings of relief.

Walla Walla is now 5-3 on their road trip and finish the trip on Monday in Wenatchee with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch. The Sweets and Applesox split the first two games of their series last week with Wenatchee winning 2-1 and the Sweets 5-4. Jacob Overbay will get the ball for the Sweets who are only 1.5 back of the Bellingham Bells for the final playoff spot in the East Division.

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West Coast League Stories from July 11, 2011


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