WCL Walla Walla Sweets

Sweets Dominate Senators

June 25, 2014 - West Coast League (WCL)
Walla Walla Sweets News Release


WALLA WALLA, Wa. - Just twenty-four hours after narrowly beating the Thurston County Senators in a classic pitcher's duel, the Walla Walla Sweets opened fire against the same squad in a 12-2 win Tuesday night.

Matt Walker, a right-hander from Clovis North High School in Fresno, California, got the start for the Sweets. Though wild early on, he harnessed his fastball as the game progressed, pitching five-and-two-thirds innings while scattering four hits and striking out two, and earning the win.

"I just tried to get a first strike against (each of) these guys, get early outs, and attack," said Walker of his debut. "I didn't get many strikeouts, but (I) just decided to pitch to contact and see what I could do."

Nick Keller, on the other hand, was shaky from the start for the Senators. He allowed base hits to the first four batters in the Sweets lineup in the first inning- Kyle Nixon, Sean Bouchard, Andrew Mendenhall and Mike Paulson- before finally getting John Skrbec to pop out. Parker Osborne followed by driving Paulson home with a double into the right-center field gap, giving Walker a four-run cushion to work with in the second.

After a scoreless third inning, the Sweets would add a run each in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Mikey Duarte recorded his first Sweets hit, a bloop RBI single, in the fourth, Bouchard doubled and later scored on a Mendenhall sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Skrbec raced home on a throwing error after walking to lead off the sixth. The Sweets thus took a commanding 9-0 lead.

The first nine runs came against Keller, who lasted only one inning, and Christian Uzzell, who pitched just a third of an inning. The two combined to allow nine runs, all earned, while walking four and striking out one.

The rest of the way, Juan Munoz, Taichi Sasaki and Shuhei Isizum combined to allow three runs, only one earned, but the damage was already done.

Paulson led the way at the plate for Walla Walla, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Renae Martinez collected two hits to begin his second season with the Sweets, and Bouchard and Skrbec both scored three runs while walking twice.

The Senators would manage their only two runs in the top of the seventh inning. Aldo Ferrante, who recorded the final out of the sixth inning in relief of Walker, hit Zack Larsen with a pitch and later walked pinch-hitter Caleb McDonald. After another walk, Brian Greisman entered the game for the Sweets and promptly gave up a two-run double to d'Aundray Van Slyke to make the score 12-2.

Neither team would score the rest of the way. Greisman pitched a scoreless eighth to continue his dominance out of the bullpen, allowing a meaningless single. Jay Flaa then got the call to pitch the ninth and struck out Zach Abbruzza, McDonald and Jake Ross in order to end the game.

The Sweets will conclude their series against Thurston County on Wednesday at Borleske Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 PM.



West Coast League Stories from June 25, 2014


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