Vassar's Masterpiece Forces Game 3
August 12, 2024 - West Coast League (WCL)
Wenatchee AppleSox News Release
Quincy Vassar tossed his second complete game of the summer and the Wenatchee AppleSox defeated the Victoria HarbourCats, 9-1, in Game 2 of the North Division Series on Sunday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.
Vassar only surrendered one run and struck out eight hitters over nine innings while tossing 118 pitches. He helped the AppleSox force a decisive Game 3 on Monday night in Wenatchee.
Cam Hoiland homered and recorded 3 RBI while Jonathan Fitz drove in two runs, including the game-winning hit in the third. The AppleSox blew the game open with a four-run fifth and scored in five-of-eight innings at the plate.
After tossing the only AppleSox' only complete game since of the regular season on June 29 at Bellingham, the 2024 West Coast League All-Star topped himself in his second career postseason start. The lefty from Brewster recorded three 1-2-3 innings and stranded eight men on the basepaths.
Vassar surrendered his only run in the fourth on three straight two-out singles to make it 2-1, Wenatchee, but stranded two men. The bats broke through in the fifth as six straight hitters reached base with one out. James Castagnola and Evan Cloyd drew back-to-back walks before singled in Castagnola for an insurance run. Jake Larson hit an infield single to load up the bases. Hunter Friedberg plated a pair on a single of his own before Hoiland drove in Larson on a single.
Fitz drove in Cloyd with a two-out RBI double down the left-field line in the third to plate the run that proved to be the difference. Kanoa Morisaki hit a high-chopper to third with runners at second and third in the second inning to bring home Wenatchee's first run of the night.
Hoiland crushed a two-out, two-run shot in the seventh to put an exclamation point on the night but the loudest cheer of the evening came when Vassar wiggled out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth. He had just stranded two men in scoring position in a scoreless top of the fifth before the AppleSox' bats broke out in the bottom of the inning, but had an even more impressive trick up his sleeve this time. With HarbourCats at each base, Ny'Zaiah Thompson hit a hot shot right back to Vassar who snared the liner on a hop, underhanded to Fitz at home plate to get the force out and then the AppleSox catcher fired to first base to complete an inning-ending double play.
Vassar became the first AppleSox starter to fire a nine-inning complete game, regular season or postseason, since Hunter Boyd July 18, 2018 vs. Portland. The southpaw tossed the AppleSox' first complete game in the postseason since Trevor Lubking gave up one run over eight innings at Corvallis in Game 2 of the WCL Championship Series, which is the last time that the AppleSox reached the final round.
Game 3 of the North Division Series is Monday night at 6:35 at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. The winner advances to the North Division Championship Game. If Wenatchee wins, then it will host the game against the winner of the Bellingham-Edmonton series, which is also heading to a third game.
All tickets for Game 3 on Monday night are half-off. Fans can get in for as low as $4 by going to AppleSox.com/schedule, selecting their seats and using code 5050 at checkout.
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West Coast League Stories from August 12, 2024
- Griffith and Vassar Receive WCL's Moss Adams Weekly Accolades - WCL
- Vassar's Masterpiece Forces Game 3 - Wenatchee AppleSox
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