Thursday, August 9, 2012

Sweets rally for victory

Walla Walla scored four runs in the top of the seventh to rally past the Bells, 7-6, on Wednesday night at Joe Martin Field.

Now for some notes from around the ballpark:
- The Sweets improved to 23-30 with the victory. They finish their season today against the Bells.
- Doug Ashby earned his first win of the summer in his final appearance last night. He allowed one run on two hits in the sixth inning but benefited from the Sweets' seventh-inning rally.
- Arturo Reyes earned his first save of the summer, tossing a scoreless ninth inning.
- Luke West tossed a perfect seventh and Simon Anderson was perfect in the eighth.
- J.J. Robinson led the offense with two doubles, a run scored and two RBI. He hit a bases-loaded double off the top of the right field wall to drive in the final two runs in the four-run seventh.
- Robinson now has seven doubles on the season.
- Kalani Brackenridge and Spencer O'Neil each had two hits as well. Brackenridge drove in a run and scored a run.
- Kris Paulino scored his 26th run of the season to set a new single-season record for the Sweets, surpassing Alex Stanford's mark of 25 from last summer.
- Alex Bonczyk crossed the plate twice.
- Hunter Virant will start for the Sweets on Thursday. He has allowed two runs or less in every start this summer. The most hits he has allowed in a game this season is five. That came against Bellingham on June 29.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Sweets heartbroken again

Walla Walla lost a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning and Bellingam eventually won the game with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th on Tuesday night.

Now for some notes from around the ballpark:
- The Sweets fell to 22-30 with the loss and are now 3-3 in extra-inning games this summer.
- Walla Walla made three errors in the game, with the final error playing a key role in the Bells 10th-inning rally.
- Tyler Roberts started for the Sweets and had his best start of the summer. He pitched 8.2 innings, allowing just two runs on five hits. He struck out a season-high seven batters.
- Roberts was one strike away from finishing the complete game but Michael Leach singled to center to tie the game.
- Connor Lawhead relieved Roberts and got out of the ninth but he threw away a bunt in the 10th that eventually led to a two-out walk-off single to left field.
- The Sweets have now lost seven games this season when they have held a lead after seven innings.
- Brett Jacobs extended his hitting streak to eight games with a single in the eighth.
- Kris Paulino had three hits for the Sweets and scored both runs. He has hits in each of his last four games and has three doubles in this series.
- On the season, Paulino has scored a team-high 25 runs. He has tied Alex Stanford ('11) for the most runs scored in a single season in franchise history.
- Spencer O'Neil recorded an RBI single in the first and now has 32 on the season.
- Joe Arlt will start on Wednesday for the Sweets. He allowed one run on eight hits over 7.1 innings last week against the Bells. He is 3-2 with a 2.44 ERA in 51.2 innings.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Tough start to final road trip

The Sweets found themselves down 6-0 after the first inning and 13-0 after four innings on Monday. They fell to Bellingham, 15-4, in the first game of a season-ending four-game series.

Now for some notes from around the ballpark:
- The Sweets are now 22-29 on the season. The 15 runs allowed are the most the Sweets have given up in a game this season.
- Bellingham has a 3-2 lead in the eight-game series.
- Brett Jacobs had two of the Sweets' 10 hits. He has a seven-game hit streak and has multi-hit games in four of his last five outings.
- Spencer O'Neil had two hits, including an RBI double. It was his second consecutive game with a double and increased his team-record RBI total to 31.
- Kris Paulino collected two doubles and drove in a run on Monday.
- Doug Ashby pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
- Kyle Kingsley pitched six innings of relief, allowing nine runs (two earned).
- Walla Walla made a season-high six errors on the night. They committed five errors in the second, third and fourth innings combined. Those five errors led to seven runs.
- Tyler Roberts will start on Tuesday night. Roberts is 2-4 with a 3.78 ERA on the year. He started against Bellingham last Tuesday, allowing four runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out a season-high six hitters. It was just the third time this summer that he allowed more than two runs in an outing.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Sweets win at home, finish season on road

The Sweets wrapped up the home portion of their 2012 schedule with a 7-3 victory over Kelowna on Sunday night. Walla Walla will now finish its season with four games in Bellingham.

Now for some notes from around the ballpark:
- The Sweets are now 22-28 thanks to the victory on Sunday.
- Walla Walla finished above .500 at home for the first time in team history, finishing 14-13.
- The Sweets now face Bellingham for four games. The Sweets and Bells split four games in Walla Walla.
- J.J. Robinson earned his first win of the summer, allowing just one run on five hits over seven innings. He walked five and struck out five. His start is the longest outing for a Sweets starting pitcher against Kelowna this summer.
- Ben Ruff went 4-for-4 with two runs scored batting ninth for the Sweets. It is his first four-hit game of the summer.
- Brett Jacobs extended his hitting streak to six games with a three-run home run in the seventh inning. The home run is the first of the summer for Jacobs. He now has 23 RBI on the season.
- Alex Bonczyk had two hits and drove in three runs. He now has 22 RBI and 21 runs scored on the season, becoming the first player in team history to accomplish that feat. 
- Both Simon Anderson and Joe Arlt were able to escape jams with double plays in the final two innings. A line drive to first turned into an inning-ending double play in the ninth.
- Matt Imhof will start on Monday after missing his start on Saturday. He will be in search of his first win of the summer.
- Bellingham has already clinched a playoff berth and will face Wenatchee in the East Division Championship Round. Wenatchee's magic number is 1 to clinch another East Division title.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Sweets blanked by Falcons

The Sweets were shutout for the sixth time this season on Saturday night, falling to Kelowna, 5-0.

Now for some notes from around the ballpark:
- The Sweets fell to 21-28 with the loss. They are 2-5 against Kelowna this year.
- Cale Coshow tossed eight scoreless innings, allowing six hits, to earn his third victory of the summer. In two starts against the Sweets this summer, Coshow has not allowed a run in 14 innings.
- Garrett Tygerson started for the Sweets and allowed four runs on six hits over five innings. He fell to 0-3.
- Connor Lawhead pitched the final four innings, allowing one run on just two hits. He struck out three and retired the side in order in three of his four innings.
- Brett Jacobs had two hits for the third-straight game. He has hits in each of his last five games and was named the Abajian Toyota/Scion Player of the Week.
- Jacobs is hitting .299 with a team-high 11 doubles. 
- The Sweets are now 13-13 at home this season. They have not finished above .500 at home in franchise history.
- J.J. Robinson will make his first start of the summer on Sunday. He has made two relief appearances this summer. 
- Ben Ruff has played each of the last two nights with Shane Zeile resting. It is Ruff's first two games at short this summer.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Sweets walk away with win

Walla Walla scored six runs in the second with the benefit of just one hit on its way to a 7-4 victory over Kelowna on Friday.

Now for some notes from around the ballpark:
- The Sweets improved to 21-27 with the victory. If they win their final six games they will finish .500 for the first time in franchise history.
- Walla Walla is now 2-4 against the Falcons this year. The teams have split the season series in each of the last two years.
- The Sweets improved to 13-12 at home this year.
- Zach Brandon earned his first win of the summer on Friday, allowing one run on three hits over six innings. He walked four, struck out four and hit three batters.
- He now leads the league with 13 hit batters this summer.
- Brett Jacobs had two hits on Friday, including a two-run double in the second. It was his 11th double of the season. He now as 20 RBI and 41 hits.
- Kalani Brackenridge also had two hits, scored a run and drove in a run.
- Beau Fraser scored two runs.
- Matt Imhof will start on Saturday. He struck out nine over 6.1 scoreless innings last Saturday but earned a no decision. He is still searching for his first victory. He has struck out 32 and walked just 11 in 29 innings this summer.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Kelowna shatters playoff hopes

Kelowna shattered the Sweets' playoff hopes on Thursday as they grabbed a 5-4 victory at Borleske Stadium. The loss mathematically eliminated the Sweets from playoff contention.

Now for some notes from around the ballpark:
- The Sweets are now 20-27 on the season and need to win their final seven games in order to post the first .500 season in franchise history.
- Tyler Qualls's two-run home run in the ninth was the deciding hit in Thursday's contest. It hit the fair pole in right field. Six inches more and it would have been a long strike.
- The Sweets trailed, 3-0, heading into the bottom of the seventh but rallied with four runs.
- Ben Ruff scored the first run with a double to left. He has four doubles, three triples and a home run this season.
- Kris Paulino followed by greeting reliever Cale Coshow with a monstrous three-run home run to right-center to make it 4-3. It was Paulino's first home run of the summer and came on the first pitch.
- Paulino has now scored 21 runs and driven in 14. He had three doubles, three triples and a home run. He also leads the team with 17 walks.
- Shane Zeile had two hits and has collected multiple hits in four consecutive games. He is hitting a team-leading .324.
- Hunter Virant started for the Sweets and allowed one run on three hits over five innings. He walked four and struck out six.
- Virant has allowed two runs or less in every start he has made this summer. In 36 innings, he's allowed just 16 hits.
- Sweets pitchers have struck out 303 batters this summer, good enough for fourth in the league. They are one of just four teams to have struck out at least 300 batters this summer.
- Connor Lawhead registered his second scoreless outing, pitching a scoreless eighth on Thursday.
- Paulino's home run was the 20th for the Sweets this summer. A check for 2,400 was presented by Wildhorse Resort and Casino to CASA in the seventh for Home Runs for Charity. The total could change depending on how many home runs the Sweets hit the remainder of the summer.
- Zach Brandon will start on Friday night and is in search of his first victory of the summer. He allowed one run on six hits over 4.2 innings of relief against Wenatchee on July 25.
- The Sweets have now lost a league-high six games when leading after the seventh or eighth inning.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Sweets keep hopes alive

Walla Walla kept its slim playoff hopes alive with a 4-3 victory over Bellingham on Wednesday. The Sweets will need to keep winning if they want to have a chance to defend their East Division title.

Now for some notes from around the ballpark:
- The Sweets improved to 20-26 with the victory. It is the second consecutive year they have won 20 games.
- Walla Walla is now eight games behind Bellingham with eight games to play. The Sweets need eight wins and eight Bells losses to make the playoffs.
- The Sweets and Bells split the four games that were played in Walla Walla. The two teams close out the season with four games in Bellingham next week.
- Walla Walla now welcomes Kelowna to town for four games. It is the final home series of the season for the Sweets. Kelowna took 3-of-4 from the Sweets in Kelowna in mid-June.
- Joe Arlt earned his third win of the summer on Wednesday, allowing just one run over 7.1 innings. In his last 47.1 innings, Arlt has posted a 1.34 ERA. He is 3-1 over his last 15 appearances and has allowed two runs or more on just one occasion.
- Ben Ruff recorded the final five outs to earn his fourth save. He is third in the league with four saves.
- Shane Zeile had two hits and drove in a run for the Sweets. He has seven hits in his last three games. He has multiple hits in each of his last three as well.
- Ryan Cooper had two hits for the Sweets and scored a run. It was Cooper's first multi-hit game since June 28 against Bend when he went 3-for-4.
- Alex Bonczyk and Kris Paulino each scored a run and now have both scored 20 or more runs this season. Bonczyk leads the team with 21 runs scored.
- Paulino is the only player on the Sweets to have as many walks or more walks than he does strikeouts. He has walked 17 times and struck out 17 times.
- Hunter Virant will start on Thursday. He is 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 31 innings this summer. He has struck out 25 and walked 19. In his last start, he allowed one unearned run in five innings against Wenatchee.
- He allowed one run on one hit in five innings against Kelowna on June 22 in his first start with the Sweets. He walked seven and struck out four.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Bells shutout Sweets

Bellingham picked up its eighth shutout of the season on Tuesday as Adam Gunn and Davis Engel combined to shutout the Sweets on nine hits. The loss put the Sweets on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention.

Now for some notes from around the ballpark:
- The Sweets drop to 19-26 with the loss. They are nine games behind Bellingham with nine to play. They need to win out and have the Bells lose all nine to have a chance at making the playoffs.
- It is the third time in the last two seasons that the Bells have shut out the Sweets.
- Bellingham leads the league with eight team shutouts this summer.
- Adam Gunn struck out 11 batters over eight scoreless innings on Tuesday. He is now 4-0 on the year.
- Tyler Roberts started for the Sweets and struck out a season-high six batters over five-plus innings. He allowed four runs on five hits.
- Connor Lawhead made his first appearance of the summer in relief, allowing just one hit over three scoreless innings. He struck out three.
- Shane Zeile had two hits and now has five in his last two games.
- J.J. Robinson had two hits, including his fifth double of the season.
- Joe Arlt will start on Wednesday for the Sweets. He is 2-2 in a team-high 15 appearances. He allowed five runs (one earned) on Saturday against Wenatchee.