Sweets ride big first to victory

The Sweets scored seven runs in the first inning and never looked back as they defeated Bellingham, 10-2, on Friday. It was the third-straight victory for the Sweets and they have now won six of their last seven.

Now some notes from around the ballpark:
- The Sweets scored seven runs on seven hits in the first inning Friday. It is the fifth time this season the Sweets have scored six or more runs in a single inning.
- Spencer O'Neil and Kris Paulino book-ended the seven-run outburst with two-run triples. Kalani Brackenridge added a two-run single and Shane Zeile drove in the other run with a single.
- O'Neil finished the game with a double, triple and three RBI. He is now tied for the league-lead with 19 RBI on the season.
- In his last 10 games, he has struck out just twice in 31 at-bats. He struck out 16 times in his first 45 at-bats of the season.
- Paulino picked up his second triple of the season in the first inning. He is now tied with Ben Ruff and Alex Bonczyk for the team lead in that category.
- As a team, the Sweets lead the WCL with 10 triples.
- Brett Jacobs registered his second four-hit game of the season on Friday. He had hits in each of his first four ABs and scored three runs on the night. Since returning from Canada, Jacobs has scored eight runs and picked up three doubles in six games.
- Ryan Cooper extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single in the first inning. He is hitting a team-high .419.
- Brackenridge has driven in two runs and scored three times over the last two nights.
- Hunter Virant made his first home start of the season on Friday. He gave up two runs on five hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out six and walked one. Virant held Bellingham off the board through five innings before being chased in the sixth.
- Virant didn't walk a batter until the sixth inning and also picked off two runners.
- DJ Smith had his second strong outing of the week in relief. He got the final out of the sixth and then tossed a scoreless seventh.
- Tyler Billen and Garrett Tygerson closed out the final two innings. Billen got a 4-6 DP to get out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the eighth, and Tygerson induced a game-ending 4-6-3 DP in the ninth.
- Matt Imhof will make his second league start of the season on Saturday. Imhof allowed one run on three hits against Kitsap last Sunday. He struck out nine and walked two over seven innings.
- He struck out the side in the first inning of that game.
- Following Saturday, the Sweets will have a day off before travelling to Wenatchee on Monday. It will be a rematch of last year's East Division Championship. The teams will play two games in Wenatchee before finishing with two games in Walla Walla on July 4 and 5. They will do the same thing at the end of the month.