Sweets take big win on Wednesday

The Sweets received a two-run home run from Spencer O'Neil in the top off the 11th as they defeated the Black Bears, 3-1, on Wednesday. Cowlitz put the winning run on third base in both the eighth and 10th innings but the Sweets were able to work out of trouble.

Now for some notes from around the ballpark:

- Since starting the season 4-12, the Seasons have gone 10-4 over their last 14 games. The Sweets moved within six games of Bellingham for the second and final playoff spot in the East Division.

- Through this point last season, the Sweets were 12-18.

- Spencer O'Neil's home run snapped a 1-1 tie in the 11th inning. It was his fifth home run of the season and tied him for the league-lead in RBI with 26.

- It was O'Neil's first hit against his former team. He was scratched from the starting lineup prior to the game but came on as a pinch-hitter in the ninth.

- Shane Zeile had a hit on Wednesday and has hit safely in each of his last six games. He is hitting a team-high .341 in 11 games with the Sweets.

- Kris Paulino and Brett Jacobs each had two hits in the game last night. The hits were the first in the month of July for Paulino.

- Arturo Reyes made his sixth start of the summer and allowed one run or less for the fifth time. He allowed a run on three hits over six innings, lowering his ERA to 2.18.

- Joe Arlt was dominant again in relief, tossing three scoreless innings. Arlt hasn't allowed a run in his last 8.1 innings of relief and just two runs over his last 21.1 innings. He has struck out 17 and walked only 7 while allowing 16 hits.

- Ben Ruff picked up his first win of the summer on Wednesday, tossing 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. He entered with runners on the corners and one out in the tenth and issued an intentional walk to load the bases. He then induced a pop up to short for the second out and got a strikeout to end the inning.

- Cowlitz then put the tying runs on the corners with no outs in the 11th but Ruff got a strikeout, pop out and a fielder's choice to end the game.

- In his last four appearances, Ruff hasn't allowed a run in 4.2 innings. He has allowed just two hits, walked only one and struck out seven.

- The Sweets made two errors last night but are still in the top half of the league in fielding percentage. The Sweets are fourth with a fielding percentage of .964. 

- Walla Walla has also turned a league-low 19 double plays this summer. They have turned four double plays over the last two games. Two came at crucial times on Wednesday as Nick Vilter started an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play in the eighth with runners on the corners and just one out.

- Matt Imhof will get the ball in the series finale on Thursday. Imhof is 0-2 with a 5.27 ERA. He has not started a game since June 30 against Bellingham. He allowed three runs on just one hit in two innings of relief against Wenatchee last week.