By Joe Traub
For Peninsula Daily News
WENATCHEE — When a nine-inningbaseball game is completed in 2 hours and 26 minutes, one might expect the final score to be 3-2 or 4-3.
Not Wednesday evening in Wenatchee.
The Port Angeles Lefties fell victim to two big innings as the AppleSox defeated the Lefties 14–7 to even the series at one win apiece.
It looked as if Port Angeles (7-4, 5-3 WCL) was going to break the game open early as they did a night earlier, with leadoff Charlie Nasuti homering on the fourth pitch of the game and Nick DiPonzio adding a sacrifice fly later in the inning to make it 2-0.
The AppleSox immediately had an answer though, tying the game in the bottom of the first on Blake Klassen’s two-run double. The Lefties then came right back in the second inning as Baxter Halligan led off with a triple and scored on a single off the bat of catcher Alex Garcia.
Port Angeles starter Michael Buchanan had settled into a groove, retiring 11 batters in a row, a stretch that ended when he plunked the leadoff batter in the fifth inning. Following an error by third baseman Evan Hurn to put two men on, Wenatchee’s Kodie Kolden doubled to tie the contest at 3-apiece. Tyler Detloff then rudely ended Buchanan’s outing, belting a no-doubt three-run shot over the left field wall. The AppleSox later plated an additional three unearned runs in the inning for a 9-3 lead.
The potent Lefties offense showed why they are never out of a game, plating four runs with two outs in the sixth inning. Alex Garcia reached on a fielding error to score a run, C.J. Schauwecker singled in Garcia, while Schauwecker and and Ethan Groff crossed the plate on a wild pitch and error, respectively.
Wenatchee scored once in the seventh and put the game away with a four-run eighth inning.
Port Angeles and Wenatchee played the series’ rubber match late Thursday.
The Lefties visit the newest WCL franchise, the Ridgefield Raptors, for a three-game set starting tonight at 6:35 p.m. at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex.
Joe Traub will have play-by-play on Facebook Live.
Wenatchee 14, Port Angeles 7
PA 2 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 — 7 11 2
Wen. 2 0 0 0 7 0 1 4 X — 14 13 3
WP: Leonard LP: Buchanan
Pitching
Port Angeles — Buchanan 4IP, 5H, 6R, 5ER, 0BB, 5K; Schlotman 3.1IP, 7H, 8R, 5ER, 3BB, K; A. Chavez 0.2 IP, H, K.
Wenatchee — Reinertsen 4IP, 7H, 3R, 2ER, 3K; Leonard 2IP, 3H, 4R, 2BB, 2K; Gomez 2IP, H, 3K; Schirer IP.
Hitting
Port Angeles — Nasuti 2-3, HR, R, RBI; Halligan 2-3, BB, 3B, R; Hurn 1-3, 2B; Groff 1-2, R; Schauwecker 1-2, R, RBI; Marco 1-3, 2B, R; Palmegiani 1-3, 2B;
Wenatchee — Detloff 3-5, HR, 3R, 3RBI; Klassen 2-4, 2B, 2R, 2RBI; McKenzie 2-5, 2R, RBI; Graham 1-3, R, 2RBI.
