PORT ANGELES — Errors doomed Port Angeles to defeat in a 6-3 loss to the Wenatchee Apple Sox at Civic Field.
Four eighth-inning errors, including three on one play, broke open a 3-3 tie to lift Wenatchee to the win Tuesday.
After a leadoff walk placed Jack Reisinger on first base, Jordan Prendiz reached base on a single and the runners advanced on throwing errors by Lefties’ first baseman Michael Ciancio and catcher Benny Kaleiwahea. A third error, on Kaleiwahea’s throw to third base, scored Reisinger.
Prendiz later scored on another miscue and the Apple Sox added a third run when Jalen Garcia bunted himself aboard and later came in on an RBI single by Adrian Vela.
Port Angeles (6-11 second half, 16-28 overall) received singles in the bottom of the frame from center fielder Taylor Adams and third baseman Nick Bellafronto to put runners on the corners with two outs, but Kaleiwahea grounded to second to end the comeback threat.
The Lefties were retired in order in their last at-bats in the bottom of the ninth.
Port Angeles scored its runs in the third and fifth innings.
Austyn Tengan, who went 2 for 5 with two runs to raise his batting average to .336 on the season, singled and stole second base to open the third.
Tengan was eventually brought home on an RBI double by Sean Roby, but the Lefties were unable to add more runs as Apple Sox starter Connor McCord picked up two straight strikeouts to end the threat.
Port Angeles added runs on Ian Nowak’s two-RBI double in the bottom of the fifth.
Tengan led off the fifth with a single and moved to third on a double by Jake Portaro.
After a Roby groundout, Nowak delivered the goods with an extra-base hit for a short-lived Lefties’ lead at 3-2.
Wenatchee tied the game in the top of the sixth on a pair of walks by Michael Spellacy and Prendiz and a two-out single by Josh Zamora.
Lefties reliever Mikey Hooper took the loss after allowing three runs, one earned, on five hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings pitched.
Apple Sox reliever Connor Leedholm picked up the win after allowing no runs on two hits and a walk in three innings on the mound.
Port Angeles faces Wenatchee again tonight at 6:35 p.m. with a Swain’s Vegas Night promotion and an on-deck dating event planned for singles.
Wenatchee 6, Port Angeles 3
Apple Sox 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 0— 6 7 1
Lefties 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 — 3 7 8
WP: Leedholm LP: Hooper
Pitching
Apple Sox — McCord 6 IP, 5H, 3R, 3BB, 7K; Leedholm 3 IP, 2H, K.
Lefties — Walker 2.1 IP, H, 2R, BB, 3K; Kubo 3.1 IP, H, R, 5 BB, 8K; Hooper 2.1 IP, 5H, 3R, BB, 2K; Smith IP, K.
Hitting
Apple Sox — Zamora 2-5, 2RBI; Johnson 1-2, 2B, RBI; Prendiz 1-5, 2R.
Lefties — Tengan 2-5, 2R; Nowak 1-4, 2B, 2RBI; Roby 1-4, RBI; Portaro 1-4, R.
Players of the Week
The West Coast League Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week for July 17-23 are West Virginia redshirt freshman catcher Chase Illig of the Bellingham Bells and UC Santa Barbara freshman pitcher Chris Lincoln of the Walla Walla Sweets.
Illig’s week started off with a bang by winning the West Coast League All-Star Game Home Run Derby at Yakima County Stadium on July 18.
He then proceeded to blast 5 home runs, while going 9 for 19 at the plate and collecting 14 RBIs.
For the summer, Illig is hitting .354 and is tied for the league lead in homers with 11 and is third in the WCL with 40 RBI.
Lincoln tossed 6 2/3 innings vs. Corvallis at Borleske Stadium on July 19 to earn the win in the Sweets 3-0 victory.
The right-hander, who was drafted in the 13th round of the 2016 MLB draft by Toronto, allowed two hits and struck out 12. He is 1-1 with a 4.06 ERA this season for Walla Walla, and has struck out 27 over 24.1 innings pitched.
