PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Lefties were one out away from a win Sunday when Yakima Valley were the first team all year that finally touched up Lefties’ reliever Triston Busse, scoring six runs in the bottom of the ninth to win a wild one 11-9.
Busse had been nearly perfect all year. The Yakima rally started with an innocent walk with two outs and the Lefties up 7-5, but then it cascaded into three singles, another walk, an error and a double for six runs for Busse’s first loss of the season. He is 4-1 overall.
The Lefties scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth on a Cameron Allie home run, but it wasn’t enough as Yakima held on for the victory.
There were 28 total hits in the wild back-and-forth game and 29 baserunners.
Every Leftie in the lineup got a hit. Jason Dicochea led the way, going 2 for 4 with a home run and a double for a run scored and three RBIs. Dalton Harum was 3 for 5 with a double. Allie was 2 for 4 with his home run, three runs scored and two RBIs.
Kyle Schimpf was 3 for 3, while Drew Minter had a double, a run scored and an RBI. Matthew Christian also hit a home run as the Lefties have now tallied 39 four-baggers on the season.
Saturday’s Game
In Saturday’s game, the Lefties fell 10-3 to the Pippins.
Lefties pitchers gave up 123 hits and two home runs to the Pippins, who scored three runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to take charge of the game.
Dicochea remained hot for the Lefties, going 3 for 3 at the plate with his seventh double of the year and raising his season batting average to .339. Harum went 3 for 5 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Schimpf was 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI. Tristan Hanoian also hit a double for Port Angeles.
Garrett Westberg started and took the loss, giving up six earned runs in four innings. Thomas Ruwe and Niall Silbermann were effective in relief, going 3 2/3 innings and giving up just one hit and one walk, no runs and striking our four. But, the Lefties couldn’t mount any offense all game long to come back as a trio of Pippins pitchers allowed just two earned runs and struck out 10.
The Lefties (3-3 in the second half) take today off, then welcome the Highline Bears to Civic Field for a three-game series beginning at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday. These are non-West Coast League games. Highline is a Seattle-area semipro team with collegiate players that competes in the Pacific International League.
Pippins 11, Lefties 9
Pippins 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 6 — 11 13 1
Lefties 2 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 — 9 15 2
WP: Fossat LP: Busse
Pitching
Pippins — Wells 3IP, 6H, 4ER, 3BB, 2K; Inouye 2.2IP, 4H, 3ER, BB, 3K; Gonzalez, 1.1IP, 3H, K; Fossat 2IP, 2H, 2ER, BB, K.
Lefties — Tan 8IP, 9H, 5ER, 4BB, 3K; Busse 1IP, 4H, 3ER, 2BB.
Hitting
Pippins — Moberg 3-5, R, 2RBI; Mitchcell 2-5, R, 3RBI; Dean 2-3, HR, 2R, 3RBI; Jefferis 1-4, HR, 2R, RBI, BB.
Lefties — Schimpf 3-3; Dicochea 2-4, HR, 2B, R, 3RBI; Harum 3-5, 2B, R; Allie 2-4, HR, 3R, 2RBI, BB; Christian 1-4, HR, R, RBI; Minter 1-4, R, 2B, RBI.
Pippins 10, Lefties 3
Pippins 0 0 3 3 3 1 0 0 0 — 10 13 3
Lefties 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 — 3 9 2
WP: Kafka LP: Westberg
Pitching
Pippins — Kafka 6IP, 6H, ER, 2BB, 5K; Hurst 2IP, 3H, ER, 2K; Strawn 1IP, BB, 3K.
Lefties — Westberg 4IP, 8H, 6ER, 3BB, 4K; Sutorius 1.1IP, 4H, 3ER, 2BB, K; Ruwe 2.2IP, H, BB, 2K; Silberman 1IP, 2K.
Hitting
Pippins — Jefferis 4-5, 2R, 2RBI; Dean 2-4, R; Pofek 1-4, 2R, 3RBI; Arpan 1-3, R, 2RBI; Ball 1-4, 2R, RBI.
Lefties — Dicochea 3-3, 2B; Harum 3-5, R, 2RBI; Schimpf 2-5, 2B, RBI; Hanoian 1-4, 2B.
Port Angeles Lefties catcher Ronnie Rust eyes home plate before scoring in the second inning against the Yakima Valley Pippins on Sunday. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)
