By Joe Traub
Port Angeles Lefties
YAKIMA — A long Sunday of baseball culminated in a split of a doubleheader and the four-game series between the visiting Port Angeles Lefties and Yakima Valley Pippins. The Pippins took the opener 5-2 before Port Angeles used clutch pitching to emerge victorious 2-1 in the nightcap at Yakima County Stadium.
The Lefties took a quick lead in the first game, playing as the home team in a makeup game from a June 27 rainout at Civic Field. Ethan Groff launched his second home run of the season in the second inning, then Matt Christian plated Gavin Rork with an RBI groundout to make it 2-0 after three innings.
Yakima Valley roared back in the fourth, scoring five runs on five singles against Lefties pitchers Nathan Bonck and Kyle Hamrick for a 5-2 lead. Jack Gonzales went all seven innings for the complete game in his first start of the year for the Pippins.
After a 40-minute break between games, Port Angeles starter Dwayne Angebrandt dealt with constant traffic on the bases but allowed only one run as he scattered seven hits. Angebrandt stranded 10 baserunners — six in scoring position in his five innings on the mound. Tyler Dean’s run-scoring single was the only tally the Pippins plated.
Meanwhile, the Lefties benefited from timely hitting. Groff led off the second inning with a single and eventually scored on an error. In the fourth, Groff hit a bloop double down the right field line and scored on Zander Marco’s two-bagger ripped into the corner for a 2-0 lead.
The setup/closer combination of A.C. Chavez and Carter Loewen was rock solid, allowing just one baserunner in the final two innings. Loewen struck out Dean looking on an outside fastball to finish off the doubleheader.
After a stretch of 11 games in 10 days, the Lefties will enjoy a much-deserved day off Monday before welcoming in the Cowlitz Black Bears on at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday at Civic Field. Jonny Chavez will get the ball for Port Angeles against a Cowlitz starter to be determined.
Yakima Valley 5, Port Angeles 2
Pippins 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 — 5 9 1
Lefties 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 — 2 6 2
WP: Gonzales LP: Bonck
Pitching
Pippins — Gonzales 7IP, 6H, 2ER, BB, 5K.
Lefties — Bonck 3.1IP, 6H, 5ER, BB, 5K; Hamrick 0.1IP, H, BB; Scalzo 2IP, H, 3BB, 3K; Kinsky 1.1IP, H.
Hitting
Pippins — Welch 3-4, R; Pelc 1-2, R, RBI, 2BB, SB; Wells 1-3, R, RBI; Dean 1-4, R; Hormel 1-3, RBI.
Lefties — Groff 1-3, HR, R, RBI; Christian 1-3, 2B, RBI; Denning 2-3; Rork 2-3, R, BB, SB.
Port Angeles 2, Yakima Valley 1
Lefties 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 — 2 7 2
Pippins 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 — 1 7 3
WP: Angebrandt LP: Vrieling SV: Loewen
Pitching
Lefties — Angebrandt 5IP, 7H, ER, BB, 4K; A. Chavez 1IP, 0H, 0ER; Loewen
Pippins — Vrieling 5IP, 7H, ER, 0BB, 6K; Alvarado 2IP, 0H, 0BB, K.
Hitting
Lefties — Groff 2-3, 2B, 2R, 2SB; Diponzio 2-3; Marco 1-3, 2B, RBI; Chistian 1-4, 2B, SB; Takayoshi 1-3.
Pippins — Bell 2-3; Dean 1-3, RBI; Welch 1-4, R.
