Wenatchee Wins Again In Extra Innings: Fireworks Show Set For Saturday Night

By Joel Norman                                                                                                 Wenatchee AppleSox Media

The Wenatchee AppleSox face the Victoria HarbourCats in their first Fireworks Night of the 2023 season Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Following the game,  there will be a postgame fireworks show, the first-of-two this summer. Tonight’s Fireworks Night is presented by the Sleep Inn and Comfort Suites.

Wenatchee is coming off its second walkoff victory in the last two days with a 9-8 victory in 10 innings last night. The teams traded crooked innings in the final three innings to force extras before the AppleSox walked it off. With two walkoff victories this season the AppleSox have matched their combined total from the previous two seasons.

The AppleSox busted out offensively after three quiet days at the plate. Wenatchee entered last night's game with the lowest batting average in the West Coast League and only 19 hits in their three games against Springfield but collected a season-high 15 hits last night. Their nine runs scored were also the most that Victoria has allowed to an opponent this summer. The AppleSox cashed in multiple times with two outs, scoring five times after the second out was recorded in the seventh and eighth innings.

The HarbourCats suffered their first loss of the season, running into trouble over the final four innings. Victoria held the AppleSox to one run on seven hits in the first six innings but then surrendered eight runs on eight hits from the seventh inning on. The HarbourCats stole three more bases on five attempts last night to move to a WCL-leading 30 bags swiped in their first seven games. Nick Dumensil continued his impressive start to the season with a 3-for-4 game with one walk. He hit a three-run home run in Victoria's four-run top of the seventh for his first blast of the summer and stole his WCL-leading eighth bag.

While Dumensil has led the way early on for the Harbour Cats it has been Easton Amundson consistently delivering for the AppleSox. His third hit of last night was a walkoff single in the bottom of the 10th to score Reeve Boyd after his leadoff double. Amundson is hitting .400 through his first six games, including .461 (6-for-13) on this homestand. He did not play Monday but has driven in a run in each of the last three games on it and recorded his third multi-hit game and second three-hit game last night. His two home runs lead the AppleSox and 5-of-his-7 RBI have come in the last four games.

Ryan Martinez makes his second start of the summer tonight for the AppleSox as they look to take the series. Martinez gave up three runs (two earned) in five innings last Saturday against Bend. All three runs came in the first inning and he buckled down to toss four scoreless the rest of the way and strike out three hitters. He had an 8.46 ERA over 27.2 innings in 19 games (3 starts) as a freshman at Pacific before joining the AppleSox.

The HarbourCats oppose Martinez with Benny Roebuck. He gave up two runs on eight in in four innings against Walla Walla on Monday. The right-hander struck out three three and did not issue any walks. Roebuck recorded a 4.62 ERA in 17 games (four starts) this spring at Kent State. He struck out 39, allowed 40 hits and walked 25 in 39 innings.

It’s Youth Baseball Weekend and all kids and coaches who wear their youth baseball jerseys can save $2 off general admission tickets and get in for just $5. Youth Baseball Weekend ticket discounts can only be accepted at the gate and not online. Tickets can still be purchased at regular pricing of as low as $7 at applesox.com/2023-schedule.