Wenatchee, Washington – For the third time in this young season, the Kamloops NorthPaws lost in extra innings, this time 9-8. Terrific pitching in the later portion of the game gave Kamloops a chance to score runs, but they came up empty-handed. A controversial call at the top of the tenth stripped the NorthPaws of a go-ahead run, opening the door for the AppleSox to walk it off.
Early on, the AppleSox bats got hot. It was the team’s home opener, and they came out swinging. The AppleSox scored seven runs on nine hits in the first three innings. Despite the good start for the home side, the NorthPaws kept pace.
The Paws scored one in the first and three in the second thanks to a bases-clearing double from Kade Crawford. The center fielder now has 13 RBI’s this summer.
In the fourth and fifth innings, Kamloops chipped away at the lead. In the fourth, Elijah Olaybal doubled, driving in a run, followed by an RBI single from Tate Martin, tying the game at seven.
The seesaw battle was in full swing. The AppleSox answered in the bottom of the fifth, regaining the lead, but it was short-lived. Ian Huang had a man in scoring position and hit a single to center field, knotting the game at 8.
The NorthPaws rolled a much-needed zero on the mound in the bottom of the eighth. This was the start of three consecutive scoreless innings by both pitching staffs. Righties Lukas Dykstra and Nick Westendorp were dealing, giving the Paws a chance to bring home the go-ahead run.
In the top of the ninth, Anthony Setticassi doubled with one out. Camden Sanders followed that up with a walk, putting the pressure on. Unfortunately for Kamloops, both Crawford and Olaybal were unable to come through.
In the bottom of the ninth, Westendorp retired the AppleSox in order, pushing the game to extra innings once again.
Brock Grainger led off the inning with a sacrifice groundout, moving the runners to second and third. Tate Martin was up next and sent a fly ball to center field. Crawford tagged up from third and beat the throw easily, or so it appeared.
Crawford was high-fiving his teammates in the dugout when the AppleSox threw the ball back to third. The home plate umpire emphatically called Crawford out at third for supposedly leaving the base too early. The double play ended the top half, giving Wenatchee all the fuel they needed.
A perfect swinging bunt loaded the bases. A sharp ground ball to Setticassi at shortstop was fielded and thrown home in time, getting the first out of the inning. With the infield playing, the first pitch of the following at-bat was a weak looper that found grass, winning the game for the AppleSox.
“It’s good to have competitive innings and give the team a chance, but it sucks to have the outcome that it was,” Dykstra said.
For the NorthPaws, this is their third extra innings loss in the first seven games of the 2026 season, but despite that, the team is still hitting the ball really well and never quitting.
“There have been games this year where we could’ve just rolled over, but they don’t, and they look at those situations as a challenge,” Assistant coach Nolan Austin said.
The NorthPaws own the best team batting average in the West Coast League and have scored at least six runs and recorded at least eight hits in every game this year, but have two wins to show for it.
The team will be looking for revenge in Wenatchee tomorrow night at 6:35.
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