Kamloops – The NorthPaws ‘ ninth-inning rally fell one run short on Friday night as the Wenatchee AppleSox escaped with a 6-5 win in game one of the series. The Paws loaded the bases and scored off two hit-by-pitches and a walk. A strikeout ended it as the Paws stranded nine men on base in the loss.
Kamloops got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases. Tate Martin grounded into a 5-3 double play that scored Kade Crawford. In the third, Matt Macdonald hit a triple off the right-field wall and scored on a wild pitch moments later, making it 2-0.
Starter Jude Mondello got out of a bases-loaded situation in the first inning but ran into more trouble in the top of the fourth. A walk and two singles loaded the bases with no one out. The next pitch Mondello threw would be the most fatal one, as it was hit over the left-field wall for a grand slam.
Wenatchee kept their foot on the gas in the sixth with a two-out single and tripple making it 5-2. They extended their lead further with another RBI knock.
At the plate, the NorthPaws didn’t have much going on until the eighth. Three straight singles loaded the bases for Camden Sanders with one out. The left fielder lined one right at the third base man, who made a leaping catch. He then dove and tagged third base to complete a game-saving unassisted double play. The AppleSox had taken all of the wind out of the sails.
Joel Davidson came in for the ninth and put up a huge zero, stranding the bases loaded. In the bottom of the ninth, things got weird with one out. The bottom of the order did their jobs. Jackson Glymph walked, Mason Hensley singled, and Tanner Mitchell walked to load the bases. Both Kade Crawford and Jared Hall got hit by pitches, making it a 6-4 game.
Two batters later, Tate Martin also walked, allowing the fifth run to score. With two outs, Camden Sanders could’ve played hero. In a two-strike count, he came up empty as the AppleSox erupted out of their dugout to celebrate their 34th win of the season.
The NorthPaws will have a chance at revenge on Saturday night for Fan Appreciation Night. Gates open at 5:30 with special on-field pregame celebrations happening before the first pitch.
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