Box Score | Bellingham Bells Roster | WCL Standings

The Bellingham Bells lost Saturday’s game to the Wenatchee AppleSox 5-4, August 2 at Paul Thomas Field in Wenatchee, Wash. An eighth-inning run broke the 4-4 tie and helped Wenatchee even the weekend series that sets up a rubber match tomorrow at 5:35 p.m.

PJ Wendler got the ball for the start tonight and pitched the first two innings scoreless to match Wenatchee’s All-Star Mitch Haythorn. In the third Andrew Lamb’s RBI got the Bells a run, but the AppleSox matched it in the bottom of the inning.

Wendler finished three innings with one run allowed on three hits and two walks with one strikeout. Blake Balsz scored on a wild pitch in the fourth and Aiden Aguyao knocked in a run to give Bellingham a 3-1 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Ben McKinnon took over on the hill and allowed one run. Wenatchee pulled ahead versus McKinnon in the fifth after a sac fly and an error put the AppleSox up 4-3. McKinnon finished two innings with three runs (two earned) allowed on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

Gavin Long stayed hot and picked up a game-tying single in the sixth. Long now has a hit in his last eight games and five of those games have been multi-hit games. Tyler Biddinger pitched the next two innings scoreless and only allowed two walks while striking out one.

Mack Edwards took over in a tie game and allowed the losing run in the eighth after the AppleSox drew a walk and bunted the winning run into scoring position for Owen Firestone to deliver the go-ahead hit.

Long doubled to begin the ninth, but no Bell could him to extend the game and the Bells fell to 30-20, which is good for second in the West Coast League North Division. The Bells now trail the Edmonton Riverhawks by 1.5 games as Edmonton has rallied off five straight wins to take the lead both the overall and second half standings.

Bellingham looks to claim a series win over Wenatchee tomorrow and to even the season series as the Bells trail that 3-2 through five games. The Bells are set to play their final home stand Monday–Wednesday, August 4–6 ahead of the WCL Playoffs that begin Friday, August 8 and come to Bellingham Saturday, August 9.

This game recap is presented by Everstrong Physical Therapy and Performance.