Box Score

BELLINGHAM — 14 strikeouts by the Bellingham Bells pitching staff highlighted a 3-1 victory over the Nanaimo NightOwls in Game 2 of the Divisional Round in the West Coast League Playoffs. The win evened the best-of-three series 1-1, setting up a decisive Game 3 at 1:35 p.m. tomorrow, Sunday, Aug. 9.

Charlie Decker got the pitching masterclass started and posted a scoreless first inning. The Bells offense established an early lead following three straight hits by Rashad Hayes, Bo Shinkle and Noah Cassie to begin the bottom of the first. 

Cassie hit an RBI double to score Hayes and Matt Churchill later sent in Shinkle to score on an RBI groundout. Decker went on to toss the second inning scoreless, but allowed one run in the third following a leadoff triple from Nathan Widelski. Decker finished his three-inning outing with two hits and one walk allowed while striking out one batter.

Up 2-1, Rohan Kasanagottu took the ball in the fourth and started to mow down the Night Owls. In three innings of relief, he struck out seven batters and worked around two hits and a walk to keep the Bells in front.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bells chased Nanaimo’s starter from the contest and got Moosa Nonomiya from the NightOwl bullpen with three hits in a row to add one run onto the lead making it 3-1 after six.

Nic Peterson pitched the seventh and on for Bellingham, going nine up nine down with a perfect three innings of relief. Peterson struck out six batters to bring Bellingham’s total to 14 in the game. After recording 12 strikeouts last night, the staff has 26 punch outs through the first two games of the playoffs.

Hayes led the Bells with two hits, one steal and a run scored. Cassie, Churchill and Quiban all went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Shinkle had one hit and scored a run. Nate Johnson and Dillon Moss had the other hits for Bellingham.

The Bells and NightOwls clash for a winner-take-all Game 3. Get tickets at bellstickets.com.