The Bellingham Bells battled from behind once again to pick up a 11-8 win and sweep the Port Angeles Lefties in three games on the road at Civic Field in Port Angeles, Wash. The Bells were down 8-3 after four innings but would score their next eight runs unanswered en route to the win on Sunday, July 7.

Five Bellingham Bells batters had two-hit days at the plate with the Bells totalling 13 hits as a team. The explosive offense and the bullpen all contributed to the win with the Lefties being shutout in the last five innings.

The game started with Everett Swaim who struggled in just his second start of the season. Swaim would have seven runs scored against him, six earned, and would be pulled during the bottom of the third inning for Lane Simonsen. 

The Lefties took their first lead of the game, 1-0, in the very first inning. The Bells third inning runs scored when Jacob Mejia scored Anthony Kodama with a single. Kodama reached on an error to lead off the inning. The bases were loaded for Colton Bower who scored one runner, Trent Mallonee, on an RBI single. The Bells though trailed into the fourth inning down 7-2. Swaim and Simonsen would allow the six runs in the bottom of the third. Simonsen came into the third inning with the bases loaded and would allow three runners to score on walks and hit by pitches but the runs would be scored against Swaim.

The Bells scored a run in the next inning with an error by the second baseman that allowed Conner Smith to score from second base on a ball hit by Nate Kirkpatrick. The Lefties answered with a run of their own against Bells relief pitcher Devyn Hernandez so it was 8-3 going to the fifth.

This is where the Bells would start the comeback and not look back. In the fifth Kodama hit an RBI single to score Bower who had reached on a hit by pitch. Then in the sixth Mejia had another RBI single which scored Kirkpatrick, who reached on a single. Roman Martin drove in two runs on a double and Bower would score Martin on a single. With four runs scored in the sixth it was now 8-8.

In the seventh the Bells would take the lead after Trent Mallonee was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Mallonee stole his 15th base of the year and went to third base after a Kirkpatrick single. Mejia picked up another RBI with a sacrifice fly and the Bells scored what would be the winning run. This meant that Hernandez earned the win with three innings out of the bullpen with only one run allowed. 

Will Goldberg took over for the bottom of the seventh inning and pitched a scoreless inning. The Bells gave their pitching some cushion with a two-run eighth inning. Logan Degroot reached on a walk and went first to third on Gabe Henderson’s single. Degroot scored on Smith’s sacrifice fly. Mallonee drove in the final run of the game by singling and scoring Henderson. The Bells exited the top of the eighth up 11-8.

The game would be shut down by Callum Young playing the role of a setup man in the eighth. Young pitched a scoreless inning with one strikeout to one walk and hit allowed. Jack Svinth came in for the save and would complete the comeback by ending the game on another scoreless inning by the Bells pitching. Hernandez earned his first win of the season and Svinth earned his first save of the year.

The Bells offense flourished today as Mallonee, Kirkpatrick, Mejia, Martin and Bower all had two hits. Mejia drove in three runs, Martin and Bower drove in two each, and Smith, Mallonee and Kodama all drove in one each. Every single Bells batter tonight touched home and scored at least one run. The Bells also were walked nine times and Mallonee, Henderson and Martin all stole bases with Henderson stealing his first two successful attempts of the season.

The Bells head home now to play the Cascade Collegiate League Showcase Team on Tuesday, July 9, at Joe Martin Field in Bellingham, Wash. It will be the first of three non-league games which include one against the CCL and two against the Northwest Star Nighthawks. Get tickets at bellstickets.com.

Today’s game recap is sponsored by Everstrong Physical Therapy and Performance.