Bells fall 3-2 in a close battle vs Edmonton
The Bellingham Bells lost 3-2 against the Edmonton Riverhawks in game two of the three-game series on June 1 at Joe Martin Field in Bellingham, Wash.
The scoring opened with an error by Bells shortstop Gabe Henderson that scored Riverhawk second baseman Michael Soper in the top of the third inning.
Bellingham Bells starter and returner Will Franklin went four innings with three strikeouts and no earned runs against him.
“[Franklin’s] gonna compete, his stuff is not off the charts but the compete is,” assistant pitching coach Josh Robbins said.
UCLA commit CJ Bott allowed a run in the fifth inning as the first arm out of the bullpen. In the sixth, University of British Columbia left-handed pitcher Dylan Myttenar allowed a run on an RBI triple from Bryce McFeely.
Trailing 3-0 the Bells fought back in the seventh with two solo home runs. Anthony Kodama led off the frame with a home run and Connor Smith’s solo home run made it 3-2 heading into the eighth.
Edmonton went to setup pitcher Tylor Jans who struck out three Bells hitters in the eighth.
Nathan Van Beek pitched three innings with four strikeouts through the sixth and ninth innings in a great relief appearance. Mt. Baker High School alum Marques Brown made his 2024 Bells debut by pitching the final out in the top of the ninth.
The Bells, with another chance at a walk-off, entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 3-2 and saw the first two batters get sat down by the closer for Edmonton, Brendan Loeppky.
Bryce Johnson delivered his third base hit of the game to bring the go ahead run to the plate. Johnson ended with a perfect 3 for 3 night at the plate with a walk and two stolen bases.
Last night’s walk-off hero, Jason Shedlock, drew a walk to put two on with two outs for Nate Kirkpatrick who needed to deliver his first hit of the game to complete the comeback.
Kirkpatrick just missed a ball and flew out to left field, ending the game 3-2 and the Bells lost their first game of the young 2024 season.
Edmonton starter Vicarte Domingo got his first win of the season thanks to five innings of scoreless pitching with five strikeouts. Loeppky got his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
The Bells look to take the series in the rubber match tomorrow at 1:35 p.m. on Sunday afternoon at Joe Martin Field. Get your tickets at bellstickets.com
Tonight’s game recap is sponsored by Everstrong Physical Therapy and Performance.
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