Elijah Hainline jacked a go-ahead solo home run in the 10th inning to help the Bellingham Bells beat the Bend Elks 7-6 Monday night in Vince Genna Stadium. It was the only game of the season thus far that Hainline was not in the starting lineup, coming in at second base for Cole Hage in the eighth inning.
The Bells scored two runs in the first seven innings, before getting four in the eigth to tie up the game. With bases loaded and two outs, Hage drew a walk to score Teo Banks for the first run of the inning. The next at-bat, a double by Jack Van Remortel cleared the bases to score Hage, Justin Thorsteinson and Jacob Schroeder to tie the game up at six.
Jack Erdman threw 2.1 innings of relief, including four strikeouts, through the ninth inning to hold the Elks off and send it to extra innings. In the 10th, with one out, Elijah Hainline sent the first pitch he’d seen in the game out of the park for his third home run of the season.
Nate Clow (4-0) picked up his WCL-leading fourth win of the season, allowing a hit and a walk in the 10th, to solidify the win for the Bells. Starter Trevin Hope tossed 5.2 innings, allowing one earned run and striking out nine.
The Elks, who left a whopping 15 batters on base throughout the night, were led by first baseman Evan Scavatt, going 3-6 with a double and an RBI.
The win boosts the Bells to 16-5, having won 12 of their last 13 games, holding a commanding four game lead over the Kamloops NorthPaws in the North Division. The Elks fall to 14-8, still just 1.5 games behind the Corvallis Knights in the South. The two teams will rematch Tuesday night in the second of their three-game series in Bend.