For Immediate Release
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Related Links: Box Score | All-Star Game Roster
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Playing its first All-Star Game in five years, the 2024 edition of the West Coast League All-Star game did not disappoint with the North team recording a walk-off 3-2 victory over the South Wednesday evening in front of a sold-out crowd at Joe Martin Field.
The game was nationally televised on the MLB Network with Tyler Maun handling play-by-play duties, along with analysts former Major League pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith and MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra. The Bellingham Bells hosted the two-day All-Star event for the third time in franchise history, also welcoming the mid-summer classic to Bellingham in 2015 and 2007.
Trailing 2-1 entering the final inning of play, the North squad loaded the bases with no outs on a single, walk and hit-by-pitch to open the inning off relief pitcher Liam Hohenstein (Walla Walla Sweets/Colorado Mesa). Hohenstein nearly wiggled out of the jam getting a force out at home plate and a strikeout, but Gavyn Jones (Kelowna Falcons/McLennan CC) came up clutch working the count full before delivering a two-run single to end the game giving the North a 3-2 walk-off victory.
The South took the early 2-0 lead scoring single runs in the 3rd and 5th innings. Dylan Schlaegel (Cowlitz Black Bears/Dallas Baptist) opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly to center field and Easton Admunson (Bend Elks/Liberty) extended the lead to 2-0 with a bases loaded walk.
The North squad cut into the deficit and nearly pulled even in the bottom of the 7th inning. Jakob Poturnak (Edmonton Riverhawks/Sacramento State) lined a two-out single to center field to score Jonathan Fitz (Wenatchee AppleSox/San Diego), but the potential tying run was thrown out by center fielder Davis Mauzy (Walla Walla Sweets/Wichita State).
Bellingham Bells pitchers Nic Peterson (UC Santa Barbara) and Callum Young (Everett CC) worked 2.0 perfect innings of relief (8th and 9th innings) to keep the North squad close in the one-run game with Young earning the win.
Nate Kirkpatrick was the only Bellingham Bell to record a hit in the All-Star game. Tyler Van Dyke started the game with a perfect top of the first inning. Josh Flaugher gave up one run in the fifth inning.
The Bellingham Bells play a non-league matchup tomorrow night, July 18, against the Cascade Collegiate League Showcase Team at 6:35 p.m. The Bells will be back in league play on Friday when they begin a three-game series against the Port Angeles Lefties.
Tonight’s West Coast League All-Star Game recap is sponsored by Everstrong Physical Therapy and Performance.
ABOUT THE WEST COAST LEAGUE
The West Coast League is the West’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Encompassing Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and now Alberta, the WCL showcases pro prospects from major collegiate conferences around the nation. Every summer, the League features unparalleled fan and player experiences, with North America’s best baseball weather and a mix of classic and modern ballparks, all backdropped by the sport’s most stunning scenery. The 2019 MLB amateur draft began with former Corvallis Knight Adley Rutschman selected with the overall No. 1 pick by the Baltimore Orioles, and the 2022 draft featured two West Coast League alumni, Brooks Lee and Gabriel Hughes, among the first 10 picks.