The Bells defeated the Port Angeles Lefties by a final score of 14-2 on Friday, July 3rd. Bellingham out-hit the Lefties 16-5 and committed one error to their three.
The bats were hot early and often, as Bellingham scored in every inning but two. OF Malakhi Knight recorded his first RBI as a Bell in the 1st, scoring Yugo Hamakawa on an RBI single. Ezra Samperi blasted a solo HR in the 2nd, his second HR of the summer and first in West Coast League play.
The game was broken wide open in the 3rd inning, where Bellingham scored six runs. After the first two batters were retired, the next seven batters reached on six hits. Ty Saunders recorded an RBI double, AJ Davis had an RBI single, and three runners scored on a dropped fly ball off the bat of Daniel Gernon. Yugo Hamakawa came around to drive in Gernon to cap the inning.
Gernon added another RBI in the 5th, scoring Emilio Corona on a double. AJ Davis and Emilio Corona each added two RBI in the 6th, on a single and a double, respectively. The final run for Bellingham came in the 8th, where Ezra Samperi scored Knight on an RBI double.
Some offensive highlights from an action-packed game include: Daniel Gernon – 1-5, R, RBI, BB, Malakhi Knight – 3-3, 3 R, RBI, 2 BB, AJ Davis – 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, Ezra Samperi – 3-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR, and Emilio Corona – 3-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB. Knight and Samperi were named co-players of the game.
The pitching was just as strong, limiting Port Angeles to just nine baserunners. Thatcher Hurd allowed the bases loaded in the 1st inning, but got out of the jam and was relieved in the 2nd. Ryan Sanders, Aaron Barokas, Tommy ORourke and Ryan Sanders each pitched in to dominate the Lefties.
The series will conclude tomorrow afternoon, with the 4th of July first pitch set for 12:05 PM. You can get your tickets now at www.bellstickets.com.