The Bellingham Bells got back to their winning ways in game one against the Port Angeles Lefties with a 6-0 shutout win on Friday, July 5, at Civic Field in Port Angeles, Wash. The Bells are now 18-13 and snapped a four-game losing streak. 

It was a complete team win by a shutout pitching staff consisting of starter Tyler Van Dyke and relievers Lane Simonsen and Callum Young. The offense produced their six runs on nine hits and seven walks. Tom Poole and Nate Kirkpatrick went back-to-back with solo home runs in the top of the ninth inning. Poole has now hit two home runs in three games and Kirkpatrick now has two home runs on the season.

Logan Degroot was the first Bell to touch home after he led off the second inning with a walk. Degroot was moved over by an Anthony Kodama single and a Danny Witters walk and Degroot scored on a wild pitch.

In the third inning Kodama scored Jacob Mejia and Roman Martin with a two-RBI single to put the Bells up 3-0. The Bells tallied another run in the top of the fifth inning when Logan Degroot doubled and headed to third on a Kaikea Harrison single to follow him. With runners on the corners Harrison got caught in a pickle trying to steal second. This pickle allowed Degroot to score and give the Bells a 4-0 lead with Degroot being credited with a steal of home plate.

Van Dyke finished his start with five scoreless innings allowing only three hits and three walks with a season high seven strikeouts. The sixth and seventh were pitched by Simonsen who did not allow a hit in that time and produced his seventh scoreless outing of the season. Young threw the final two innings also without allowing a hit. After the back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning the Bells went on to win 6-0.

Nate Kirkpatrick continued to swing the bat well with a 2 for 5 night including two RBIs and a solo home run. Kirkpatrick has five hits in his last two games and is batting .308 for a team lead in batting average. Anthony Kodama had a productive 2 for 4 night with two RBIs. Logan Degroot had a double as he went 1 for 4 at the plate with two runs scored with one being on a steal of home. Tom Poole went 1 for 5 with a solo home run. Jacob Mejia, Kaikea Harrison and Danny Witters all had one hit with Mejia scoring a run.

Tonight was the Bells sixth shutout win this season and was their first win of the second half in the 2024 West Coast League season. Tomorrow night the Bells look to secure a series win over the Lefties at 6:35 p.m. You can watch the Bells on the WCL live streaming site to see the projected starter, Caleb Cassie, make his fourth start of the season.

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