By the West Coast League
YAKIMA — Lefties pitcher Nick Bonniksen got the start on the mound for the North Division side in the West Coast League All-Star Game at Yakima County Stadium but allowed a two-run home run to Cowlitz’ Devlin Granberg in the bottom of the first inning and took the loss in the South’s 5-2 win Tuesday.
Bend’s Derek Chapman singled off Bonniksen and Granberg followed with a moon shot past the 406-foot sign to straight-away center field, the first of two home runs for the eventual game MVP.
Bonniksen recovered to get a pair of strikeouts in his two innings on the mound.
Port Angeles’ other All-Star selection, catcher Brody Kato, did not play in the game while healing from a broken bone in his wrist.
In the third, the North chopped the deficit in half, as Wenatchee’s Evan Johnson (Northern Colorado) singled in Kelowna’s Matt Bottcher (Illinois-Chicago), who had drawn a leadoff walk.
With the South on top 2-1 in the fourth inning, Granberg was at it again, this time leading off the bottom of the frame with a solo shot over the left field wall off of Wenatchee’s Collin Maier (Washington State) for his second home run of the night to give the South a 4-1 lead.
Steve Sordahl (St. Martin’s), playing in front of his home crowd in Yakima, delivered an RBI single to plate his Pippins teammate, Lucas Denney (Seattle), who had drawn a one-out walk to give the South a 5-1 edge after four innings.
The North tried to come to life in the top of the seventh, when Nyquist singled in Bellingham’s Ernie Yake (Gonzaga) to cut the deficit to 5-2, but it was not enough as the South pitching staff, led by six Corvallis Knights, limited the North to five hits over nine innings, and retired six of the final seven batters faced to secure the win.
South pitchers struck out a combined 14 batters in the game.
Corvallis’ Louis Crow (San Diego) was named the All-Star Game’s top prospect by the MLB scouts in attendance. He was one of three top prospects recognized along with Victoria’s Indigo Diaz (Iowa Western CC) and the Knights’ Jordan Qsar were second and third, respectively.
Nowak in derby
The Lefties’ Ian Nowak hit five home runs in the West Coast League home run derby held during All-Star festivities Monday.
The event was won by Chase Illig of the Bellingham Bells, who hit 11 home runs in the first round and then hit seven more in the second round and three in the third.
Nowak was one of three WCL players to end the first round with five home runs. Lucas Denney of the Yakima Valley Pippins and Devlin Granberg of the Cowlitz Black Bears also hit five home runs each.
Illig, Nick Nyquist of the Walla Walla Sweets, Taylor Wright of the Kelowna Falcons and Hunter Vansau of the Victoria HarbourCats all qualified for the final round. Wright and Vansau hit six home runs each in the second round and Illig hit seven with four outs still remaining. In the final round, Wright and Vansau tired, hitting only two, while Illig hit three home runs with six outs remaining to take the title.
Also participating were Evan Johnson of the Wenatchee AppleSox (eight home runs), Jordan Qsar of Corvallis (seven) and Jack Pauly of Bend (one).
Nowak didn’t join the Lefties’ team until mid-June. He has hit five home runs since June 15. He is batting .293 with 22 hits in 75 at-bats for a ratio of one home run for each 15 at-bats.
Qsar is leading the WCL with 11 home runs this season. Wright has nine, Granberg eight, Johnson seven, and Denney, Vansau and Illig six each.
Lefties in town
Port Angeles returned to Civic Field for the first game of a nine-game homestand against Cowlitz, the Kitsap Blue Jackets and the Wenatchee Apple Sox.
The Lefties will accept canned food donations for the United Way food bank at tonight’s game.
For Friday’s game, proceeds from the team’s party deck as well as an auction, will be donated to the Captain Joseph’s House Foundation, which provides support to military families.
South 5, North 2
North 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0— 2 5 1
South 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 x— 5 7 0
WP: Cunningham LP: Bonniksen
Pitching
North — Bonniksen 2IP, 3H, 2ER, 2K; McKillican IP, BB; Maier IP, 2H, 2ER, BB; Diaz 0.2IP, H, ER, 3BB; Vines 1.1IP, H, BB, K; Kuhn IP, 2K; Hehnke IP, BB, 2K.
South — White IP, H, 2K; Cunningham IP, 2K; Crow IP, H, ER, 2BB, K; Rivera IP, H; Donovan IP, 2K; Howell IP, 2K; Powers IP, 2H, ER, BB, 3K; Qsar IP, K; Caplan IP, BB, K.
Hitting
North — Johnson 2-3, 2B, RBI; Nyquist 1-3, BB, RBI; Botcher 1-2, 2R.
South — Granberg 2-3, 2R, 2HR, 3RBI; Plew 1-3, R, 2B.
