By Joe Traub
Port Angeles Lefties
WALLA WALLA — Despite a valiant comeback in which they tied the game after trailing by five runs, the Port Angeles Lefties saw their bid for a victory come up short as Walla Walla’s Chazz Martinez hit the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning over the wall in left field for a walk-off home run to hand the Lefties a 9-8 loss and their ninth straight defeat.
In a game that featured 13 pitchers and 37 baserunners and full of unusual plays, Port Angeles went into the seventh inning trailing 8-3. Baxter Halligan and Gavin Rork led off with walks and C.J. Schauwecker singled to score Halligan.
Matt Boissonneault then plated Rork with a groundout before Evan Hurn came off the bench and singled home Schauwecker to make the margin was 8-6.
The Lefties’ A.C. Chavez and Josh Thompson kept the Sweets off the board in the bottom of the seventh, then the Lefties drew closer in the eighth inning. Ben Fariss moved from right field to the mound for Walla Walla and his throwing error on Rork’s bunt single allowed Nick DiPonzio to score from second base, bringing Port Angeles within 8–7.
After Thompson allowed a walk and two hits to start the eighth, Carter Loewen took over and performed a Houdini act. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Loewen induced Emmanuel Dean to ground into a home-to-first double play. Loewen then struck out Caleb Farmer to keep the Sweets off the board and the deficit at just one run entering the ninth.
Sweets assistant coach Ryan Johnston who started the game in left field switched to the mound to try and close it out in the ninth. He hit Matthew Christian with a pitch and then walked Boissonneault. Hurn grounded out to move up both runners and pinch-runner Justin Fugitt scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 8-8. Johnston walked Nick Berry and was then relieved by Brayde Hirai.
Pinch-hitter Charlie Nasuti popped out to the first baseman Martinez (last night’s Walla Walla starting pitcher), who made a nice leaning catch in foul territory. Hirai then induced a comebacker from Trevor Rosenberg to keep the score tied.
The game ended quickly in the ninth, as Martinez hit Loewen’s first pitch of the inning for an opposite-field, walk-off home run to give the Sweets the 9–8 victory. It marked the third time in seven days the Lefties have suffered a walk-off loss.
Christian homered for the Lefties as part of a two-run second inning for a brief lead. The Sweets hit Jack Schlotman and Zach Tresemer for seven runs over the next two frames to take their five-run lead.
The benches briefly cleared before the start of the bottom of the sixth inning after chirping began from the Walla Walla bullpen. Port Angeles left fielder Jeff Jamison continued to get into it with the Sweets’ relievers, prompting manager Darren Westergard to replace him with Halligan in the middle of an inning.
The Lefties played the Sweets Sunday after press deadline looking to avoid a sweep and looking to stop their losing streak. The Lefties have Monday off for a travel day, then return to action at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday at Civic Field in Port Angeles against Yakima.
Walla Walla 9, Port Angeles 2
Lefties 0 2 0 1 0 0 3 1 1 — 8 9 2
Sweets 0 4 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 — 9 12 1
WP: Hirai LP: Loewen
Pitching
Lefties — Schlotman 2IP, 4H, 7ER, 2BB, K; Tresemer 1IP, H, 0ER, BB, K; Fitch 3IP, 3H, 0ER, 2BB, K; A. Chavez 0.2IP, H, 0ER; Thompson 0.1IP, 2H 0ER, BB; Loewen 1IP, H, ER, K.
Sweets — Craven 3IP, 3H, 2ER, 0BB, 5K; Patterson 1IP, 2H, ER, BB, K; Mosiello 2IP, H, 0ER, 2BB, 2K; Harrison 1IP, 2H, 3ER, 2BB, K; Fariss 1IP, H, 0ER, BB, 3K; Johnston 0.1IP, 0H ER, 2BB; Hirai 0.2IP, 0H, 0ER.
Hitting
Lefties — Christian 1-3, HR, 2R, RBI, BB, SB, HBP; Schauwecker 2-3, 2B, R, RBI; Palmegiani 2-3, 2B, R; Denning 1-2, R, RBI, BB; Hurn 1-2, RBI, SB; Rork 1-1 R, BB
Sweets — Folz 3-5, 2 2B, R; Fariss 2-4, 2R, RBI, BB; Lopez 2-4, 2 2B, 3R, RBI; Martinez 1-1, HR, R, RBI; Farmer 1-4, R, RBI, BB; Le Bioda 1-3, R, 2RBI; Green 1-1, 2B.
