Bend Takes Both in 7-Inning Double Header

YAKIMA, Wash.- The Pippins fell just short in the first leg of the 2 games played this afternoon, and a stellar pitching effort left them shutout in the second.

Game 1 saw the Pippins jump in front 2-0 after Spencer Shipman hit a missile down the first base line in an 0-2 count to drive in a pair.

The Elks would play well from behind again with a solo home run in the 4th and an RBI Double in the 5th to make it 3-2.

Yakima Valley would load the bases with 1-out and had the chance to regain the lead, but a fielder’s choice threw out the tying run at the plate, and the Pippins could only muster a 2-out walk to tie things up.

In the 6th, a pair of pinch hitters would reach and an RBI single from Elijah Jackson combined with a wild pitch would give the Elks a 5-3 lead.

A Jaxon Sorenson single would be left stranded in the 7th and the Pippins would drop game 1.

The follow-up effort saw a completely new lineup for the Pippins which struggled at the plate.

Connor Schlect would throw the first 5.2 innings without allowing a hit and would finish with 6.1 innings of work allowing 1 hit, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts.

Meanwhile, the Bend bats used timely hitting to take the lead. RBI singles in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th innings put the Elks in front 3-0, and a poorly executed rundown and a non-interference call resulted in a Kyle Krustangel ejection.

Things wouldn’t get better for the Pippins as Gaven Mattson saw 4 runs scored off of him in the 6th and 7th and Bend would go on to win it 7-0.

This was the third time that the Pippins have been shut out this year.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with baseball,” said middle infielder Spencer Shipman. “It’s mentally, it’s in the dugout, it’s just us as a team. I think that is gonna be the big decider of what we are, not just next series but this year.”

The Pippins will look to bounce back against the Portland Pickles at home tomorrow night, as this series wraps up a span of 14 games in 13 days.

 

By Zach McKinstry

June 24, 2022