Losing Streak Ends With Tanner Parker Walk-Off Single

Yakima, Wa. — The Pippins returned home to the Orchard tonight after back-to-back road sweeps at the hands of Wenatchee and Cowlitz. The team was riding an eight-game losing streak and with nothing left to lose in the season, they ended it tonight in extra innings against the Walla Walla Sweets.

The Pippins went with Bo Henderson for the start against the Sweets tonight and the Sweets got on him early. In the top of the first, Cesar Lopez hit a two-RBI single to make it 2-0 early in the ball game.

After a tough road trip offensively the Pippins came out firing to answer in the bottom of the first. Eddy Pelc led off with a single, Brady Hormel followed with a single of his own, then Tyler Dean brought both of them in on a one-out double to the right-center gap. Then with the score tied, Sawyer Chesley reached first on a throwing error by Sweets’ shortstop Parker Price and Tyler Dean came across, making it 3-2 Pippins.

The Sweets responded in the top of the second with a bases-loaded walk to tie it up, and the scoring ceased for four innings. In the top half of the sixth inning, Sweets’ third baseman Justin Folz ripped a two-RBI double off of Pippins’ relief pitcher Nick Brown to take the lead, 5-3.

With six outs left to work with, the Pippins started the bottom of the eighth with a walk by Kyle Dean, single by Brian Rice, RBI single by Sawyer Chesley, and an RBI groundout by Christian Padilla to tie the game up at 5-5.

Eddy Pelc took over on the mound for the Pippins and held the Sweets scoreless in the top of the ninth and the top of the tenth, giving the Pippins a chance to win it in extras. The bottom of the tenth went the Pippins way and with a bases-loaded, one out single to left-center, Tanner Parker drove in Brian Rice and the Pippins walked off the Walla Walla Sweets in game one to end the losing streak. With the win the Pippins are now 9-17 in the second half of the season.

Game two tomorrow is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

By Yakima Valley Pippins

August 10, 2019