YAKIMA, Wash. — A pleasant side effect of the West Coast League’s decision to eliminate international regular-season travel will benefit Yakima Valley Pippins fans this summer.

Along with the unveiling of the revised 10-team U.S. division WCL schedule today, the Pippins have added three more home games to their 2021 schedule. Now, the Pippins will have 35 home dates, beginning June 4.

“The opportunity to expand our home schedule was something we quickly jumped at when the dynamics of the U.S. division were finalized,” Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson said. “It’s great news for our fans, our sponsors and our players to be able to visit The Orchard more often this summer.”

The new WCL schedule features 48 games for each team, 24 at home and 24 on the road, instead of the usual 54-game slate. Originally scheduled to host Kamloops, British Columbia, in their June 4 season opener, the Pippins now will host four-time defending WCL champion Corvallis. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

Garretson said the new schedule preserves the original 32 home dates and adds another Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday series in mid-June.

“With socially distanced seating configurations in place that will lower our nightly capacity, more games give us the chance to bring in more fans to watch a game,” Garretson said.

Yakima County Stadium has a seating capacity of 2,800. Under current state guidelines, outdoor venues are permitted 9,000 spectators or 25 percent capacity, whichever is lower. That means 700 fans nightly at the stadium. But Garretson doesn’t expect that capacity restriction to stay at 25 percent all summer.

“It may change before we even open the season,” he said. “Whatever capacity we open at on June 4, I expect we’ll be higher than that by the end of the season. It all depends on the COVID numbers, and how well we continue to respond as a community and do our part to keep everyone safe.”

With the capacity limits, Garretson advised to purchase single-game tickets as soon as they go on sale.

“Based on what we’re seeing and hearing, I don’t expect we’ll have many, if any, tickets available on Opening Night if fans wait to buy them,” he said. “There likely will be an urgency throughout the season to get tickets early.”

Single-game tickets will go on sale in early May, Garretson said, adding that individual games likely will be available in waves so any changes to pod seating layouts can be adjusted when seating capacity changes.

Before single-game tickets are available to the general public, fans who have purchased ticket vouchers will be given an opportunity to secure tickets for the games of their choice.

Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and Family Night Out packages are other options to obtain tickets before single-game tickets are available. Those plans are available now by calling 509-575-4487.

The Pippins continue to look for additional host families in preparation for this summer, Garretson added. Host families also receive season tickets for each member of the household.

The revised 2021 Pippins schedule (home games in BOLD CAPS):

JUNE — 4-6: CORVALLIS; 8-10: at Bellingham; 11-13: RIDGEFIELD; 15-16: NW STAR; 17: REDMOND; 19-21: CCL SHOWCASE; 22-24: at Ridgefield; 25-27: WALLA WALLA; 29-30: PORT ANGELES.

JULY — 1: PORT ANGELES; 2-4: at Bend; 5-7: at Walla Walla; 9-11: BELLINGHAM; 13-15: HIGHLINE; 16-18: at Cowlitz; 20-22: BEND; 23-25: at Wenatchee; 27-29: COWLITZ; 30-31: HIGHLINE.

AUGUST — 3-5: at Corvallis; 6-8: at Port Angeles; 10-12: WENATCHEE.

YAKIMA, Wash. — The West Coast League’s adoption of a revised 2021 schedule that eliminates regular-season international travel will benefit all teams, Yakima Valley Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson said.

“Eliminating the uncertainty around when the border between the U.S. and Canada will reopen allows everyone to move forward with preparations for a June 4 opening day,” Garretson said. “There are so many details that need to be addressed in coming weeks, from charter bus reservations to hotels to single-game ticket sales. Removing even one point of uncertainty makes a big difference over the next eight weeks.”

The WCL’s board of directors voted to adopt the new format earlier this week. Though U.S. and Canadian teams won’t play each other during the regular season, the new structure does leave open the possibility of a full league playoff format.

The WCL’s 10 U.S-based teams will now play a 48-game league schedule instead of the usual 54-game league schedule. The U.S. schedule will be announced next week. The Canadian schedule will be released in the first half of April and will feature four of the five teams north of the border, including Victoria, Kamloops, Nanaimo and Edmonton. Kelowna, the fifth Canadian member, officially opted out of the 2021 season today.

“With three new Canadian members joining for this year, it’s unfortunate that we couldn’t play an international schedule,” Garretson said. “But moving to this format gives all the teams a stronger chance to play.”

The Pippins originally were scheduled to host Kamloops in the season-opener at Yakima County Stadium on June 4.

Garretson said the Pippins are working to fill the league home dates that are now open because of the revamped schedule. The Pippins will maintain the 32 home game dates previously announced, he said.

The Pippins continue to look for additional host families in preparation for this summer, Garretson added. Yakima-area families interested in hosting a player can call Garretson at 509-575-4487.

Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and Family Night Out packages on sale at PippinsBaseball.com. Single-game tickets for all 32 Pippins home games will go on sale later this spring.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Pitchers headed to the Pippins this summer made some good marks with their college teams over the weekend.

Nic Gregson (UC San Diego) struck out four and walked one in a four-inning start against Santa Clara last Thursday. He allowed one earned run but didn’t get the decision in the Tritons’ 6-4 loss. UCSD split the four-game weekend series and picked up its first win in nine games this year.

Seth Kuykendall (Western Oregon) started game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader against Central Washington in Ellensburg. He struck out five and walked one in three innings of work, while allowing an earned run and three hits. He didn’t get a decision in WO’s 7-2 loss. Overall, WO is 3-3, and CWU is 4-4. Kuykendall’s start was the first appearance for the former Yakima Valley Yak this spring.

Karl Koerper (Washington) made his first start of the year in Sunday’s 6-4 win over Seattle Univ. He went 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base. In that same game, Case Matter pitched the eighth inning, striking out one and retiring the only three batters in the frame.

SHORT HOPS: Current Yakima Valley sophomore middle infielder Connor Coballes, who grew up in Spokane and attended Gonzaga Prep, fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams last week by signing to play next year with the Gonzaga Bulldogs. He’ll finish his playing time in Yakima this summer with the Pippins … Reed Garrett, who started the Pippins’ inaugural game in 2014 and also became the Pippins’ first major-leaguer, made his first appearance with the Seibu Lions in Japan early today. The Lions won 8-7 over the Hiroshima Carp. It’s Garrett’s second season with the Lions.

YAKIMA, Wash. — The Yakima Valley Pippins are teaming up with FanFood, a technology platform that provides in-venue food and beverage mobile ordering, to offer contactless concession pickup for fans at all Pippins home games.

In anticipation of welcoming fans back to a limited-capacity, socially distanced Yakima County Stadium, subject to local and state restrictions in effect at the time, the Pippins plan to provide guests with the option of a quicker and more convenient concession experience for fans with mobile ordering powered by FanFood. Fans attending games at “The Orchard” will be able to browse the concession menu from their phones, order any time before or during the game and pay directly on the phone. A text alert will notify fans when their order is ready for pickup. Fans can spend more time in their seats and not miss any of the game.

The FanFood platform will provide another way to order food and beverages at The Orchard this summer, Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson said. Fans will still be able to order food at the concession stands as in the past, but long lines won’t be allowed.

“Given how much the Yakima Valley has missed live sports, we want to provide a safe return to the ballpark — and FanFood is an exciting addition that will enhance the experience,” Garretson said. “For months, fans have grown accustomed to online and mobile technologies, so much that all fan demographics have no trouble ordering on their phones.”

In-seat delivery options for an additional charge through FanFood may also be an option, Garretson added.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, cashless transactions and contactless pickups have risen in popularity for minimizing physical interactions. Locations serving food and beverages including stadiums, arenas, resorts and other locations have increasingly embraced mobile ordering solutions to continue serving guests safely and responsibly throughout the pandemic.

“We’ve seen the pandemic rapidly and permanently changing consumers’ behaviors and mindset, and the new fan experience is defined by both safety and convenience,” said Drake Orser, customer success manager at FanFood. “The Yakima Valley Pippins are a fantastic partner for us as we expand in the Northwest, and look to give fans the opening day experience they deserve.”

FanFood is just one of a number of safety protocols that the Pippins will roll out this summer, Garretson said.

The Pippins are scheduled to open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium on June 4. Season tickets and mini season ticket plans are on sale by calling the Pippins front office at 509-575-4487 or by email at info@pippinsbaseball.com.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Mason Marenco, a redshirt junior infielder from North Bend who will play for the Yakima Valley Pippins this summer, got his bat heated up this weekend.

Marenco went 4-for-6 in Gonzaga’s Saturday and Sunday games against Portland, including a double, two runs scored, two walks and two stolen bases. The Zags dropped the opening game of the series on Friday and are 6-5 overall this spring.

Kellen O’Connor (CSU Bakersfield) earned the save Sunday with one inning of relief work as the Roadrunners beat Pacific, 2-1. O’Connor struck out one. O’Connor also absorbed the loss Saturday as Pacific beat Bakersfield 8-5. The two teams split the four-game weekend series.

Landon Schirer (Angelo State) struck out the only two batters he faced in relief Sunday against Lubbock Christian, but the Rams lost the game 12-6. Angelo State is 11-2 this year.

YAKIMA, Wash. – Yakima Valley Pippins head coach Kyle Krustangel continues to expand the depth of his roster and the breadth of schools he draws upon with his latest three additions to the 2021 roster.

Starting from Southern California and moving north, the Pippins have added third baseman Johnny Giannola of San Diego State University, right-handed pitcher Weston Janavs of Pomona-Pitzer and fellow right-hander Julian Washburn of the University of San Francisco to bring the announced roster to 34 players.

Giannola will be reunited with his Santa Margarita Catholic High School teammate Connor Bane, announced last week, when he reports to Yakima this summer. Giannola and Bane captured the 2019 CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship as juniors before their 2020 senior season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I know that Giannola’s coaches have talked a lot about Johnny in terms of being a guy who can really play the hot corner over at third,” Krustangel said. “He has a big-time glove and can really pick and throw, but also has some thump in the bat as well, so we’re excited to get him up to Yakima.”

Signing Janavs continues to build on the relationship Krustangel had established with the Pomona Pitzer coaching staff during his time with the Wenatchee AppleSox, as well as his own coaching tree. First-year pitching coach at Pomona-Pitzer Chris Petrosie played for the Yaks during Krustangel’s first year at the helm in 2016, helping the team to an NWAC championship and earning NWAC MVP honors in the process.

“It’s exciting that there’s a little bit of continuity with the coaches that Weston will have that have ties to Yakima as well,” Krustangel said.

Washburn is getting a second chance at a junior season with the University of San Francisco. He owns a career 8-3 record with the Dons, with a nearly 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has held opponents to a .265 batting average over 74 innings.

He made one appearance in the Dons’ 2-1 series win against UCLA this past weekend, striking out one in a scoreless 1.2 innings. As a freshman, the Lewiston, Idaho, native played for Walla Walla Community College.

“He’ll be really dynamic for us in terms of being a starter, reliever or closer,” Krustangel said. “He’s got a plus-fastball, plus-off-speed pitch, and I’m excited for him as someone who’s semi-local but also a proven college guy.”

Single-game tickets for all 32 home games are now available for groups of 10 or more at PippinsBaseball.com/tickets. The Pippins are also seeking host families to house some of the top college baseball talent in the country during the 2021 season. The Pippins are scheduled to open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium on June 4.

YAKIMA, Wash. — As college baseball burst onto the 2021 scene over the weekend, and several former and current Yakima Valley Pippins made their debuts. Here’s how the weekend went for a few of them:

Joey Magrisi, the Pippins’ top pitcher in 2019, struck out 14 in a complete-game, seven-inning performance against Southern Idaho on Thursday. The right-handed sophomore, now pitching at Southern Nevada, is 2-0 on the young season after earning his first victory with a 4.1-inning stint against Colorado Northwestern on Feb. 9. He struck out six in that appearance.

In San Luis Obispo, Calif., Cal Poly hosted Nevada in a four-game series over the weekend that featured former Pippins on both teams. Former Pippins Tyler Bosetti batted leadoff for Nevada, which won three of the four games, on Friday and Saturday, and batted No. 2 for the other games. Bosetti collected three hits and two RBIs in the series.

Teammate Blake Bambrick, who will pitch for the Pippins this summer, made two appearances, throwing 1.1 innings total.

On the other side, former Pippin Nick DiCarlo picked up three hits and an RBI while starting all four games. Teammate and former Pippin pitcher Dylan Villalobos made two appearances totaling 2 innings, striking out three and walking one in those stints.

Incoming Pippin Mason Marenco started all four games at second base for the Gonzaga Bulldogs this weekend as the Zags went 2-2 in Suprise, Ariz. Former Pippin Tyler Rando went 4-for-6 in a 17-5 win over Kansas State, in which former Pippin Chris Ceballos was the starting catcher for the Wildcats. Zags Owen Wild and Reagan Haas, who both will pitch for the Pippins this year, made their 2021 debuts on Sunday; Wild tossed 2 innings, giving up 2 earned runs, and Haas 2.1 shutout innings against Oregon State.

YAKIMA, Wash. — With preparations well underway for the Yakima Valley Pippins to return to a full summer of play at The Orchard this year, the team now is looking for host families around the greater Yakima area to provide room and board for the college-age players joining the team.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team is looking for more host families than usual with the goal of not having to place multiple players in too many local households.

“Our hosts generally love having more than one player each summer, and we’re certainly hoping to do that again this year, but we also want to ensure our host family households and the players are as safe as possible as we continue to navigate changes necessitated by COVID,” Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson said.

The Pippins have around 40 players signed to play this summer, though not all of them are likely to show up for various reasons, such as injury or summer school, Garretson said.

“Still, we need to make sure we have beds for everyone who does come to Yakima, or we can’t fulfill our agreement with the players,” he said.

The West Coast League and member teams will abide by local and state guidelines to keep players, coaches, host families and fans as safe as possible during the pandemic, Garretson said.

Families interested in hosting a player can apply here.

Host families provide free room and board during the West Coast League season, a family environment to help players adjust to a new community away from their own families, and, in some cases, transportation to and from the ballpark. Players will begin arriving around Memorial Day and leave about the middle of August.

In return, host families receive a season ticket for each member of the immediate household, a full-season parking pass, 20 percent off team merchandise during the season, special recognition and gifts at the end of the season, a souvenir team hat for each member of the immediate household and a limited number of ballpark concessions vouchers.

For more information about the program, email info@pippinsbaseball.com or call 509-575-4487.

“ … The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh … people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.” — James Earl Jones as Terence Mann in “Field of Dreams”

• • •

It’s been said by those inside the game that the baseball world is small. As widespread as the game is across the country on Little League fields, high school and college fields, and in professional stadiums, baseball has maintained a decidedly intimate feel with myriad small-town connections.

The sport reaches deep into communities, spreading tendrils that intertwine with those in other counties and states who share a love for a game that brings back those memories of simpler times. An example? Consider the cities of Salem, Ore., and Yakima, separated by 230 highway miles but tied more closely together by threads of baseball history.

The Senators were the first professional baseball team in Salem in 1940. Their first game that year brought in a crowd of 4,865 fans. At the time, it was the largest crowd ever for a sporting event in Salem.

The Senators’ opponent on that first night was the Yakima Pippins, the first professional baseball team in Yakima that was founded in 1937. The current Yakima Valley Pippins, who will start their seventh season this summer in the West Coast League, is named in honor of that original team.

On that 1937 Pippins team was Bob Garretson Sr., grandfather of current Yakima Valley Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson. Nicknamed “Lefty,” Garretson Sr. played first base for the Pippins.

In 1961, the Senators were renamed the Salem Dodgers, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. As the years rolled by, Salem was renamed a few times and played in the Northwest League as affiliates of the Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels and even as an independent team. 

The Salem Angels changed their name back to the Salem Dodgers in 1988, and again became an affiliate of Los Angeles’ Major League team. Two years later, the Salem Dodgers relocated to Yakima and became the Yakima Bears. The move returned professional baseball to the Yakima Valley for the first time since the mid-1960s.

In 1990, the Bears debuted at Parker Field, original home of the Yakima Pippins, earlier incarnations of the Yakima Bears, and current home of the Yakima Valley College Yaks and the Yakima Beetles American Legion team. Garretson Sr. and his son, Bob Garretson Jr., coached the Legion squad in the 1960s through the late ’80s. Garretson Jr. also coached at YVC in the 1980s through the early 2000s.

In 1993, the Bears moved to newly constructed Yakima County Stadium, current home of the Pippins. After the 2012 season, the Bears left Yakima for Hillsboro, Ore., and became the Hillsboro Hops. Following a year without summer baseball at the stadium, the Pippins played their inaugural game at the facility, nicknamed by the organization as “The Orchard,” on June 6, 2014, in front of 3,209 fans.

Just as the Bears were reborn after a long absence, the Senators are returning to Salem this year as part of the four-team Mavericks Independent League, which will feature non-drafted and released professional players. The league also includes the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, which played in the Northwest League until the reorganization of Minor League Baseball teams and leagues late last year.

The COVID-19 pandemic cut short or canceled 2020 baseball seasons for countless players, teams and fans across the country. The former college players headed to the Senators and other teams in the Mavericks Independent League are scheduled to start play in May. The current college athletes joining the Pippins and other teams around the West Coast League return in June.

On this day — Feb. 19 — in 1914, Bob Garretson Sr. was born. On the anniversary of his birthdate in 2021, college baseball begins again in earnest.

Happy birthday, Lefty.

Welcome back, college baseball.

YAKIMA, Wash. – Adding to his already-talented roster, Pippins head coach Kyle Krustangel has added sophomore left-handed pitcher Kellen O’Connor and freshman outfielder Connor Bane to the list of athletes that will call the Yakima Valley home this summer.

O’Connor, a 5-foot-10 Portland native, got off to an early tear at California State Bakersfield in 2020 before the season was shut down. Earning himself a 1-1 record with a 2.53 ERA, he pitched in seven of the Roadrunner’s 14 games as a freshman. He was also scheduled to play for the Pippins in 2020 before the West Coast League was forced to cancel its season.

“I’m excited that he’s back with us,” Krustangel said. “He is a promising left-handed arm that got innings. They’re definitely counting on him being an elite guy whether he’s starting or coming out of the bullpen at Bakersfield.”

Taking a different home-to-school route from O’Connor, Bane is a Southern California native attending the University of Oregon. Bane, a 6-foot-4, 206-pound freshman outfielder, was part of a Santa Margarita Catholic High School team in 2019 that won the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship. He was named the No. 19 outfielder coming out of California by Perfect Game in 2020 following his junior season, during which he posted a blistering .488 on-base percentage.

“He’s going to be physical and he’s going to hit,” Krustangel said of Bane. “His coaching staff is really excited for his spring this year, which then obviously fires me up to have him and see him perform this summer.”

The Pippins are scheduled to open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium in June. Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and ticket vouchers are already on sale at PippinsTickets.com. Single-game tickets for all 32 Pippins home games will go on sale early this spring.

YAKIMA, Wash. – Pippins head coach Kyle Krustangel will welcome EJ Kreutzmann, a freshman playing at Columbia University, and will welcome back Landon Schirer, his closer during the 2019 season when he managed the Wenatchee AppleSox, when the Pippins open their season at home in June.

Kreutzmann, a 5-foot-10, 195-pounds two-sport athlete from San Diego, Calif., will patrol the outfield for the Pippins. A star quarterback as well at La Jolla Country Day High School, Kreutzmann lettered in baseball all four years and captained his squad in 2019 and 2020.

“There’s not a lot of Ivy League players in the league, so it’s exciting to get someone from the other part of the country over here,” Krustangel said. “He comes highly regarded from his coaching staff as a guy who’s an everyday player for them, and should be a big contributor for us just like he is at his Division I (team).”

Kreutzmann hit .234 in his last full season in 2019, but with 10 walks and a team-best five home runs, he turned in a respectable .799 OPS. He also led his team with 16 RBI during the campaign.

The last time Schirer pitched in a West Coast League game, he came on in a late-season relief appearance against the Pippins. Under Krustangel’s management in Wenatchee in 2019, he racked up a 1-1 record with six saves and a 4.10 ERA in 19 relief appearances.

Schirer, standing 6-feet-5-inches, played at George Fox University for three seasons, including a shortened 2020 season, before transferring to Angelo State University with junior standing. Notably, he gave up just three home runs in 136.1 innings during his three years at George Fox.

“He’s a fierce competitor, he’s a bulldog on the mound,” Krustangel said of Schirer. “He’s someone that his energy and fierceness on the mound can be contagious to a team. So I’m very excited to bring that mentality onto our team.”

The Pippins are scheduled to open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium in June. Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and ticket vouchers are already on sale at PippinsTickets.com. Single-game tickets for all 32 Pippins home games will go on sale early this spring.

YAKIMA, Wash. – A pair of incoming University of Arizona freshmen will get their first taste of collegiate competition with the Pippins this summer.

Ryan Campos, a catcher from Mesa, Ariz., and Ethan “Deuce” Gourson, an infielder from San Diego, Calif., will head north to Yakima following their high school senior seasons.

Campos, ranked as the No. 2 catcher coming out of Arizona by Perfect Game, was hitting .370 with three doubles and a triple through eight games for Red Mountain High School before the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound backstop hit .460 in his sophomore season with 33 RBI, 13 doubles and 2 home runs, earning him All-State honors from the AZBCA.

Gourson, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound infielder at Point Loma High School, was named a Preseason Underclass All-American in 2019 and 2020 by Perfect Game. Before his shortened 2020 season, he led the Pointers in 2019 with a .427 batting average, also tallying 12 doubles, four triples, three home runs and five stolen bases in the campaign.

“Any time you’re able to get a couple of Arizona guys in the West Coast League, we feel very fortunate to bring two in,” Pippins head coach Kyle Krustangel said. “I know Coach (Jay) Johnson speaks extremely high of these two, not just from a playing standpoint, but also the kind of people they are.”

The duo rounds out the six incoming freshmen each West Coast League team is allowed each season.

The Pippins are scheduled to open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium on June 4. Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and ticket vouchers are already on sale at PippinsTickets.com. Single-game tickets for all 32 Pippins home games will go on sale early this spring.

YAKIMA, Wash. — The Yakima Valley Pippins have added two members of the Nevada Wolf Pack to their 2021 roster.

Joining the Pippins’ growing roster, which now stands at 25 announced players, are sophomore outfielder Griff Fenn and freshman right-handed pitcher Blake Bambrick.

Fenn, a 6-foot, 170-pounder from Chico, Calif., pinch-hit five times for the Wolf Pack last spring before the season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In those appearances, he was 1-for-5. As a senior at Pleasant Valley High School in 2019, Fenn batted .377 with five doubles, three triples and two home runs.

Bambrick, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound hurler, attended Great Oak High School in Temecula, Calif. His senior season was cut short, but Bambrick posted a 1.31 ERA in 21.1 innings, striking out 15 and walking eight, as a junior in 2019.

“Nevada has a long tradition with sending quality players all over the West Coast League,” Pippins head coach Kyle Krustangel said. “I am excited to bring two strong players to Yakima this summer. I expect both to have a major impact on the field.”

Former Pippins on the Wolf Pack’s 2021 roster include infielders Tyler Bosetti and Brady Hormel.

The Pippins are scheduled to open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium on June 4. Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and ticket vouchers are already on sale at PippinsTickets.com. Single-game tickets for all 32 Pippins home games will go on sale early this spring.

YAKIMA, Wash. — A pitcher, an outfielder and an infielder from the University of the Pacific in California are the newest members of the 2021 Yakima Valley Pippins.

The three Tigers are:

Ryan Arredondo, a 6-foot, 180-pound right-handed pitcher from Warden, Wash.;

Telly Hill, a 5-foot-8, 195-pound left-handed throwing/batting outfielder from Concord, Calif.;

Chaz Myers, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound right-handed-batting middle infielder from Brentwood, Calif.

The trio are 2020 high school graduates whose final prep seasons were cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m really excited to start a relationship with the Pacific Tigers,” Pippins head coach Kyle Krustangel said. “Ryan has Pacific Northwest roots, as do some of their other players and coaches in the program. Ryan is a highly sought-after pitcher, and Chaz and Telly come with lots of praise from the Tigers coaching staff.”

Krustangel said both Myers and Hill are expected to be big contributors at Pacific this spring.

The Pippins are scheduled to open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium on June 4. Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and ticket vouchers are already on sale at PippinsTickets.com. Single-game tickets for all 32 Pippins home games will go on sale early this year.

YAKIMA, Wash. — A right-handed pitcher from Washington State University along with a right-hander and a catcher from UC San Diego are the newest additions to the Yakima Valley Pippins for this summer.

Joey Cammarata, a 6-foot-1, 240-pound hurler from Scottsdale, Arizona, is a freshman at WSU. The right-hander appeared in one game out of the bullpen for the Cougars in 2020 before the season was canceled by COVID-19. As a senior at Mountain Pointe High School, he was named a Preseason All-American West Region First Team selection. Last summer, he played in the Arizona Collegiate Wood Bat League.

“Coach (Brian) Green has worked hard in his tenure to boost the talent,” Pippins coach Kyle Krustangel said. “Lots of scouts have mentioned the amount of draft talent over in Pullman right now, and I’m excited to have Joey represent the Cougars in Yakima during the summer.”

Also headed to The Orchard this summer are Blake Dickman and Nicc Gregson.

Dickman is a 6-foot-3, 205-pound redshirt sophomore catcher from Littleton, Colo., who was a named first-team All-Conference Big 8 in 2019 at San Joaquin Delta College.

Gregson, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound right-hander, is a freshman from Kennedy High School in Sacramento, Calif., from which he graduated in 2020. While at Kennedy, he was an all-league player for three years and team MVP two straight year.

“UC San Diego has a rich history of success, players to pro ball, and an extensive coaching tree of coaches who have previously coached for the Tritons,” Krustangel said. “I have coached a few Tritons in the past few summers and each one was extremely talented and showed the kind of program they run down in Southern California.”

The Pippins are scheduled to open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium on June 4. Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and ticket vouchers are already on sale at PippinsTickets.com. Single-game tickets for all 32 Pippins home games will go on sale later this month.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Three University of Washington Huskies, including a two-time state champion from Ellensburg, will join a 2020 holdover on the Yakima Valley Pippins’ roster in 2021.

Leading the pack are a pair of pitchers, including 6-foot-6, 220-pound right-hander Davis Spencer, who helped the Ellensburg Bulldogs to the Class 2A state baseball championship in 2017 and 2018 at Yakima County Stadium.

“We believe Davis Spencer is going to be one of those classic Northwest power arms,” UW head coach Lindsay Meggs said in a news release when Spencer signed in November 2019. “Davis has tremendous tilt on the fastball and is already a very uncomfortable at-bat for both right- and left-handed hitters. Along with the obvious upside, Davis is also a good competitor with a great work ethic.”

Left-hander Karl Koerper, whose birthday is on Christmas, is a 6-foot-4, 240-pound sophomore at UW. He made six starts in the shortened 2020 season, all at designated hitter. He also had one relief appearance, striking out two in one inning. Koerper, from Las Cruces, N.M., is ambidextrous.

Like Spencer, Koerper also helped his high school team to a state championship during his junior year.

Case Matter, a member of the UW’s 2020 recruiting class, is a 6-foot, 170-pounder from Henry M. Jackson High School in Mill Creek, Wash., who will play first base in the summer.

The trio join Corey Jarrell, an outfielder who entered UW this fall. Jarrell, from Brewster, signed to play with the Pippins in 2020 before the season was canceled and will play next summer.

The Pippins’ seventh season next summer will be the first time the team has included UW Huskies.

“I’m excited to continue my long relationship with coach (Elliott) Cribby, formerly at Purdue and Seattle U.,” Pippins manager Kyle Krustangel said. “I have always had top-notch players from him, and the Diamond Dawgs he is sending the Pippins I am sure will be no different. Coach (Lindsay) Meggs has done a great job with the University of Washington in his tenure and I look forward to coaching a few of his guys in Yakima this summer.”

The Pippins are scheduled to open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium on June 4. Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and ticket vouchers are already on sale at PippinsTickets.com. Single-game tickets for all 32 Pippins home games will go on sale in early 2021.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Two Gonzaga Bulldogs and another who’s headed to the university next fall will play for the Yakima Valley Pippins next summer.

Redshirt sophomore infielder Mason Marenco and redshirt freshman outfielder Alex Shanks, who both saw playing time for Gonzaga in 2020 before COVID-19 shut down the season, will make The Orchard their 2021 summer home. Liam McCallum, a left-handed pitcher from Sydney, Australia, will enter Gonzaga as a true freshman next fall.

The trio will join two Bulldogs who were scheduled to play for the Pippins in 2020, right-handed pitchers Reagan Haas (Riverside Christian, Wapato) and Owen Wild (Gig Harbor, Wash.).

“I’m excited to continue a great relationship with Gonzaga — their focus on development and winning go hand in hand with what we are wanting to accomplish in Yakima,” Pippins head coach Kyle Krustangel said. “I have coached many Zags in my summer career in the WCL, and not only are they great athletes, they are great people. The players we are getting will be elite and should be fun players for the crowd to rally behind all summer long.”

Marenco started 29 games for Gonzaga in 2019, and 12 in 2020 before the season ended, batting .258 over the two years with 20 hits and 21 RBI. Shanks played in seven games for the Zags in 2020, starting four, in limited playing time. McCallum has played on the U15 Australian World Cup team and the Australian Junior League World Series team, and was named the Australian Player of the Tournament during the Asia Challenge in Japan in 2017.

Krustangel previously coached Marenco on the Wenatchee AppleSox, and currently coaches Mason’s younger brother, Spencer, at Yakima Valley College.

“I’m excited to coach Mason again. He’s a fantastic player who plays hard,” Krustangel said.

McCallum is the second player the Pippins have hosted from Australia. Mitch Ellis, who played college ball at Western Illinois and was a member of the 2017 Pippins, hailed from Diamond Creek, Australia.

McCallum is the fourth true freshmen who will join the Pippins next year. The WCL allows each team six true freshmen on a team each year.

The Pippins are scheduled to open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium on June 4. Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and ticket vouchers are already on sale at PippinsTickets.com. Single-game tickets for all 32 Pippins home games will go on sale in early 2021.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Three freshmen headed to UCLA next fall, including a right-handed pitcher, a utility infielder/outfielder and a son of a former Major Leaguer, are the latest additions to the Yakima Valley Pippins’ 2021 roster.

“I’m very excited to continue the partnership the Pippins have built with UCLA and Coach (John) Savage,” Pippins manager Kyle Krustangel said. “I think fans will enjoy seeing these three as they are some of the best amateur talent in the country, and they’ll play major roles next summer.”

UCLA’s 2021 recruiting class has been ranked No. 4 nationally by Baseball America.

The three players are:

Josh Alger is a 6-foot-3, 185-pound right-hander from Roseville (Calif.) High School, a three-sport athlete and a two-time Preseason Underclass All-American in baseball.

Alex Fernandes is a 5-foot-10, 150-pound utility player from San Marcos (Calif.). The left-handed hitter is primarily a shortshop, but also plays outfield and pitches.

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek is a 6-foot-2, 170-pound right-handed hitting shortstop from Torry Pines High School in San Diego who is ranked one of the top middle infielders in California. He is the son of Mark Grudzielanek, a middle infielder who played for six teams during a 15-year Major League career that spanned 1995 through 2010.

The trio represents half of the Pippins’ six incoming college freshmen that each West Coast League team is limited to roster each year.

“I’m pleased to bring three Bruins to Yakima next summer,” Krustangel said. “Coach Savage speaks highly on each of them, and they should be among the top high-end talent in the West Coast League.”

The Pippins are scheduled to open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium on June 4. Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and ticket vouchers are already on sale at PippinsTickets.com. Single-game tickets for all 32 Pippins home games will go on sale in early 2021.

YAKIMA, Wash. — A pair of Yakima Valley College Yaks slated to play for the Yakima Valley Pippins in 2020 will return next summer — and they’re bringing two more teammates as well.

Middle infielder Connor Coballes and catcher Josh Davis were scheduled to play for the Pippins in 2020 before the West Coast League season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their YVC season was also cut short by the pandemic after just 12 games.

Coballes is a 5-foot-11 sophomore from Spokane, who also will spend some time on the mound for the Pippins. Davis is a 6-foot freshman from Bothell.

“I’m excited to bring back Josh and Connor again summer after they were supposed to play for the Pippins in 2020,” Pippins manager Kyle Krustangel said. “Both are great leaders and will be guys to build the summer culture around.”

Krustangel, YVC’s skipper in the spring, also is adding a pair of YVC freshman starting pitchers to the Pippins.

Tyler Frieders is a 6-foot-1 right-hander from Billings, Mont., who had pitched 11.1 innings in three appearances with the Yaks this spring. Dann Blanchard, a 6-foot-3 right-hander who also hails from Billings, tossed 15 innings in his three appearances, striking out 13 and compiling a 1.80 ERA.

“All four of these guys play at the West Coast League level, and they all were signed to play with different teams across the league this past year,” Krustangel said. “I know the work ethic and compete factor are high in each of them.”

Besides Coballes and Davis, four other players signed for the 2020 season will play for the Pippins next summer: Reagan Haas, a former Riverside Christian standout from Wapato, and Owen Wild of Gig Harbor, both right-handed pitchers at Gonzaga; right-hander Seth Kuykendall of Spokane, who pitched for Krustangel at YVC in 2018 and 2019; and outfielder Corey Jarrell of Brewster.

Haas earned a win with three innings of relief work against Washington State on March 10 before the season was shut down. He struck out two and gave up four hits in that appearance.

The Pippins will open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium on June 4. Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and ticket vouchers are already on sale at PippinsTickets.com. Single-game tickets for all 32 Pippins home games will go on sale in early 2021.

YAKIMA, Wash. — After a summer without collegiate baseball in the Yakima Valley, the Pippins are preparing to return to West Coast League play next June.

The 2020 WCL season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the lost season, the league grew to 15 teams for 2021 by adding three new Canadian franchises. The Pippins will host one of those teams, the Kamloops NorthPaws, in the season-opening three-game series at Yakima County Stadium beginning June 4.

“It’s been a frustrating year for everyone, everywhere. We’re looking forward to getting back on the diamond next summer and helping to build a sense of normalcy and community again,” Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson said. “Adding three new teams for 2021 gives us all another reason to be excited about the return of summer collegiate baseball.”

The Pippins will play a 32-game home schedule — up from a planned 30-game schedule for 2020 — and will host nine of the league’s other 14 teams at home. Likewise, Yakima Valley will visit nine teams next summer. The Pippins will round out their home schedule with five nonleague games.

Yakima Valley will host Kamloops, Ridgefield, Corvallis, Walla Walla, Bellingham, Kelowna, Bend, Cowlitz and Wenatchee. The Pippins will travel to each of those teams except Cowlitz, and will travel to Port Angeles instead.

In previous years, each team played nearly every other team in the league. But with expansion, extensive travel time, travel expenses, and available playing dates forced the league’s board of directors to take a different approach to scheduling.

COVID-19 also played a role in development of the league schedule.

“The approach is to still play as many teams as we could with an eye toward limiting long-distance travel and costs and keeping safety for everyone top of mind,” Garretson said. “We want fans to see as many of the league’s great players as we can, while also acknowledging we may need to be flexible with ongoing pandemic-related issues and restrictions that communities may be facing at the time.

“Our No. 1 focus is safety for fans, staff, players and coaches of all teams,” Garretson added. “No one can predict right now what things will look like next spring and summer, but we’ll actively work with local health officials and abide by the local and state guidelines to keep us all safe.”

For 2021, the Pippins won’t face the other two new teams to the league — the Edmonton Riverhawks and the Nanaimo NightOwls — and also won’t play Victoria or Portland.

Because of the increased number of teams, the league’s playing season will start on June 1 and end Aug. 12 — an addition of three days at the beginning of the summer and four at the end. The league also suspended the All-Star Game for 2021.

Division alignments and the WCL’s playoff format will be announced later, Garretson said.

Season tickets and vouchers are currently on sale at PippinsTickets.com or by calling 509-575-4487, with holiday discounts available through the end of the year. Single-game tickets will go on sale in January.

Download the 2021 Pippins schedule here.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Despite not playing a single game this summer, the West Coast League has had a busy 2020.

On Tuesday, the collegiate baseball summer league announced the Edmonton, Alberta, Riverhawks will join its ranks for the 2021 season, bringing the total number of teams in the WCL to 15.

The Riverhawks are one of three new Canadian teams, including the Nanaimo NightOwls and the Kamloops NorthPaws, both in British Columbia, to join the formerly 12-team WCL this year.

“Obviously, we were very disappointed we couldn’t play baseball this summer, for our fans and for the players,” Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson said. “But, as a league, we also were working on big things coming for 2021, and that helped to keep the spark of excitement alive during this unprecedented year.”

Nanaimo’s announcement to join the WCL was made public this spring, and formally unveiled in July. Kamloops was announced Sept. 9.

Edmonton, the fifth Canadian franchise, becomes the northernmost team in the league and the first WCL team in Alberta. Victoria and Kelowna are the other two British Columbia franchises.

“That will present some scheduling and traveling challenges that the WCL board has been looking at for several weeks,” Garretson said. “But expansion always allows the opportunity to think about things differently, and to create more regional rivalries and excitement for fans.”

Division alignments and scheduling will be addressed at the WCL’s fall meetings later this month. A 2021 league schedule is expected this fall.

The Pippins will open their seventh WCL season at Yakima County Stadium in June 2021. Season tickets, mini season ticket plans and ticket vouchers are already on sale.

One of the best (and least-known) ticket packages for the Yakima Valley Pippins is available again for the 2021 season: the Family Pass.

The Family Pass allows a family of up to six people general admission tickets to all 32 Pippins home games and includes many of the same perks as other season ticket plans — including early ballpark entry, concession stand express lanes and more.

The Family Pass is $405 for the entire season — which works out to just $2.11 per ticket per family member per game.

The Family Pass can be purchased at http://yp1.glitnirticketing.com/ypticket/store/index.php, or by calling 509-575-4487. A payment installment plan is also available when purchasing by phone.

For more information about the Family Pass, call 509-575-4487 or email info@pippinsbaseball.com.

YAKIMA, Wash. — On what would have been the originally scheduled Opening Day of the 2020 West Coast League season, the Yakima Valley Pippins reluctantly announce the cancellation of their season because of health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Yakima County.

“Safety of our fans, players and coaches, host families and staff are our top priority, and current conditions aren’t favorable for us to hold a season,” Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson said. The COVID infection numbers and the county’s slow progression through the state’s reopening guidelines also contributed to the decision, he said.

“The Pippins are committed to return in 2021 because sports bring us together with a sense of community. Baseball can remind us of the best things in life, especially during this current time of pandemic and social unrest,” Garretson continued. “Sports are a powerful force for equity for players and for fans, and we can’t wait to share that experience again at The Orchard next year.”

Garretson said team officials had been working on developing plans to safely reopen Yakima County Stadium with additional health and safety protocols and limited fan seating. But with gatherings limited to fewer than 50 people until Phase 4 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s reopening guidelines, the likelihood of getting to Phase 4 before many of the team’s players would have to prepare to return to college wouldn’t provide time for a viable season.

“We wouldn’t be able to provide the experience for our fans, our sponsors or our players that would meet our expectations,” Garretson said.

The West Coast League’s regular-season schedule was to end Aug. 9, with playoffs to follow.

Earlier this spring, the league’s two British Columbia teams (Victoria and Kelowna), two teams in Oregon (Bend and Corvallis) and one team in Washington (Bellingham) canceled their seasons because of state, provincial or local restrictions. Seven remaining teams — Portland, Port Angeles, Ridgefield, Cowlitz, Wenatchee, Walla Walla, and Yakima — were working on a shorter season that would have started in mid-July and run deeper into August.

But when Yakima County couldn’t advance to Phase 2 of reopening on time, it scuttled the Pippins’ hopes of salvaging a 2020 season. Walla Walla, Port Angeles, Ridgefield and Cowlitz also announced season cancellations today.

Despite the cancellation, Garretson remains hopeful for some events at The Orchard later this summer, and is excited about pivoting to the 2021 season:

• Once the county moves to Phase 3 of reopening, which would allow groups of up to 50, the Pippins still expect to hold youth baseball camps for ages 7-18.

“With high school, Little League and college seasons canceled throughout the area, we know players of all ages will want to keep improving their skills, and we expect our camps would help fill that need,” Garretson said.

• The Pippins coaching staff of Kyle Krustangel, Cash Ulrich and Kelly Fitzpatrick are expected to return for the 2021 season.

• Several local players who had signed to play for the Pippins in 2020 are expected to return for the 2021 season, including Regan Haas (Wapato; Gonzaga), Cort Dietrich (Selah; Montana State Univ. Billings) and Xander Orejudos (Ellensburg; Georgia Gwinnett). Two players whom Krustangel coaches during the spring at Yakima Valley College, Connor Coballes (Spokane) and Josh Davis (Bothell), also are expected to return, as are several other players.

• The Pippins will have a 32-game home schedule in 2021, up from 30 scheduled home games in 2020.

“Season ticket members with 2020 tickets will be able to roll over their tickets automatically to next year — and they’ll receive tickets to two additional games at no additional charge,” Garretson said. Season ticket memberships for new buyers will go on sale later this month, he added.

• Team officials already have begun contacting ticket buyers and sponsors about the canceled season, and options for moving purchases and sponsorship packages to next season.

“So far, ticket holders’ and sponsors’ reactions mirror ours — disappointment with no Pippins baseball this year, but excitement for next year,” Garretson said. “The overwhelming majority are rolling their investments forward into 2021, and I couldn’t be more humbled by the trust and faith we’ve been able to build with them over the past several seasons.”

• Earlier this offseason, the Pippins extended their lease of Yakima County Stadium with State Fair Park for another three years, Garretson said.

• The WCL today announced the 2021 league season will begin Friday, June 4, 2021. The Pippins will open at home that day, with the opponent to be announced when the league schedule is released this fall.

• The 12 current teams in the WCL will be joined next year by an expansion team in Naniamo, British Columbia, which joined the league earlier this spring.

Information regarding 2020 season ticket memberships, single-game tickets, parking passes, and other purchases that can be rolled over to the 2021 Pippins season is below. Pippins staff will be reaching out to all ticket buyers by June 15. If you have additional questions not covered below, please call 509-575-4487 or email info@pippinsbaseball.com.

Season Ticket Memberships

• Members who have paid in full can roll over their 2020 season tickets in full for the 2021 season.
• Members who have purchased a full-season parking pass can use that pass in 2021.
• If members have not yet paid in full, payments must be completed by Aug. 1, 2020, to qualify for extended benefits.
• Extended benefits of rolling over tickets:
  1. Members will receive free tickets (and parking passes, if a full-season parking pass was purchased) to two additional games in 2021. The Pippins will have 32 home games in 2021.
  2. Members will receive one commemorative souvenir Pippins-themed T-shirt for each season ticket membership purchased at no additional cost for rolling over their tickets to 2021.
  3. Members will be invited to a season-ticket holder barbecue prior to the 2021 season at Yakima County Stadium to watch a preseason practice, mingle with players after practice and pose for a group photo with players.
  4. Members will be invited to a season-ticket holder holiday party/Hot Stove League session with head coach Kyle Krustangel and staff this winter.

Family Pass members

• Members who have paid in full can roll over their 2020 Family Pass in full to the 2021 season.
• Members who have purchased a full-season parking pass can use that pass in 2021.
• If Members have not yet paid in full, payments must be completed by Aug. 1, 2020.
• Benefits of rolling over Family Pass:
  1. Members will receive free tickets to two additional games in 2021 (and parking passes, if a full-season parking pass was purchased).
  2. Members will be invited to a season-ticket holder barbecue prior to the 2021 season at Yakima County Stadium to watch a preseason practice, mingle with players after practice and pose for a group photo with players.

Mini Season Tickets/Voucher buyers

• Fans who have purchased vouchers and Mini Season Ticket Plans can roll over those purchases to 2021 season.
  1. Mini Season Ticket Plan buyers will have to reselect games for 2021.
  2. Voucher buyers who have already redeemed vouchers for 2020 will need to select new games for 2021.

Single-Game Ticket buyers

• Single-Game Tickets purchased for any game can roll over the purchase to 2021 at no additional charge.
  1. Game tickets will need to be reissued.
• Box office ticket prices will not increase for the 2021 season.

Parking Pass buyers

• Single-Game Parking Passes purchased in 2020 can roll over the purchase to 2021 at no additional charge.
  1. Parking passes will not need to be reissued since they were printed with the 2020 year on each pass. Parking passes from 2019 or earlier seasons were only valid in those years. Only parking passes with the years 2020 or 2021 will be accepted for the 2021 season.
• Prepaid parking pass pricing for individual games will not increase for the 2021 season.

Food Voucher Buyers

• Food vouchers purchased in 2020 can roll over to 2021 at no additional charge.
  1. Food vouchers will not need to be reissued since they were printed with the 2020 year on each voucher.

Refunds

• Refunds for any ticket, parking, or food/beverage voucher purchases must be requested by Aug. 1, 2020, by emailing info@pippinsbaseball.com or calling 509-575-4487 and talking with your account executive. No refund requests will be processed after this date.

YAKIMA, Wash. — As the Yakima Valley Pippins continue to prepare for a shortened 2020 season amid uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, team officials are turning their attention to a vital operations element each year: securing host families for incoming players.

“We’ve had an excellent base group of families who welcome strangers into their homes at the start of each season, and by the end of the summer those strangers are extended family members for years to come,” Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson said.

With so many moving parts this year caused by the pandemic — and scenarios that change weekly if not daily — having enough beds for players is a front-and-center concern this year, Garretson added.

“Ironically, we may see the best overall talent level among the teams playing than we have before,” he said. “We currently have about 35 players on the roster, which is more than usual, and now we need to house them.”

Garretson added that the team and other West Coast League teams are developing protocols that would help keep players and host families as safe as possible during the pandemic.

Garretson estimates the team needs about 10 to 12 more beds for this summer at this point. Because the season will be shorter than usual this summer, Garretson hopes families who haven’t hosted before because of the time commitment might try it this year.

“Without our great hosts, we wouldn’t be able to operate. It’s as simple as that.”

Families interested in hosting a player can apply here.

Host families provide free room and board during the West Coast League season, a family environment to help players adjust to a new community away from their own families, and, in some cases, transportation to and from the ballpark. This summer, Garretson expects players to begin arriving in early July and leave about the middle of August.

In return, host families receive a Stadium View season ticket for each member of the immediate household, a full-season parking pass, 20 percent off team merchandise during the season, a souvenir team hat for each member of the immediate household and a limited number of ballpark concessions vouchers.

For more information about the program, email info@pippinsbaseball.com or call 509-575-4487.

YAKIMA, Wash. – The last time Carter Young played at Yakima County Stadium, he walked three times and came around to score twice to help Selah High School win the Washington Class 2A state championship on May 25, 2019.

Just over a year later, Young is slated to return, this time representing Vanderbilt University as part of the Yakima Valley Pippins’ 2020 roster.

“I’m super excited to bring Carter Young onto the Pippins,” Manager Kyle Krustangel said. “He’s an elite player, and will be among the high end in terms of caliber across the whole league this summer.”

Young made an immediate impact this year with the Commodores, starting in all 18 games as a freshman. The middle infielder hit .328 from the bottom of the order, helping his team with 12 RBI and scoring 10 runs himself.

“As a middle infielder, he’ll be a 1-2-3 hole hitter, and a switch-hitter. He can do a lot,” Krustangel said. “He was second on his team in hits and RBI, which as a freshman at Vanderbilt is pretty impressive.”

Young was slated to play in the Cape Cod League this summer. But the league announced recently it wouldn’t play this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, providing an opening for the standout to play for the Pippins.

Young was named the Class 2A baseball player of the year by the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association following his championship season with Selah, as well as the CWAC co-MVP. This year, he was named the SEC’s No. 19 Impact Freshman by D1Baseball.

He will actually be the second 2019 Washington player of the year to play for the Pippins, following Henry Gargus, who played part of last season in Yakima and was the Class 4A player of the year in 2019. Gargus was a freshman at Stanford this spring.

The West Coast League announced Friday that the start of the 2020 season is being delayed until early July because of the pandemic and local and state restrictions. A new Pippins schedule for the summer will be released in the next several weeks.

YAKIMA, Wash. – As the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect lives across the nation and the world, the Yakima Valley Pippins remain committed to a 2020 collegiate baseball season at Yakima County Stadium this summer.

The West Coast League announced today a delayed start for the season, originally scheduled for June 5, to early July, based on recent announcements from governing officials in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia, the states and province in which the league’s 12 teams are located.

“The situation is constantly evolving, and the only thing we know right now is that a June 5 opening is not an option,” Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson said. “Delaying until July allows us to continue to monitor the local progress of the outbreak and prepare and adapt for a safe experience for players, fans, staff and others at the ballpark.”

Garretson added that the team will adhere to all local, state and federal guidelines.

“Sports are an important part of our collective consciousness as a nation, and we’re definitely missing them right now,” he said. “Locally, baseball has a long and storied history, and we feel we can play a big role in helping the community heal and repair a sense of normalcy that we don’t have currently.”

Because of other state or provincial restrictions, some WCL teams will not be fielding teams this summer, the league announcement stated. But all 12 teams are committed to playing in 2021, and a 13^th team in Nanaimo, British Columbia, will join the WCL next year.

Garretson said the delayed start also gives the team time to prepare for a different experience this year.

“This certainly will not be the experience we’ve seen over the past six years,” Garretson said. “We will have limited seating available to maintain social distancing practices, for example. We’ll likely be moving to a cashless experience onsite for ticket sales, merchandise sales and concessions. We’ll utilize a new concessions app to order and pay online to limit lines. We’re working through all those scenarios and will work with Yakima County and the Health Department to provide a safe family-friendly experience when the time is right.”

A revised schedule will be released in the next several weeks, Garretson said. In the meantime, all online ticket sales have been halted while a new schedule is built. All previously purchased tickets will be valid in the revised summer schedule and single-game and group ticket buyers will be able to transfer those tickets to new games as needed, he added.

YAKIMA, Wash. – Western Oregon standout pitcher Connor McCord will join University of Oregon middle infielder Tristan Hanoian and pitcher Hayden Rasica as the latest additions to the Pippins roster.

McCord rejoins the West Coast League for his third season after playing for Pippins coach Kyle Krustangel’s Wenatchee AppleSox in 2017 and 2018. He played for the Peninsula Oilers of the Alaska Baseball League last summer, and was slated to see action in the Cape Cod Baseball League as well as the Northwoods League this summer before public safety measures led to the cancellation of the CCBL’s season.

“I’m extremely excited to have Connor McCord,” Krustangel said. “He’s kind of a fan favorite in terms of his personality. He’s a super fun clubhouse type of guy, likes to keep things loose and interact with the crowd, but he’s also extremely talented.”

McCord, a left-handed senior sidewinder from Gilbert, Arizona, also joins college teammate Seth Kuykendall, who was announced in February. McCord has a career 4.23 ERA in 112.2 innings at Western Oregon, conceding just 30 walks while striking out 103. He had his most elite season last year, when he struck out 50 batters in 38.2 innings. He compiled a 2.33 ERA and kept opponents to a .182 batting average.

Known as much for his bat as his arm, McCord is a career .306 hitter for the Wolves. Known to display some pop in his bat, he has 19 collegiate home runs and a .519 career slugging percentage.

“Some of his numbers he’s got at Western Oregon are video game numbers I like to call them just because of how dominant he’s been,” Krustangel said, adding that McCord was likely to appear in this year’s MLB First-Year Player Draft before the decision was made to limit the number of rounds. “He’s just the ultimate competitor. The kid wants to compete and win at everything he does. He’s a presence in the box and a presence on the mound.”

Rasica, from Klamath Falls, Oregon, saw just one inning of action in his debut season with the Ducks before the season was cut short. He made the most of it, though, striking out two and keeping Hawaii scoreless in the effort.

Last year at Henley High School, he struck out 90 batters over 54-plus innings, compiled a 1.23 ERA and was named the Baseball Athlete of the Year by Klamath Falls daily newspaper Herald and News.

“He was one of the guys from a big school that was slated to throw a lot of innings [in the summer] just because they knew his innings were going to be a bit lower over in Oregon, so anytime you have a Power 5 arm that’s not coming in with any limits is obviously great news for a coach and great news for a summer team,” Krustangel said. “I’m sure he’s hungry and eager to get on the bump and to showcase his stuff.”

Hanoian saw his first season with the Ducks cut short after transferring from Orange Coast College, where he played for John Altobelli and was part of their state junior college championship team in 2019. Originally from Orange, California, Hanoian only saw action in three games to start his junior season with Oregon before the 2020 NCAA season was cancelled.

He’s a multiple spot infielder who can play all four positions and is primarily a middle guy,” Krustangel said. “I feel like we have one of the best infield groups that I’ve ever coached at this level, so he’s just another guy that adds to that mix.”

“I’m really excited to bring in two Ducks,” Krustangel continued. “I’ve coached a couple Ducks over at Wenatchee with their old staff, and I’m excited to expand that relationship [with their new coaching staff] and excited for the two guys we have coming in.”

YAKIMA, Wash. – When infielder Jacob Berry and outfielder Kyle Casper take the field for the Pippins this summer, they’ll be part of what Yakima Valley manager Kyle Krustangel says will be the most elite season the West Coast League has ever seen.

“I think the summer ball leagues have never been as good as they’re going to be this summer. In terms of talent, you’re going to have extra guys because of the draft [being shortened] and because of seniors coming into the league that’s going to make for just an elite summer ball experience,” Krustangel said. He added that the circumstances around the season will make for a rare consistency among the rosters since players won’t have to wait for their respective season to end before joining their summer team.

Both Berry and Casper are University of Arizona commits who come highly touted by Perfect Game. Both men participated in the 2019 Perfect Game National Showcase, were given a 9.5/10 grade by the organization and were named to their respective 2020 Preseason All-Region teams (Berry for the West region and Casper for the California region).

Berry was part of a Queen Creek High School team in Arizona that started its 2020 season with eight straight wins before the season was interrupted. In 2019, he led the Bulldogs in almost every offensive category with a .441 batting average, eight doubles and four home runs.

“I think he has the athleticism to play third base in the West Coast League, and I think he’d be a plus-plus athlete over at first,” Krustangel said. He also commented on Berry’s offensive prowess and power, with his exit velocity reaching 98 mph at times. “Obviously with our short-porches down the line at The Orchard, he should be running some balls out to both sides of the yard.”

Casper was also a top performer for Valhalla High School in El Cajon, California, last season, amassing 18 RBI, 31 runs scored, seven doubles and a pair of long balls over 32 games. One of the quickest prospects in the class of 2020 according to Perfect Game, Casper also swiped 21 bases last year.

“What makes him stand out is not only is he a toolsy outfielder, but he is very offensive. That’s the reason you go from an average prospect in the country to a top prospect, when you have a lot of tools in play at once,” Krustangel said. “We like to run. When we look at guys to bring in, when you get a guy like Casper it’s a no-brainer because we want that kid to swipe 15-25 bases throughout the summer.”

YAKIMA, Wash. — Yakima Valley Pippins manager Kyle Krustangel lauded his relationship with UCLA head coach John Savage and the existing Pippins-UCLA relationship while announcing the addition of infielder Daylen Reyes and outfielder Carson Hamro.

“I’ve had at least one Bruin each of the last three years when I was at the AppleSox, and Coach Savage — obviously his resume speaks for itself — does a really good job of sending some of his best talent to the West Coast League,” Krustangel said. “Every guy I’ve had from Savage has arguably been one of the best hitters or pitchers in the league.”

Reyes, a 6-foot standout from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, was touted by Savage as “one of the best pure hitters in Southern California” when UCLA announced its signing class last fall. Reyes hit .398 last season with 17 RBI and five doubles. He was off to a tear to start this season, racking up four doubles and a triple in just seven games.

“Reyes will be a key utility player,” Krustangel said. “He can play shortstop, second, and he’s flashy, too. I know Savage is very excited for him.”

Last summer, Reyes participated in the 2019 Perfect Game National Showcase and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2019 Perfect Game 17U World Series. He was also named to the First Team All-Mission League at Notre Dame last season.

“I am super excited for the opportunity to play in Yakima,” Reyes said. “I can’t wait to get back on the field and win some games for the Pippins this summer.”

Hamro, the tallest member of UCLA’s signing class last fall at 6-foot-5, was one of the workhorses for Rancho Buena Vista’s pitching staff last season. The right-hander led his team with 62 innings pitched, compiling a 4-2 record and 2.60 ERA while racking up 84 strikeouts.

Krustangel drew comparisons between Hamro and Jake Saum, who played for Krustangel at Wenatchee last summer before heading off to UCLA. Saum, who had a 4-1 record and 2.80 ERA in the regular season, pitched seven shutout innings during Wenatchee’s lone playoff victory against Victoria.

“Hamro’s a big-time strikeout guy with a three-pitch mix and a good fastball,” Krustangel said. “The arms that I’ve had from Savage have been next-level, so I look for him to be competing for a starting spot and get a lot of innings this summer.”

During the past several days, our lives have been changing so quickly because of the COVID-19 virus that we are all struggling to keep up. As with your families, our priority at this moment is the health and safety of all members of Pippins Baseball, from our staffs to our players, from our fans and business partners to our host families, all of whom have helped build the Pippins into a community asset over the past six years.

The Pippins remain committed to the Yakima Valley and the incredible people who help make this valley an exceptional place to live. We also remain committed to playing West Coast League baseball at Yakima County Stadium this summer, but only when it is safe to do so, and in accordance with local, state and federal guidelines. We will continue to monitor the changing dynamics closely, and respond appropriately.

Baseball in the Yakima Valley has been one of the many ways we connect with each other. While we share the disappointment with all local high school athletes and the collegiate athletes who are not playing the sports they love at this time, we are comforted knowing the drive and determination inside each of them will help them persevere. We’re looking forward to seeing them on the playing field again.

In the meantime, the Pippins urge residents to follow the local, state and federal guidelines to not only keep yourselves safe, but to keep your families and neighbors safe as well. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. Be patient with each other. And look out for one another.

#StaySafe. #RollPipps.

Jeff Garretson
General Manager

YAKIMA, Wash. — Washington State swept a four-game series from Niagara over the weekend, and an incoming Pippins outfielder played a key role.

Brady Hill (Pippins 2020), a freshman, went 6-for-16 with a double and an RBI – including a 4-for-6 effort with three runs scored in the series opener Thursday. The strong weekend improved Hill’s batting average this year from .261 to .308 as the Cougars improved to 9-6 overall.

Cole Pofek (Pippins 2018) was 2-for-5 with four RBIs and a home run Sunday for Cal Riverside as the Highlanders took three of four games from Holy Cross over the weekend. Pofek finished 6-for-19 and hit safely in all four games.

Mark Woinarowicz (Pippins 2019) pitched a scoreless inning in three straight appearances Friday, Saturday and Sunday for Cal State East Bay against CSU Monterey Bay over the weekend. The junior struck out two in both his Saturday and Sunday stints, and is 2-1 with one save and a 2.25 ERA in nine games this spring.

YAKIMA, Wash. – For the first time in the team’s seven-year history, the Pippins are welcoming players from the University of Washington to the Yakima Valley.

Current freshman Cole Miller and incoming freshman Corey Jarrell, both outfielders, are the latest 2020 roster additions announced by Pippins head coach Kyle Krustangel.

Krustangel is already familiar with Jarrell, whose family hosted Krustangel after getting hired for his first teaching position at Bridgeport High School. He also played baseball with Corey’s older brother, JR, at Whitworth University.

Last year as a junior at Brewster High School, Jarrell hit .468 with one home run, two triples and three doubles. He walked 20 times and scored 33 runs, with 19 RBIs during the campaign.

“Corey is a multi-sport athlete that has had a lot of success at Brewster,” Krustangel said, “and I’m excited to have someone I know out there.”

Miller, whose father also played at UW, earned all-conference honors in both football and baseball at Mercer Island High School. For the Huskies, he’s already seen action as a pinch-runner, coming around to score three times, including scoring the winning run against Loyola Marymount in the Huskies’ first series of the season.

“(Washington Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Elliott) Cribby speaks extremely highly of him as a defender with a plus bat,” Krustangel said.

“In my experience in four years, you don’t see a lot of UW players in the West Coast League, so it’s nice to have a major representation from a Division I powerhouse like the University of Washington,” Krustangel added.

YAKIMA, Wash. — A former Yakima Valley Yak who will pitch for the Pippins this summer had an impressive debut appearance at Western Oregon on Sunday.

Seth Kuykendall (Pippins 2020) earned a victory for Western Oregon with three innings of relief work against Montana State Billings. The right-hander, who was making his first appearance of the year, struck out four and walked one while facing the minimum nine batters. Dylan Barkley (Pippins 2019) absorbed the 3-2 loss for MSU as his record slipped to 1-1.

Christian Padilla (Pippins 2019) hit .333 (4 for 12) in three games this weekend for Boise State, as the Broncos swept Northern Colorado. Padilla’s big game came Saturday, when the junior outfielder went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. On Sunday, he wrapped up the weekend with another two RBIs as the Broncos evened their 2020 record at 3-3.

Owen Cobb (Pippins 2019) earned his first collegiate hits this weekend for Stanford as the Cardinal won two of three games against Grand Canyon. The freshman, who started games Saturday and Sunday and also batted leadoff, doubled in Friday’s and Saturday’s games, and also hit safely Sunday. He finished 3-for-8 over the weekend, and also drove in a run. Teammate Henry Gargus (Yakima’s Davis High School, Pippins 2019) has started three of the five games in which he’s appeared. He’s struggled offensively so far in 12 at-bats, but earned his first RBI of the season with a groundout that scored Cobb in Friday’s 5-3 loss.

YAKIMA, Wash. – Two Washington State University Cougars will suit up for the Pippins in the 2020 season.

Outfielder Brady Hill and pitcher Danny Shafer will travel west to the Yakima Valley for the summer. Hill is in his first year with the Cougars as a freshman while Shafer redshirted as a true freshman last season and is currently enrolled in a velocity improvement program that will keep him off the mound during this collegiate season.

As a freshman, Hill is already making his presence known in the Cougars lineup, starting in six of their first eight games. The 6-foot product of Mt. Spokane High School is coming off a senior season in which he was named MVP of the Greater Spokane League.

“Brady is a very good outfielder from Spokane, so he’s used to the mountains. It’s good to have guys that are used to the area,” Pippins coach Kyle Krustangel said. “His talent certainly speaks for itself if he’s cracking the lineup for a Power 5 school.”

Hill was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 39th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, but elected to attend Washington State.

A 6-foot-6-inch pitcher from Tacoma, Shafer competed for the Highline Bears of the summer collegiate Pacific International League last year. Primarily used in relief, he racked up a 1-3 record in 24 appearances, with a 9.46 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 32.1 innings of work.

Shafer appeared in both games of a split series when the Bears came to visit Yakima Valley on July 30-31 last season. In three innings of work, he struck out five Pippins hitters and surrendered two runs.

YAKIMA, Wash. — It’s still chilly in Central Washington, but a former Yakima Valley Pippins pitcher has been heating things up in California so far this spring.

Taylor Dollard (Pippins 2017) struck out 12 against just one walk in seven innings against BYU on Friday. The Cal Poly righthander scattered four hits and two earned runs in the outing, in which he did not receive a decision. BYU snapped a 2-2 tie in the eighth and went on to a 6-2 win. So far this season, Dollard has struck out 22 and walked three in 14 innings, and has a 1.29 ERA.

Dylan Barkley (Pippins 2019) picked up his first victory of 2020 against Colorado School of Mines on Sunday with a seven-inning effort in which he struck out seven and walked one. He allowed three earned runs and two home runs in that game. In three appearances this spring, he has struck out 19 and walked five in 15 innings pitched. He also earned a save with a three-inning appearance on Jan. 31 against Point Loma.

Stephen Lund (Pippins 2020) had a big series for Gonzaga, though the Bulldogs dropped three games at Arkansas. The incoming Pippins catcher from Verona, Wisconsin, went 5-for-11 (.454) on the weekend, including a 3-for-4 effort in last Thursday’s game.

YAKIMA, Wash. – A pitcher and catcher from Gonzaga University and a Western Oregon University pitcher with ties to the Yakima Valley are slated to join the Pippins when they open their season at home against Corvallis in June.

Catcher Stephen Lund and right-handed pitcher Owen Wild will join fellow Zag Reagan Haas (Riverside Christian) in Yakima, while former Yakima Valley Yak Seth Kuykendall will join the Pippins following his first season at Western Oregon.

Lund, a redshirt freshman, started behind the plate for three of Gonzaga’s first four games during the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic in Surprise, Arizona, on Feb. 14-17. The 5-foot-10 right-hander from Verona, Wisconsin, hit .231 to help his team to a 2-2 record over the weekend.

“Stephen is an elite defender with definitely a plus bat for a Division I catcher, but a guy that’s going to play a majority of games for the Zags, who look to be on top of the West Coast Conference,” said Pippins coach Kyle Krustangel, who stressed the importance of bringing in a veteran to work with younger catchers like Josh Davis, a YVC freshman who will be joining the Pippins for the summer as well. “It’s a great learning opportunity for Josh … and at the same time, it’s nice to have a guy that’s handling elite arms over there at Gonzaga.”

Wild, a 6-foot-3 senior at Gig Harbor High School, will get his first taste of collegiate competition with the Pippins before beginning his freshman year at Gonzaga in the fall. He owns Gig Harbor’s single-season strikeout record after retiring 112 batters in 78 innings last season.

Kuykendall is no stranger to Krustangel or the Yakima Valley, as he played with the Yaks for two seasons before transferring to Western Oregon last fall. Last season, the right-hander started 11 games for YVC, completing two of them while compiling a 7-2 record and 2.92 ERA. He also pitched for Krustangel’s former West Coast League team, the Wenatchee AppleSox, last summer, striking out 43 batters over 41.1 innings along the way to a 2.17 ERA.

“I’m thrilled to have Seth back. Seth’s a fan favorite,” Krustangel said. “I would imagine him coming to be a starter. He’s got a four-pitch mix, a strike thrower who had a lot of success last summer and threw in one of our playoff games.”

YAKIMA, Wash. — First-year Pippins head coach Kyle Krustangel has rounded out his coaching staff for the 2020 season with two assistants that aren’t strangers to the Yakima Valley.

Cash Ulrich, who has been Krustangel’s associate head coach at Yakima Valley College since 2016 and also helped Krustangel coach the Wenatchee AppleSox during the past three summers, will serve as head assistant coach for the Pippins this summer.

Kelly Fitzpatrick, who pitched for the Pippins in 2014 and 2015 and is currently an assistant coach at Skagit Valley College, will return to Yakima as pitching coach. He also pitched at YVC.

“I’m very excited about the coaching staff for this summer,” Krustangel said. “Cash has been with me at YVC since 2016, and we won an NWAC title and have coached over 400 games together. He’s as good as they get. The players love and respect him, and he is as hard of a worker as a coach as they come.”

Ulrich grew up in Spokane and attended Gonzaga Prep and Eastern Washington University, where he played club hockey for four years and helped lead EWU to two national tournament appearances. During that time, Ulrich also coached the club baseball program at EWU, coached freshman baseball at Gonzaga Prep and coached American Legion Baseball.

Ulrich will take charge of the defense, serve as infield coach, mental game coach and help work with hitters, Krustangel said.

Fitzpatrick is a “rising star” in the coaching ranks who will be a great benefit to the Pippins this summer, Krustangel said.

“Kelly is familiar with the area being a former Yak and Pippin, and he has a lot of pride in being a part of Yakima. Head coaches he has worked with have raved about his work ethic and how he handles the pitching staff,” Krustangel said.

After pitching for the Pippins, Fitzpatrick pitched for Whitworth University in 2016 and 2017. He also was head coach for the Spokane Expos during those two summers, then joined the Whitworth staff as a graduate assistant and pitching coach from 2017-19. In addition to various other coaching stints during that time period, Fitzpatrick joined Skagit Valley College as pitching coach last fall.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be back in a Pippins uniform,” Fitzpatrick said. “I had a great experience playing in Yakima, and I look forward to re-creating that environment for current student-athletes.”

The Pippins open their 57-game seventh West Coast League season on June 5 at Yakima County Stadium against four-time defending WCL champion Corvallis. Tickets for opening night, presented by Legends Casino Hotel, are available at PippinsTickets.com or by calling 509-575-4487.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Daniel Cipriano had the hot bat for Montana State University-Billings to help the Yellowjackets to three wins in four nonleague games over the holiday weekend.

• Cipriano, a senior first baseman who played for the Pippins in 2019 before an injury cut his summer short, hit two home runs in games Friday and Saturday and finished the weekend 8 for 16 (.500) with seven RBIs and four extra-base hits to improve his batting average to .321 (9-for-28) in the team’s first seven games.

Cipriano’s teammates who have or will play in Yakima also fared well: Tanner Parker (Pippins 2019) drove in four runs Friday against CSU-Pueblo, and teammate Cort Dietrich, who will pitch for the Pippins this summer, earned a victory against Sioux Falls on Friday with 1.2 innings pitched, and struck out two in a scoreless inning of relief on Saturday against CSU-Pueblo. Andrew Schleusner (Pippins 2018) had two-hit games on Friday and Saturday and is batting .357 (5-for-14) with two RBIs and a double in four starts this season.

• Joe Magrisi (Cal State Fullerton, Pippins 2019) struck out five and walked one while allowing two hits in six innings of work against Stanford on Sunday. But two unearned runs against Magrisi, the Pippins’ ace last year, helped the Cardinal to a 2-1 victory and salvaged the three-game weekend series against Fullerton, which had won the first two matchups in the series. Zach Lew (Pippins 2019), Magrisi’s Fullerton teammate, batted leadoff for the Titans in all three games and finished the weekend 6-for-13 (.462) with a triple, an RBI and five runs scored. For Stanford, true freshmen Henry Gargus (Davis High School, Yakima) and Owen Cobb, who both played for the Pippins in 2019 before season-ending injuries, made brief debuts against Fullerton. Gargus struck out in a pinch-hitting role  in Friday’s game, and Cobb pinch-ran in Sunday’s contest.

• Cody Jefferis (Univ. of San Diego, Pippins 2018) went 2-for-4 Friday in a 5-4 loss to Pepperdine, and also was 2-for-4 with an RBI in a 6-5 win over Oregon on Saturday.

YAKIMA, Wash. – A pair of Yakima Valley College players will roam the infield for the Pippins in 2020, as Pippins manager Kyle Krustangel announced the signing of middle infielder Connor Coballes and catcher Josh Davis.

Krustangel, who also manages the Yaks during the collegiate season and will manage the Pippins for the first time this year following three years at the helm of West Coast League foe Wenatchee AppleSox, stressed the importance of building a strong team culture.

“I’m excited for Connor and Josh to be a part of this summer and help with the identity and just that culture that we kind of bring into summer ball,” Krustangel said. “We want to play hard and play the right way, and these are two prime examples of guys that are going to leave 110% every single night at the park.”

Coballes is entering his second year at YVC as a middle infielder and occasional pitcher. Last year, he led the team in walks while tying for the fewest strikeouts among batters with at least 50 at-bats. The 5-foot-11 Gonzaga Prep grad slashed .268/.380/.318 with five doubles, a pair of triples and 13 stolen bases to help the Yaks qualify for the NWAC tournament. Coballes also played in seven games and pitched in two games for the Walla Walla Sweets last summer.

“Connor can really play all over the yard. He’s just a pure athlete, but can really defend with a really good arm,” Krustangel said. He also praised Coballes’ elite defensive ability and ability to toe the rubber in a variety of situations. “He’s kind of that scrappy kind of guy on the mound who knows how to pitch and get outs.”

Davis, a 6-foot catcher from Bothell, is set to begin his first season with the Yaks this spring. Last year, he hit .355 with 14 RBI and a pair of home runs for Bothell High School. Defensively, he posted had a .991 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 109 chances.

“I love what I’ve seen out of the kid. He’s a hockey guy by trade, so he’s tough as nails behind the dish. He’ll be used in different roles at YVC, but his bat plays,” Krustangel said. “I expect him to be not just a good player this spring, but also this summer.”

The Yaks open their 2020 season with a double-header Saturday, Feb. 22, in Albany, Ore., against Linn-Benton CC. YVC opens its home season the following Saturday with a noon double-header against Umpqua College at Parker Faller Field.

The Pippins host three-time defending West Coast League champion Corvallis in a three-game series to open the 2020 campaign at Yakima County Stadium. Season tickets, mini plans and single-game tickets for all 30 home games are currently on sale at PippinsTickets.com, or by calling 509-575-4487.

YAKIMA, Wash. – Chris Rosato Jr., a Southern California native with a range of broadcasting experience across several sports, has been named as the new play-by-play broadcaster and media relations manager for the Yakima Valley Pippins.

Rosato Jr., who currently resides in Erie, Pennsylvania, will take over broadcasting duties for the 2020 season, set to begin on Friday, June 7. He will also be responsible for developing content across a wide array of platforms and coordinating coverage of the team with local media.

“We’re excited to have Chris join the organization and be the voice of the Pippins in our seventh season,” Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson said. “We built a tradition of strong up-and-coming professionals who have a passion for telling stories, and I believe Chris will continue that in Yakima this summer.”

The Pippins have established one of the most sophisticated broadcast and integrated communications platforms in the West Coast League. All regular-season Pippins games are broadcast live over the Internet and via mobile devices, including video streams of all home games. The team’s YouTube page also provides fans behind-the-scenes access during the season with pre- and post-game shows and player features.

Rosato Jr. served as a back-up public address announcer for the Detroit Tigers AA affiliate, the Erie SeaWolves, and was the play-by-play voice of McDowell High School football in 2019. He is currently the public address announcer for Mercyhurst University’s men’s and women’s hockey teams, and provides play-by-play for Erie-area universities when needed.

A graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Rosato Jr. holds a bachelor of arts in journalism and public relations. He served as the sports editor of The Spectator, Edinboro’s student-run newspaper, for three semesters while serving as the primary play-by-play voice of Edinboro’s football, wrestling, basketball and softball teams. Before transferring, he earned an associate degree in journalism at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California.

“I can’t wait to hit the ground running this year,” Rosato Jr. said. “With a new manager in place and a welcoming community, I’m honored to be able to share the 2020 season with Pippins fans – whether they see me at the ballpark, listen in the car or watch from another state.”

The Pippins host three-time defending West Coast League champion Corvallis in a three-game series to open the 2020 campaign at Yakima County Stadium. Single-game tickets for all 30 home games are currently on sale at PippinsTickets.com, or by calling 509-575-4487.

YAKIMA, Wash. — A trio of recognizable baseball standouts from the Yakima Valley are the first players added to the Pippins’ 2020 roster.

Infielder Xander Orejudos of Ellensburg, pitcher Reagan Haas of Riverside Christian and pitcher Cort Dietrich of Selah will bring local flavor to the Pippins’ seventh season in the West Coast League.

Orejudos, a 5-foot-9, 180-pounder who will attend Lewis-Clark State next fall, hit .358 (39 for 109) with six doubles, two triples, one home run and 19 RBI for Columbia Basin College in 2019. In 2018, he batted .356 (62 for 174) with 13 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 55 RBI for the Hawks.

“Xander is as tough as they come, and a guy to build an identity around,” Pippins coach Kyle Krustangel said. “He plays the game hard and competes as well as any infielder I have seen. He is versatile and will be seen playing a number of positions this summer.”

Dietrich, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound right-hander, pitched 20.1 innings for Spokane Falls Community College in 2019, allowing 18 earned runs while striking out 29 and walking 15. He was 0-2 for the Sasquatch before transferring to Montana State-Billings this fall.

“Cort has a plus fastball and a hard-nosed persona on the mound,” Krustangel said. “Cort will fit right in on the mound and be a contributor throughout the summer.”

Both Orejudos and Dietrich are no strangers to success at Yakima County Stadium. Orejudos starred at Ellensburg when the Bulldogs won the Class 2A state championship at The Orchard in 2017. Dietrich was on Selah’s 2A state title team in 2016.

Haas, a freshman at Gonzaga, ranked 21^st on Baseball Northwest’s list of top 2019 high school prospects. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound right-hander from Wapato had a stellar prep career at Riverside Christian, including setting the Valley record for strikeouts in 2018 with 20 in a seven-inning game in which he faced just 22 batters.

“I am excited for the big personality righthander out of Gonzaga,” Krustangel said of Haas. “He is a strike-thrower with put-away off-speed pitches. Reagan should be able to log a lot of innings next summer. His positive attitude and high energy will be felt in the clubhouse and on the field.”

Haas also was named to the 2018 Baseball Northwest All-Tournament team and pitched in the opening night game of the 2019 Stan Musial Tournament.

“These three are not on the team because they are local, they are on the team this summer because of their talent and how they play the game,” Krustangel said. “The identity this summer will be a group of players that play hard, play the game the right way, and compete every single night for a win to set us up for a WCL championship. These three fit right into the culture, with the added bonus that the fans will recognize them from their high school days. I am excited to keep these guys in Yakima for a great summer.”

The Pippins open the 2020 campaign at home on Friday, June 5, against four-time defending WCL champion Corvallis. Discounted season tickets, mini plans, opening night tickets and other ticket options are available now at the team offices at 12 S. Second St. in the Larson Building in downtown Yakima, by calling 509-575-4487, or at PippinsTickets.com.

For the fifth year, baseball fans from Yakima can escape the cold winter in the Valley for a burst of sunshine, cold drinks, and baseball in Arizona. We join our friends with the Seattle Mariners and enjoy the rite of passage that is Spring Training.

Bookings are available now, and space is limited.

Details of our 2020 trip are:

• Depart Sunday, March 8, return Thursday, March 12
• Trip to include 5 days/4 nights/3 games (2 in Peoria, 1 on the road)
• Includes: round-trip airfare from Pasco-Phoenix | Ground Transportation (to and from the airport to hotels and hotels to ballparks) | Hotel accommodations | game tickets to three spring training games | special behind-the-scenes look at the 2020 M’s and the facilities
• Cost: $1,495/pp (double-occupancy)

Past trips have included meeting Mariners greats, visits with the management team, and a chance to see live bullpens from All-Star pitchers inside the practice facility. In addition to the great behind-the-scenes, the company has been fantastic; it is a great way to end winter and prepare for the warmth of summer.

“We’ve had great trips to Peoria, but every year it seems to be more fun,” Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson said. “We can’t wait to get back down there in early March.”

To schedule or for additional emails, contact Pippins travel partner Paul Schneidmiller at Worldwide Travel Service via phone (509-525-8040) or via email at paul@wwts.bz.

To see the full details, click here to download the trip flyer.

YAKIMA, Wash. — The Yakima Valley Pippins will host five baseball skills camps at The Orchard next summer, a large expansion from past years, and registration fees are being reduced.

Previously, the team hosted one three-day camp in early July. In 2020, the team will hold two three-day all-skills camps — the first slated for July 7-9, and the second scheduled for Aug. 4-6. Cost is $99 per camper, down from $119 the past two years.

New in 2020 is a two-day hitting camp scheduled for June 23-24, and two, one-day all-skills camps set for June 29 and July 18.

The two-day camp costs $79 per camper, and the one-day camps cost $49 per camper.

Early-bird pricing discounts are in effect for registrations before Dec. 31: savings of $10 per camper for the two-day and three-day camps and $5 savings on registration for the one-day camp. Participants who register for three or more camps also receive a 15 percent discount.

Camps are open to boys and girls, ages 7-18. The June 29 one-day camp is specially targeted for high schools players, ages 14-18.

Led by camp director Kyle Krustangel, Pippins coaches and players will provide instruction. No previous baseball experience is necessary; camps are open to participants of all skill levels.

Each camp will run from 9 a.m. to noon.

Register for camps online at PippinsBaseballCamps.com.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Four-time defending West Coast League champion Corvallis will travel to The Orchard to face the Yakima Valley Pippins in a three-game series that will open the 2020 season next June.

The Pippins’ 30-game home schedule begins on Friday, June 5, at Yakima County Stadium. First pitch on Opening Day is slated for 7:05 p.m.

As in previous years, the Pippins will have 27 WCL home games. Besides Corvallis, the Pippins will host Ridgefield, Cowlitz and Walla Walla from the South Division, and will have home-and-home series against all five North Division foes – Bellingham, Kelowna, Port Angeles, Victoria and Wenatchee.

The team will round out its home schedule with three nonleague opponents. Overall, the Pippins will play 57 regular-season games in 2020.

The 12-team wood-bat league’s regular season concludes Sunday, Aug. 9, with playoffs to follow. The Pippins’ final regular-season home game will be Thursday, Aug. 6.

Pippins home games will begin at 6:35 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, except for special events such as fireworks nights. Sunday games will begin at 6:05 p.m. The Pippins promotional schedule will be announced early in 2020.

Season tickets, five-game mini plans and full-season Family Passes, and ticket vouchers are now available for purchase at Hunky Shaw’s Team Shop, 12 S. Second St., in the historic Larson Building in downtown Yakima, by calling 509-575-4487, or at PippinsTickets.com.

Tickets for Opening Night will go on sale on Friday, Nov. 29.

The Pippins’ 2020 schedule:

June 5-7: Corvallis; June 8: Highline; June 9-11: at Bellingham; June 12-14: Victoria; June 16-18: at Port Angeles; June 19-21: at Bend; June 23-25: Kelowna; June 26-28: Wenatchee; June 30-July 2: at Victoria.

July 3-5: Walla Walla; July 7-9: Ridgefield; July 10-12: at Kelowna; July 14-16: Bellingham; July 17: CCL Showcase; July 18: TBA; July 21-23: at Corvallis; July 24-26: Cowlitz; July 28-30: at Walla Walla; July 31-Aug. 2: at Portland.

Aug. 4-6: Port Angeles; Aug. 7-9: at Wenatchee.

YAKIMA, Wash. — With Opening Day still many months away, new Pippins manager Kyle Krustangel has been busy at work building the 2020 roster. And he’s happy with how it’s coming together.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with the players we have signed to full contracts for the upcoming summer,” said Krustangel, who will be in his inaugural year as Pippins manager after spending the past three seasons with the Wenatchee AppleSox. “I truly believe we have top-level talent that will compete for a WCL championship.”

To date, the Pippins have signed 33 players to full-season contracts, with a handful more on the way. Because of injuries, academic commitments or other reasons, not all players may join the team, Krustangel acknowledged, which is typical throughout the West Coast League.

The Pippins are expecting players from several universities they’ve worked with in previous years, including UCLA, Gonzaga, Oregon, Washington State and Lewis-Clark State. Several new schools also will be sending players, with Biola, San Francisco, Fresno Pacific and the University of Washington among them.

“I think the fans will be excited with the mix of schools the players come from,” Krustangel said. “Some are schools the fans will be use to seeing, and some players come from schools that are new to the Pippins. The roster is loaded with primarily D-1 talent that comes from the Pac-12 and WCC schools.”

The WCL will open the 2020 season in early June. A full schedule will be released in upcoming weeks.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Kyle Krustangel, current head coach at Yakima Valley College who also has West Coast League coaching and playing experience, is the new manager of the Yakima Valley Pippins.

Krustangel coached the past three summers for the Wenatchee AppleSox, but resigned his position in early September because of the grueling travel involved between his YVC and Wenatchee commitments. The AppleSox, foes of the Pippins in the WCL’s North Division, qualified for the WCL playoffs this year for the first time since 2013 under his leadership.

“I’m absolutely thrilled and grateful to the Pippins for bringing me on staff,” said Krustangel, who just bought his first house in Selah along with his wife, Katie. “I’m excited to get to know the Yakima community on a deeper level. I know we have our Yaks fans and our sports fans in Yakima. I was at the fair the other day and saw seven or eight Pippins sweatshirts, and I’m excited to have those faces become names next summer.”

Krustangel is entering his fifth season as YVC coach. In his first season in 2016, the Yaks won the college’s 21^st NWAC baseball championship. He also was named NWAC East coach of the year, NWAC coach of the year and ABCA Regional coach of the year. During his first four years, in which his teams have won 141 games, the Yaks have won no fewer than 30 games each season.

Krustangel played in the WCL in 2007 for the Spokane RiverHawks, and played and was an assistant coach at Whitworth University, from which he graduated. He also was head varsity baseball coach at Bridgeport High School from 2011-2014, was head coach of the Spokane Bandits AAA American Legion team from 2012-2015, and was head coach of the Yakima Pepsi Beetles in 2016.

“We’re excited to have Kyle join the Pippins and help continue to build strong, exciting baseball programs in Yakima,” general manager Jeff Garretson said. “His energy is infectious, and I believe that will rub off not only on our players, but our fans as well.”

Krustangel succeeds Marcus McKimmy, who coached the Pippins during the franchise’s first six seasons. During McKimmy’s tenure, the Pippins became the first WCL expansion team to advance to the playoffs, and the Pippins also were the most successful expansion franchise in the WCL in its first two seasons. Krustangel also succeeded McKimmy as head coach at YVC in 2016.

“Marcus played a huge role in getting the Pippins off to a successful start,” Garretson said. “The formative years of any organization are crucial, and the work that Marcus did not just in player development, but in the community and with coaches and programs around the country, was critical to the successes we’ve had.”

Garretson said Krustangel’s coaching at YVC — and McKimmy’s coaching of the Yaks during his tenure — is advantageous for the Pippins.

“I view the Pippins as just one of a number of community assets that we have in Yakima,” said Garretson, whose family has deep baseball roots in the Yakima Valley extending back to the late 1930s. “YVC is another of those assets, and it has a rich history of success in baseball. As the Pippins continue to grow and evolve, we want to continue to build our own history of success as well.”

Krustangel agreed, noting that his approach to coaching the Yaks and the Pippins is essentially the same.

“In terms of how I organize the community college here in Yakima with the type of talent we’re bringing in and the type of players, it’s the same equation in the summertime. It shouldn’t be a complete 180,” Krustangel said. “Just because it’s some new faces during the summer, the expectations are the same. I want both groups to truly leave not just as better players, but as better people, better students, better family members.

“There’s a lot more that you can use this game to teach than just a right arm or a big bat. It’s important to me that all the guys I get to coach, we should be positively impacting their lives. That’s something that has been with me since I started coaching.”

Krustangel said Pippins fans will appreciate the energy around the team.

“You’re going to see a team that plays the game hard,” he said. “You’re going to see guys getting on the field, getting off the field hard, playing the game how the game is supposed to be played. But, we’re going to be loose and have fun. Our guys are going to have good energy, and play the game the right way.

“At the same time, I want our guys to be interacting with fans before and after, playing catch with the kids. I really value bringing the youth of the community into the game and also letting our guys let their personalities show,” Krustangel said. “Sometimes guys get forced in college to play a certain way and be someone they’re not. I want each person, each player to let their personality come out and be himself.”

The Pippins open their seventh WCL season in June at Yakima County Stadium. Season tickets, mini plans and ticket vouchers are now on sale at the Pippins team store at 12 S. Second St., by calling 509-575-HITS, or at PippinsTickets.com.

YAKIMA, Wash. — With the start of the West Coast League’s 2020 season still nine months away, the Yakima Valley Pippins began preparations for their seventh season at The Orchard with the launch of season ticket sales.

The Pippins will have a 30-game home schedule for 2020, which will include 27 WCL games and three non-league games, general manager Jeff Garretson said. The Pippins have had 32 home games for the past few years.

Season ticket prices will be reduced because of the fewer home games, Garretson added. And, the team is extending discounted renewal pricing to the end of 2019, instead of the usual renewal period through the end of October.

“Every year, we try to do something different that will make it easier for fans to purchase season tickets or a Family Pass and get out to as many games as possible every summer,” Garretson said.

Season ticket buyers also receive a long list of perks not available to single-game purchasers, Garretson said. Some of those perks include buy 1, get 1 concession stand punch cards, discount season parking passes, custom lanyards for express lines at concessions stands, merchandise discounts and more.

The Family Pass is also being tweaked this summer, Garretson said. The $405 general admission season ticket will cover up to six members of the immediate household for the regular season, which translates to just $2.25 per ticket, per game. Previously, the pass was good for four family members.

Tickets can be purchased by phone at 509-575-4487 or in person at the Pippins office at 12 S. Second St. in the Larson Building in downtown Yakima. Select seats also are available for purchase at PippinsTickets.com.

The 2020 WCL schedule will be released in mid- to late October, Garretson said.

YAKIMA, Wash. – Yakima Valley Pippins pitchers Joe Magrisi and Jack Gonzales have earned All-West Coast League honors for 2019, the league announced today.

Magrisi, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound right-hander from Cal State Fullerton, was the Pippins’ leading pitcher, with a 2.60 ERA in 34.2 innings pitched across eight games this summer. Magrisi struck out 66 batters and walked only 12 en route to a 2-1 record.

Magrisi struck out 10 or more batters in four appearances, including 13 in his final outing in Victoria on July 20. Ironically, that 6-inning start was his least-effective appearance of the year: He surrendered 10 hits and eight earned runs in the 9-1 loss. In his seven other official appearances, he allowed no more than four hits.

Magrisi, who along with Gonzales were the Pippins’ only two All-Stars this year, was shut down after the July 20 outing because he reached his inning limit for the summer.

Gonzales, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound left-hander from Dixie State who was a second-year pitcher for the Pippins, earned honorable mention WCL honors. He finished 2-2, striking out 45 and walking 19 in 57.2 innings. He allowed 22 earned runs for a 3.43 ERA in 17 games, which included five starts and one complete game.

Since the team’s inception in 2014, 13 Pippins players have earned All-WCL first team honors.

The Pippins’ seventh West Coast League season will begin in June 2020.

The complete All-WCL teams:

All-WCL First Team

C – Frankie Niemann (Tulane, junior), Victoria HarbourCats
1B – Matthew Christian (Campbell, senior), Port Angeles
2B – Jake Harvey (Oregon State, soph), Corvallis Knights
3B – Andy Atwood (Texas Rio Grande Valley, senior), Corvallis Knights
SS – Brooks Lee (Cal Poly, frosh), Corvallis Knights
OF – Patrick Caulfield (UCLA, junior), Walla Walla Sweets
OF – Briley Knight (Utah, soph), Corvallis Knights
OF – Jake Holcroft (Portland, frosh), Corvallis Knights
UTL – Michael Curialle (UCLA, frosh), Corvallis Knights
SP – Tevita Gerber (Dixie State, senior), Corvallis Knights
SP – Nick Proctor (Cal, soph), Bellingham Bells
SP – Joe Magrisi (Cal State Fullerton, soph), Yakima Valley Pippins
SP – Brad McVay (Portland, soph), Portland Pickles
SP – Jake Saum (UCLA, frosh), Wenatchee AppleSox
RP – Rance Pittman (Southeast Missouri State, junior), Cowlitz Black Bears
RP – William Kempner (Gonzaga, frosh), Corvallis Knights

All-WCL Second Team

C – Hunter Montgomery (Portland, junior), Wenatchee AppleSox
1B – Michael Hicks (Boise State, senior), Ridgefield Raptors
2B – Tyler Grissom (Chico State, senior, Kelowna Falcons
3B – Zach Needham (Lewis-Clark State College, senior), Bend Elks
SS – Kody Darcy (Xavier, soph), Wenatchee AppleSox
OF – Nick Plaia (Cal Baptist, senior), Victoria HarbourCats
OF – Ryan Altenberger (Xavier, junior), Wenatchee AppleSox
OF – John Jensen (UC Irvine, senior), Portland Pickles
UTL – Harrison Spohn (Cal Baptist, junior), Victoria HarbourCats
SP – Jackson Arnsdorf (Corban, junior), Corvallis Knights
SP – Travis Craven (Whitman, senior, Walla Walla Sweets
SP – David Watson (Utah, soph), Corvallis Knights
SP – Jack Hyde (San Deigo, frosh), Victoria HarbourCats
SP – Calvin Turchin (Hawaii, junior), Victoria HarbourCats
RP – Coen Wynne (Grand Canyon, junior), Bend Elks
RP – Jimmy Chatfield (Yale, soph), Bellingham Bells

All-WCL Honorable Mention

Bellingham: Justin Armbruester (Bellingham), Collin Burns (Tulane), Austin Kretzschmar (Stanford), Jack Machtolf (Gonzaga), Guthrie Morrison (Gonzaga), Troy Viola (San Jose State)

Bend: Ryan Kaser (Lewis-Clark State)

Corvallis: Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis (Grand Canyon), Connor Knutson (Portland), Tim Josten (Cal State Fullerton)

Cowlitz: Austin Bell (Dallas Baptist), Sam Ireland (UC Irvine), Alex Salazar (Campbellsville)

Kelowna: Matt Voelzke (George Fox)

Port Angeles: Dwayne Angebrandt (Cal State Northridge), Damiano Palmegiani (Cal State Northridge)

Portland: Kyle Manzardo (Washington State), Michael Perzan (Grand Canyon)

Ridgefield: Peter Allegro (Portland), Carter Benbrook (UC Santa Barbara), Joey Martin (Kansas State), Steve Ramirez (Riverside CC), Cameron Repetti (Cal State Fullerton)

Victoria: Parker Bramlett (Angelo State), Austin Celestino (Incarnate Word), Tanner Haney (Texas), Tyson Hays (Illinois State), Chase Meidroth (San Diego), Griffin Paxton (Texas-San Antonio)

Walla Walla: Brock Ephan (Lewis-Clark State), Brayde Hirai (Central Washington), Cesar Lopez (Cal Poly Pomona), Reid Sebby (Oregon State)

Wenatchee: Blake Klassen (Arizona), Kodie Kolden (Washington State), Seth Kuykendall (Western Oregon), Cole McKenzie (Purdue), Johnny Sage (Purdue)

Yakima Valley: Jack Gonzales (Dixie State)

2019 WCL MVP

Briley Knight (Utah) of Corvallis

2019 WCL Pitcher of the Year

Tevita Gerber (Dixie State) of Corvallis

2019 WCL Top Prospect

Brooks Lee (Cal Poly) of Corvallis

YAKIMA, Wash. – The Ridgefield Raptors had an offensive explosion early and rolled over the Yakima Valley Pippins for the second straight night, claiming a 12-2 win on Monday evening at Yakima County Stadium to clinch the series over the Pippins.

Ridgefield (7-8, 20-22) went down 1-2-3 in the first inning against Pippins (8-11, 19-26) right-hander Tyler Frazier, but wasted no time taking the first lead of the game in the second inning. Cameron Repetti led off the frame with a booming triple to left-center field, and Grayson Sterling followed with an RBI double. A few batters later, Sterling scored on a groundout to make it 2-0.

Ridgefield then added three more runs in the fourth inning, when five of six batters hit singles to bring home three, and extended their lead to 5-0 over the Pippins. Frazier was relieved in the midst of the third big inning for Ridgefield, a 6-run sixth inning that included two doubles and three errors in the field for the Pippins. The righty finished by taking the loss, allowing 8 runs (5 earned) on 9 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

On the other side, the Pippins offense was held quiet by Raptors pitching for the second straight night. Right-hander Trask Telesmanich, in his first start of the summer, picked up a quality start and his second win after allowing just two earned runs over 6 innings of work, walking two, striking out two, and allowing four hits.

The Pippins’ only success offensively came in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Nick Israel and Kyle Dean drew back-to-back walks, and then Tyler Dean drove in Israel with an RBI double. James Bell hit a sacrifice fly to score Kyle Dean, and the Pippins cut the lead to 9. But Ridgefield responded with another run in the top of the 7th to make it a 10-run lead, pushing the Pippins to their sixth double-digit loss of the season.

Reliever Harrison Grow, who entered the day with an ERA of 18.89, threw three scoreless innings of relief for Ridgefield to earn his first save. After facing the minimum through two innings, Grow ran into some trouble in the bottom of the ninth, but got Luke Schwartz to line into a double play with the bases loaded to end the game.

The Pippins now engage in a brief stoppage from West Coast League play, as they welcome in the Highline Bears on Tuesday to begin a two-game non-league series. First pitch for the opener is set for 6:35 PM at Yakima County Stadium.

Following a 15-1 loss on Sunday to even up a 3-game series, the Pippins return to action to close out their series with the Ridgefield Raptors tonight at 6:35 PM at Yakima County Stadium. Right-hander Tyler Frazier will start for the Pippins against a to-be-determined pitcher for the Raptors. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at pippinsbaseball.com/live at 6:20 PM.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS DOMINATED BY RIDGEFIELD IN GAME TWO: After a record-setting day on offense on Saturday, the Pippins could not carry over their momentum, falling 15-1 to Ridgefield on Sunday to even up the three-game series at one game apiece. The Pippins were beaten in a similar fashion to their win in the opener, with Ridgefield taking a 2-0 lead early and then scoring runs in 7 of the next 8 innings in a game that was never particularly close. The Raptors knocked around Pippins’ starter Trystan Vrieling, tagging him for 8 earned runs on 12 hits over 3.2 innings of work, and then scored runs off of three different Pippins relievers. To make matters worse, the Pippins got almost nothing going offensively, scoring just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning, when James Bell reached on an error and eventually scored on a balk. Eli Schubert earned the win for Ridgefield, allowing just one unearned run over five innings, and Marc Lidd faced one over the minimum in four innings of relief to pick up his second save of the summer.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Tyler Frazier will make his fourth start of the summer for the Pippins’ in the series finale against Ridgefield on Monday. The 6-foot-1, 150-pound right-hander from Oregon is 2-0 on the season with a 4.57 ERA, striking out 20 batters and walking 13 in 19.2 innings of work. Frazier took a no-decision in his last start on Wednesday in Kelowna, allowing four earned runs over 4.2 innings of work. In his last start at home, on July 16 against Bend, Frazier struck out 8 over 7 scoreless innings.

FOR THE RAPTORS: Ridgefield has not announced a projected starter for Sunday’s game.

RUNS AT A PREMIUM: Saturday’s one-run performance by the Pippins offense was the 18th time this season that the Pippins scored 2 or fewer runs, and they dropped to 2-16 in those games with the loss. In games in which the Pippins score at least 3 runs this year, Yakima Valley is 17-9, including a 13-5 mark at home. On the season, the Pippins’ 199 runs in 44 games (an average of 4.5 per game) ranks as 4th-fewest in the West Coast League.

DICARLO’S LONG STREAK: Infielder Nick DiCarlo went 2-for-4 with a double on Sunday, extending his on-base streak to 13 games. The streak, which dates back to a July 14 doubleheader against Port Angeles, is the longest on-base or hitting streak by any Pippin this year, snapping the previous high set by Tanner Parker (both on-base and hitting) in June. DiCarlo has collected hits in 12 of the 13 games, with an 0-for-1 with 3 walks performance on Friday in Kelowna the only game without a hit. Over the 2 week long span, DiCarlo has raised his on-base percentage from .395 to .429, and his batting average from .214 to .286.

AN EVENLY MATCHED SERIES: With five of the six games between the Pippins and the WCL’s newest team, Ridgefield, in the books, the series has proven to be very evenly matched so far in Ridgefield’s first season. The Pippins lead the season series, 3 games to 2, and have outscored the Raptors by a slim 38-32 margin after two lopsided games over the past two days. With a win on Monday, the Pippins can clinch the inaugural season series against Ridgefield, one of two South Division teams to play the Pippins six times this season. The other was Corvallis, who the Pippins went 0-6 against.

ODDS & ENDS: The Pippins have never lost in their history on July 29, going 5-0 in five seasons on this date…the Pippins failed to draw a walk on offense for the third time in 2019, and the first since June 15…Nick Brown tossed a scoreless ninth inning out of the bullpen, lowering his ERA on the season when pitching as a reliever to 2.57, as opposed to his 4.36 mark on the summer.

YAKIMA, Wash. –  In a game almost the complete opposite of Saturday’s series opener, the Ridgefield Raptors jumped out to an early lead and dominated Pippins pitching from start to finish in a 15-1, blowout win on Sunday at Yakima County Stadium to even the three-game series at one apiece.

After the Pippins set an all-time record with 21 runs in Saturday’s series opener, the roles were reversed in the series’ second game, as Ridgefield (6-8, 18-22) pounced early on Pippins (8-10, 19-25) righty Trystan Vrieling in the first inning. Jonny Weaver started the day off with a single to left field on the first pitch of the game, and Justin Boyd followed him up with an RBI double. A batter later, Michael Hicks drove in Boyd on a groundout, and it was 2-0 Raptors a half inning in.

Vrieling ended up having his toughest start of the year, as Ridgefield kept hitting him over 3.2 innings of work. Vrieling took his third loss after allowing a season-high eight earned runs on a season-high 12 hits, not walking a batter and striking out three. The righty allowed three-run frames in both the third and fourth innings before being substituted.

The Raptors had 15 runs on 20 hits on the day, but unlike the Pippins on Saturday, their scoring was more varied, rather than a few big innings. The Raptors scored in 7 of the 9 innings, including at least one run from the third inning through the eighth inning. Relievers Kyle Dean, Darius Garcia, and Bo Henderson all allowed runs in relief, while Nick Brown threw a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts for the Pippins.

Offensively, Yakima Valley was hardly recognizable from their career day on Saturday, managing just one run on seven hits, and the only run came without a hit. James Bell reached on a fielding error to start the fourth inning, and advanced to third base on a passed ball and a wild pitch. With Christian Padilla at the plate, Ridgefield starter Eli Schubert balked, scoring Bell. It was the only blemish of the day for Schubert.

The right-hander, who entered the day with an ERA north of 11.00, allowed the one unearned run over 5 innings of work, striking out 3 and not walking a batter on five hits. Marc Lidd earned a four-inning save in relief, allowing just two hits and striking out four on the day to shut down the Pippins.

On a day with few offensive highlights, Nick DiCarlo (2-for-4) and Nick Israel (2-for-4) continued their recent hot stretches at the plate, with DiCarlo extending his season-long on-base streak to 13 games. Boyd led the way offensively for Ridgefield, reaching base in all six of his trips to the plate (2 doubles, 2 singles, and 2 walks). Hicks added 4 RBIs, and Wyatt Hoffman went 3-for-5 out of the nine-hole.

With the series tied at one, the Pippins and Raptors will square off in a rubber game on Monday in the series finale set for 6:35 PM. Pregame coverage will begin with Miles Klotz at pippinsbaseball.com/live at 6:20 PM, with right-hander Tyler Frazier set to start for the Pippins against a to-be-announced pitcher for Ridgefield.

After opening up a three-game series with the Ridgefield Raptors with a record-setting offensive day on Saturday (21 runs on 17 hits), the Pippins continue the series on Sunday, looking to clinch the three-game set. First pitch for a Sunday matinee is set for 6:05 PM PT, with pregame coverage at pippinsbaseball.com/live beginning at 5:50 PM. The Pippins will start right-hander Trystan Vrieling against a to-be-determined starter for Ridgefield.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS EXPLODE ON OFFENSE TO OPEN SERIES WITH WIN: After mustering a total of one run on six hits over their last 18 innings of baseball, the Pippins broke things open on Saturday, putting up a team-record 21 runs on 17 hits to pound the Ridgefield Raptors in the series opener, 21-8. The Pippins had four different innings in which they scored four or more runs, and had five extra-base hits on the day. It was the second game for the Pippins in the past week in which they have had at least 15 hits and scored in double digit runs. Eddy Pelc led the way on offense for the Pippins, reaching base in all 7 of his at-bats, including a season-high five walks and a three-run homers, his first of the year. On the day, the Pippins had five different players with multi-hit games, and five different players collect multi-RBI games. Mark Woinarowicz earned the win on the mound for the Pippins, his fourth of the year, despite allwoing six runs over 3.2 innings of relief. Dominic Miller was impressive in two shutout innings of work to close things out for the Pippins in the win.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Trystan Vrieling will make his third start of the summer on Sunday in against Ridgefield. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound righty native to Kennewick, WA, is 1-2 on the season with a 2.87 ERA after picking up the win in his last start on Sunday in Victoria. In that start, the Gonzaga incoming freshman allowed just two earned runs over 5.1 innings of work, striking out 6, walking 4, and allowing four hits. In 15.2 innings of work this season, Vrieling has struck out 18 and walked 7, while opponents hit just .242 off of him.

FOR THE RAPTORS: Ridgefield has not announced a projected starter for Sunday’s game.

RECORD RUN SCORING: With their 21 runs on Saturday, the Pippins set a team record, shattering the previous high mark of 16. That total was set on June 7, 2015, in a 16-2 win over Klamath Falls. The 14-run margin of victory in that game still holds as the largest in team history, with the 13-run win on Saturday clocking in as the second-largest win in team history. It was, however, the first time all season that the Pippins have won a game by double-digit runs.

PELC POPS OFF: Outfielder Eddy Pelc had the best game of his short Pippins career on Saturday, reaching base in all 7 of his trips to the plate and collecting his first homer of the season, a 3-run shot to right field in the 3rd inning. Pelc drew a season-high five walks yesterday, increasing his season total to 17 walks in 15 games, a mark that leads all Pippins players. Pelc raised his on-base percentage 81 points on Saturday, from .500 to .581, a mark that leads the Pippins.

A RARE LONG BALL: Pelc’s third-inning, three-run homer marked just the second homer hit by the Pippins in the entire month of July, and their seventh home run total on the season (fewest in the West Coast League). The Pippins’ last home run came July 17, when Nick DiCarlo homered against Bend. Five of the Pippins’ seven home runs this season have come at home at Yakima County Stadium, with the two road homers coming against Ridgefield in the very first series of the season back on June 5 and 6. The two players who hit those road homers, Owen Cobb and Daniel Cipriano, have both since departed the team.

ODDS & ENDS: James Bell’s five-hit game was the first by a Pippins since Christian Koss had 5 hits on 6/16/2016…every player in the Pippins’ lineup scored at least one run Saturday, with Aidan Welch extending his scoring streak to five games, the most of any Pippin this season.

YAKIMA, Wash. – The Yakima Valley Pippins shattered numerous team offensive records and rolled from the start to the finish in a 21-8 win over the Ridgefield Raptors on Saturday at Yakima County Stadium, opening up a three-game series with a resounding win.

The Pippins (8-9, 19-24) rebounded from scoring one total run in their last 18 innings of baseball by pounding Raptors (5-8, 18-22) starter Hayden Minich early and often. In the first inning, the Pippins sent ten men to the plate, with Tyler Dean’s 2-run, opposite-field double down the left-field line capping off a 5-run, 5-hit inning. In the third inning, the Pippins added four more off of Minich, with Eddy Pelc sending a three-run homer over the right field fence, his first big fly of the summer.

Pelc and the Pippins offense knocked Minich out after three innings, but a parade of Ridgefield relievers could not stop the bleeding. The Pippins tagged Carter Powell for five runs in the fourth inning, and, after surrendering five runs in the top of the seventh to cut the lead down to 15-8, Yakima Valley scored 6 more in the 7th to top the previous team record of 16 runs by getting to 21.

On a day with all the offensive fireworks, two Pippins stood out – Pelc, who reached in all 7 of his trips to the plate, including five walks and the home run, and James Bell, whose five hits in 6 trips were the most by a Pippin in over three years. Bell also added 3 RBIs, one of five players with multiple RBIs for the Pippins.

A.J. Wood got the start on the mound for Yakima Valley and was strong through three before struggling in the fourth inning, and left after 3.1 innings, allowing 2 earned runs. Mark Woinarowicz earned the win in relief despite surrendering 6 runs on 6 hits in 3.2 innings. Dominic Miller threw two scoreless innings to close out the game for the Pippins.

The series continues on Sunday with a 6:05 PM first pitch from the Orchard. The Pippins will send right-hander Trystan Vrieling to the mound, opposite a to-be-announced starter for the Raptors. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at 5:50 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

Following Friday’s loss, 2-0, in Kelowna, which completed a 1-5 Canadian road-trip, the Pippins return home to open up a 5-game homestand to close out the month of July. First up is a three-game series with the Ridgefield Raptors, who the Pippins took two out of three from to open up the season on the road. First pitch for the series opener on Saturday is set for 6:35 PM, with pregame coverage at pippinsbaseball.com/live beginning at 6:20 PM. Right-hander Trystan Vrieling will start for the Pippins against a to-be-determined pitcher for Ridgefield.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS STRUGGLE OFFENSIVELY, SWEPT IN KELOWNA: After scoring just one run in Thursday’s second game in Kelowna, the Pippins had just one total hit and scored zero runs in Friday’s series finale, falling in shutout fashion for the second time all year, 2-0, and allowing Kelowna to complete the three-game series sweep. Pippins starter Jack Gonzales was fantastic, only allowing two earned runs over a season-long 7.2 innings, but fell victim to some tough defensive breaks and zero run support. In the fifth inning, Kelowna took a 1-0 lead after first baseman Tyler Dean threw a bunt attempt into right field, and in the eighth inning, Marcus Guarin collected an RBI single after a ball hit to third took a late, bad hop on third baseman Nick Israel and bounced into left field. The Pippins struggled to get anything going against Kelowna righty Blake Tritch, with Israel’s fourth inning, opposite-field single the only hit of the day for the Pippins. Tritch picked up his second win after striking out four and walking four over 7-plus innings. Reliever Matt Voelzke picked up his second save of the season with 2 innings of shutout relief, including retiring two inherited runners in scoring position.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Trystan Vrieling will make his third start of the summer on Saturday in the series opener with Ridgefield. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound righty native to Kennewick, WA, is 1-2 on the season with a 2.87 ERA after picking up the win in his last start on Sunday in Victoria. In that start, the Gonzaga incoming freshman allowed just two earned runs over 5.1 innings of work, striking out 6, walking 4, and allowing four hits. In 15.2 innings of work this season, Vrieling has struck out 18 and walked 7, while opponents hit just .242 off of him.

FOR THE RAPTORS: Ridgefield has not announced a projected starter for Saturday’s series opener.

A LOOK AT THE RAPTORS: The Raptors, a wildly different team than the one that the Pippins took two out of three from in the first week of the season, have largely sat around .500 for the majority of the season, with an 18-21 overall record, and 5-7 record in the second half of the season. Ridgefield most recently split a 2-game home series with Victoria after losing two out of three at home to the Portland Pickles. On the year, the Raptors rank near the middle of the pack in team ERA (4.90, 8th), runs scored (198, 7th), and team batting average (.242, t-8th). The Raptors’ series in Yakima is the start of a stretch of 9 of their next 12 games away from Ridgefield; the Raptors are coming off of a nine-game homestand, as well as 12 of their last 15 games at home at the brand-new Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex (where the Pippins were the first team to ever win a game).

SEEING DOUBLE?: The Pippins have played the Raptors before this season – they were the first opponent in Ridgefield’s history on June 4 – but the rosters of the two teams could not be more different as they meet again nearly eight weeks later. From the nine players in the Pippins’ Opening Day lineup in Ridgefield, as well as the three pitchers used, only two players remain – Tanner Parker (the shortstop that day) and Mark Woinarowicz (who pitched two innings of scoreless relief).

ODDS & ENDS: By pitching into the 8th inning on Friday, Jack Gonzales posted the longest start (by innings) of a Pippins starter this year…the Pippins were held to just one hit for the second time all year, the first coming in their only other shutout of the year (June 24 by Corvallis at home)…Gonzales became the only starter on the Pippins to complete seven innings or more in two starts this year, having also done so on July 14 in a complete game 7-inning performance against Port Angeles.

KELOWNA, B.C. – The Pippins managed just one hit over 9 innings and fell victim to some ill-timed defensive errors on Friday, falling 2-0 at Elks Stadium in Kelowna as the Falcons completed the three-game series sweep.

The Pippins (7-9, 18-24) were unable to get anything going off of Kelowna (6-9, 16-25) right-hander Blake Tritch, who carved apart the Yakima Valley order over 7-plus shutout innings to earn his second win of the summer. Tritch rarely ran into trouble in his outing, allowing just the one hit (an opposite-field single by Nick Israel) and four walks while fanning four in his outing.

Kelowna did not manage many offensive chances on their end, only mustering five hits, but benefited from some ill-timed defensive miscues to take advantage of the Pippins. In the fifth inning, James Shimashita singled into right field, and moved up to second after an infield single by Conagher Sands. A batter later, Richie Sede’s bunt attempt was mishandled by Pippins first baseman Tyler Dean, who threw it wide of first, bringing home Shimashita and giving the Falcons their first lead.

In the 8th inning, Kelowna added a key insurance run off of Pippins reliever Kyle Dean. After starter Jack Gonzales was relieved with two outs in the inning and a runner at third, Marcus Guarin hit a ground ball that appeared playable for third baseman Nick Israel, but took a strange hop and bounced into left field, bringing home Austen Butler and adding another run on for Kelowna.

The Pippins threatened once off of Tritch in the 8th inning, when Eddy Pelc walked, James Bell reached on an error, and Nick DiCarlo was walked to load the bases with one out. But after the Falcons turned to reliever Matt Voelzke, he turned around and struck out both Tanner Parker and Nick Israel looking to end the threat.

Gonzales took the loss, his second of the summer, despite putting together a quality start. The left-hander only allowed two earned runs over 7.2 innings of work, walking one and striking out five. Dean allowed an inherited runner to score, but did not allow any additional damage.

With the Pippins completing their Canada road trip with a 1-5 record, the team returns home on Saturday to open up a 5-game homestand. The first game gets going at 6:35 PM against the Ridgefield Raptors, with right-hander Trystan Vrieling set to start for the Pippins. Pregame coverage begins at 6:20 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

After losses in each of the first two games of the Pippins’ road series at the Kelowna Falcons, Yakima Valley will look to replicate what it did in Victoria last weekend by taking the finale game of a three-game series. First pitch for the series finale is set for 6:35 PM PT, with left-hander Jack Gonzales set to start for the Pippins. He will be opposed by Kelowna right-hander Blake Tritch. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at 6:20 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS CRUSHED IN SECOND GAME AT FALCONS: After a thrilling series opener against Kelowna on Wednesday, the Pippins were not as competitive in the second game of the series, falling behind 5-0 after two innings and 10-0 after four innings en route to a crushing 11-1 loss, clinching the series for the Falcons. Right-hander Bo Henderson did not have his best stuff for the Pippins, walking 8 batters over 3.1 innings in his second start of the year, and the Falcons pounced, knocking Henderson and reliever Darius Garcia around for 10 runs in the first four innings. The scoring surge was capped off by a booming homer by catcher Ezra Samperi in the fourth. The Pippins were shut down over 5.1 innings by left-hander Nick Nygard, who walked four and allowed three hits but struck out five to keep the Pippins off of the scoreboard. In the ninth inning, with outfielder-turned-pitcher James Shimashita on the mound for Kelowna, the Pippins were able to push across one run on an RBI single from James Bell, but it was too little, too late by that point, and Kelowna was able to close out the victory.

FOR THE PIPPINS: All-Star left-hander Jack Gonzales will make his third start of the summer for the Pippins today to close out the series in Kelowna. Gonzales, who tossed a scoreless inning in Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Bend, was roughed up in his last outing last weekend in Victoria, allowing 8 earned runs over 5.1 innings of 12 hits and 2 walks, while striking out four. Despite this, the Dixie State southpaw has still posted strong numbers this year, with a 2-1 record, 3.56 ERA, and 29 strikeouts over 35.1 innings of work. Opponents have hit .270 off of the Oceanside, CA, native, who threw a complete game nearly two weeks ago in his first start of the summer against Port Angeles.

FOR THE FALCONS: Right-hander Blake Tritch is set to make the start for Kelowna in the final game of the series at Elks Stadium on Friday. A 6-foot-2, 197-pound righty from Chaska, Minnesota, Tritch has made all 7 of his appearances this summer as the starting pitcher, working to a 1-2 record and 4.34 ERA. Over 29 innings of work, the North Dakota State righty has struck out 31 batters, walked 14, and allowed opponents to hit .255 off of him. Tritch won his last start last Friday in Port Angeles, allowing one unearned run on 2 hits and 0 walks, striking out 6 in 6 innings of work.

DANDY DICARLO: With his 1-for-3 performance on Thursday, infielder Nick DiCarlo extended his season-long hitting streak to 9 games. In that stretch, DiCarlo is hitting .363 (12-for-33), with a double, a triple, a home run, 7 RBIs, and has walked 3 times to just four strikeouts. DiCarlo has had two of his four multi-hit games on the season in this span, and has raised his batting average by over 70 points (.214 to .288).

FINE IN THE FIELD: The Pippins did not commit an error against the Falcons in Thursday’s game, making it the third of their last four games in which they did not have a defensive miscue. Prior to Saturday’s second game in Victoria, the Pippins had committed at least one error in every game dating back to June 7 against Wenatchee. With the improved defense, the Pippins no longer rank last in the West Coast League in errors (70) or fielding percentage (.953), with the AppleSox having overtaken the Pippins in both categories.

ODDS & ENDS: The announced crowd of 2,243 in Kelowna on Thursday was the second-largest that the Pippins have played in front of this season, trailing only the 3,783 in Victoria last Saturday…Nick Israel was 0-for-4 on Thursday, bringing his season-long 8-game hitting streak to a close.

KELOWNA, B.C. – The Kelowna Falcons jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one inning of play and never looked back, cruising to an easy, 11-1 win over the Yakima Valley Pippins in the second game of a three-game series at Elks Stadium in Kelowna on Thursday night.

The Pippins’ starter Bo Henderson struggled on the mound in a spot start, walking 8 batters over 3.1 innings of work, and that allowed Kelowna to burst out to an early lead. Henderson walked 3 batters in the first inning and two in the second, and the Falcons turned that into five early runs.

The Pippins offense struggled mightly in the first eight innings of the game, mustering just four hits off the starter-reliever duo of left-hander Nick Nygard and right-hander Tucker Grote. Nygard earned the win, his second of the season, after not allowing an earned run over 5.1 innings, striking out five and allowing three hits and three walks. Grote entered with the bases loaded and one out, but was able to induce a double play to keep the Pippins off the scoreboard at that point.

For the Pippins, Darius Garcia entered in relief in the fourth inning, making his first appearance in nearly three weeks since returning from injury, and served up a 3-run homer to Ezra Samperi to push the Kelowna lead to 10-0, but settled in from there and did not allow another earned run over his 2.2 innings of relief. Eddy Pelc added a scoreless inning in his mound debut for the Pippins, and infielder Tanner Parker tossed a scoreless 8th inning in relief.

The Pippins scored one run in the 9th to avoid being shutout. Aidan Welch reached on a one-out walk against Kelowna reliever James Shimashita, stole second, and later scored on an RBI single from James Bell. That would be the only run the Pippins would manage.

The series concludes on Friday with a 6:35 PM scheduled first pitch at Elks Stadium. The Pippins will start All-Star left-hander Jack Gonzales, while Kelowna will throw right-hander Blake Tritch. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at 6:20 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

After falling in walk-off fashion on the road for the third time this season in Friday’s series opener in Kelowna, the Pippins return to action tonight against the Falcons, looking to even the series at a game apiece. First pitch is set for 6:35 PM PT. Bo Henderson will start for the Pippins against a to-be-determined starter for Kelowna. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at 6:20 PM PT at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS FALL IN EPIC OPENER IN KELOWNA: The Pippins played Kelowna tough from start to finish in Wednesday’s series opener, but ultimately couldn’t generate the pitching needed to pull away, falling 9-8 in ten innings to the Falcons in walk-off fashion. The Pippins jumped out to an early 4-0 lead against Kelowna right-hander Zach Jacobs, when six men came to the plate and four scored in the top half of the inning, but the lead was quickly surrendered when the Falcons’ Jake Fischer capped off a 4-run 5th inning with an RBI single off of Tyler Frazier. After the Pippins took the lead back in the sixth inning on a go-ahead wild pitch, Kelowna responded with a 2-run bottom of the inning against reliever Mark Woinarowicz. The game’s back-and-forth nature continued again in the 8th inning, when the Pippins struck for a run in the top half of the inning on a Brett Wells RBI fielders choice to tie things up, but Kelowna brought home two runs on a Jake Fischer single and an error in the bottom half to give the Falcons the lead back. With the Pippins down to their final out in the top of the ninth, Christian Padilla singled home two runs to tie up the game and send it to extra innings. In the extra frame, however, the Falcons’ Richi Sede hit an opposite-field single over a drawn-in infield, scoring Brad Norton (who drew a leadoff walk) and giving Kelowna the 1-run, walk-off victory.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Bo Henderson will make his second start of the season on Thursday in the second game of the series against Kelowna. Henderson’s first start came in spot duty on July 3 against Bellingham, and he did not allow a run over 4 shutout innings, striking out one and allowing two hits. Henderson, who pitched in four games for Kelowna a year ago, pitched on Saturday in Victoria, walking five batters over two innings, but only allowing one hit and one run. On the season, the redshirt freshman from Cal Poly has a record of 1-0 and a 5.71 ERA. Over 17.1 innings of work, the Palos Verdes Estates, CA, native has struck out 11 batters, walked 13, and allowed opponents to hit .219 against him.

FOR THE FALCONS: Kelowna has not announced a starting pitcher for Thursday’s second game of the series.

DANDY DICARLO: With his 1-for-5 performance on Sunday, infielder Nick DiCarlo extended his season-long hitting streak to 8 games. In that stretch, DiCarlo is hitting .367 (11-for-30), with a double, a home run, 7 RBIs, and has walked 3 times to just three strikeouts. DiCarlo has had two of his four multi-hit games on the season in this span, and has raised his batting average by over 70 points (.214 to .286).

PADILLA PRODUCES: The hottest hitter in the Pippins’ lineup for the past week has been outfielder Christian Padilla, who led the way on Tuesday with a 4-for-5 performance. In his last six games, Padilla is hitting .524 (11-for-21), and has raised his batting average from .200 to .286. He has three multi-hit games in that stretch after collecting just two in his first 18 games of the summer.

FINE IN THE FIELD: After completing the final two games of last weekend’s serise in Victoria error-free, the Pippins allowed 3 errors on Wednesday, but did not commit a miscue until a pair of errors in the 6th inning. That extended a season-high errorless streak to 25 innings before it was snapped. The Pippins remain in last place in the West Coast League in both errors (70) and fielding percentage (.952).

ODDS & ENDS: Wednesday was the first time all year in which the Pippins lost a game after scoring 8 or more runs.

KELOWNA, B.C. – The Yakima Valley Pippins battled back from numerous deficits throughout, but eventually fell to the Kelowna Falcons, 9-8, in walk-off fashion to open up a 3-game series at Elks Stadium in British Columbia on Wednesday.

The Pippins (7-7, 18-22) took the early lead against Kelowna (4-9, 14-25) by posting 4 runs on 6 hits in the top of the fourth inning against Falcons right-handed starter Zach Jacobs. From that point forward, a cycle of lead trading and tie games began, with the Falcons striking four four runs off of Pippins starter Tyler Frazier in the bottom of the fifth inning. Both starters took no-decisions.

In the top of the sixth inning, the Pippins re-took the lead, 5-4, but Kelowna quickly responded in the bottom half with a 2-run frame off of right-hander reliever Mark Woinarowicz. In the 8th inning, the Pippins again tied things up on a James Bell RBI groundout, but Kelowna responded off of Woinarowicz again for two runs to re-take the lead in the bottom half.

In the ninth inning, with start Kelowna reliever Connor Hurley on the mound, the Pippins put two men on with two outs for outfielder Christian Padilla. Padilla roped a single up the middle, scoring the two runners and tying the game at 8 with the Pippins down to their final out in the ninth inning.

In the bottom half of the ninth, the Pippins had a scare, as reliever Nick Brown allowed a leadoff double to Brett Tressen, who moved up to third on a sacrifice. The Pippins then elected to walk to the bases loaded, and the decision paid off after Conagher Sands grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to send the game to extra innings.

In the tenth inning, however, the Pippins were not able to escape the same kind of scare. Kelowna got a leadoff walk from Brad Norton, who moved up to second base on a sacrifice and up to third on a wild pitch. A batter later, infielder Richie Sede, who was 0-for-5 in his first 5 at-bats, singled the opposite way into left field to walk it off for Kelowna.

Outfielder Kyle Dean, who entered the game in relief in the tenth inning, took the loss for the Pippins, his first of the season. Left-hander Ian Turner earned the win for Kelowna, improving to 1-2 on the season.

The series continues on Thursday with a 6:35 PM scheduled first pitch from Elks Stadium in Kelowna. The Pippins will send right-hander Bo Henderson to the mound against a to-be-determined right-hander for the Falcons.

Following their best offensive performance of the season (12 runs on 22 hits) in a win against Victoria on Sunday to salvage one game of a weekend series, the Pippins return to action following the 2-day All-Star Break by heading back up to Canada, to open a 3-game series with the Kelowna Falcons. First pitch of the series opener is set for 6:35 PM PT, with Pippins right-hander Tyler Frazier set to face off against a to-be-determined starter for Kelowna. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz will begin at pippinsbaseball.com/live at 6:20 PM.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS OFFENSE BREAKS OUT TO AVOID SWEEP IN VICTORIA: The Pippins showed out offensively on an early getaway day start in Victoria on Sunday, pounding out 12 runs on 22 hits to capture a 12-4 win over the North Division leaders. The Pippins actually fell behind early, when Victoria outfielder Kyle Sherick doubled home a run in the bottom of the second, but the Pippins offense turned boiling hot starting in the third inning, when Kyle Dean’s sacrifice fly tied things up. In the sixth inning, the Pippins exploded, bringing home 7 runs on 8 hits against Victoria relievers Garrett Goodall and Derek Salata. From that point forward, the Pippins rode strong pitching to salvage the series finale. Trystan Vrieling earned his first win thanks to a strong start, allowing just two earned runs over 5.1 innings, striking out 6 and walking four. Mark Woinarowicz (2 innings, 1 earned run) and Nick Brown (1.2 innings, 1 earned run) finished things off for the Pippins as they finished the season series 2-4 against Victoria.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Tyler Frazier will make his third start of the summer for the Pippins to open up the series in Kelowna. The 6-foot-1, 150-pound native of Corona, CA, made his last start against Bend on July 16, earning his second win of the year after tossing 7 scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts, allowing two hits and two walks. In 15 innings this summer over 7 appearances, Frazier has a 2-0 record, 3.60 ERA, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 16-to-8. Opponents are hitting .259 off of the righty.

FOR THE FALCONS: Kelowna has not announced a starting pitcher for Wednesday’s series opener.

DANDY DICARLO: With his 2-for-6 performance on Sunday, infielder Nick DiCarlo extended his season-long hitting streak to 7 games. In that stretch, DiCarlo is hitting .400 (10-for-25), with a double, a home run, 7 RBIs, and has walked 3 times to just two strikeouts. DiCarlo has had two of his four multi-hit games on the season in this span, and has raised his batting average 80 points (.214 to .294).

FINALLY, A GREAT GETAWAY: After starting the season 0-4 in the final games of road series (getaway days), the Pippins finally had a happy bus ride home after winning on Sunday. In the four prior getaway games (at Ridgefield, Bellingham, Corvallis, and Portland), the Pippins were losing by an average of 8.3 runs per game, while the pitching staff allowed 10.5 runs per game. On Sunday, the Pippins had their largest road win of the season (8 runs), while holding the league’s second-best offense to just four runs.

SEASON HIGHS GALORE: The Pippins broke out the bats on Sunday for their most impressive offensive performance of the season, setting a number of season-highs in the process. The 22 hits were, by far, a season-high, shattering the previous high of 13 set on Friday in Victoria. The 7 runs scored in the 6th inning were also a season-high for runs in a single inning, topping the previous high of 6. The 8 hits in that sixth inning were also the most hits in a single inning this year by the Pippins offense. In addition, the 6 doubles were a season-high, as well as the 3 doubles in the 9th inning (most 2Bs in one inning this year).

FINE IN THE FIELD: On Sunday, the Pippins did not commit an error for the second straight game, ending the series on a 20-inning errorless streak, which is a season-high in 2019. It was the first time all season that the Pippins had gone two consecutive games without committing an error. On the season, the Pippins still rank last in the West Coast League with their 68 errors committed and .952 fielding percentage.

ODDS & ENDS: With their win on Sunday, the Pippins improved to 2-1 in day games this year.

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Yakima Valley Pippins scored 12 runs on a season-high 22 hits and rode strong pitching to a 12-4 win over the Victoria HarbourCats on Sunday at Royal Athletic Park, salvaging the final game of a three-game weekend series to send the two teams to the All-Star Break.

The Pippins (7-6, 18-21) were as strong offensively as they have been all year, finishing one run shy of their season high in runs scored and shattering their previous high in hits (13). It was the HarbourCats (9-4, 27-13), though, that took the first lead of the game, striking for a 1-0 advantage off of Trystan Vrieling when Kyle Sherick doubled home a run in the bottom of the second.

From that point forward, Vrieling was sharp over 5.1 innings of work, earning his first win of the season after allowing two earned runs on four hits, four walks, and six strikeouts. The Pippins gave him run support early, tying the game up in the third inning on a Kyle Dean sacrifice fly. James Bell brought home two runs with a single in the fourth inning, giving the Pippins the lead and knocking Victoria starter Mitch Lines out of the game after 3-plus innings, in which he allowed 3 runs on 7 hits and took the loss.

Lines was the first of what would be 7 different pitchers used by Victoria to complete 9 innings, with the Pippins striking the most off of Garrett Goodall in the 6th inning. After Victoria took big leads in the first two games of the series with big 6th innings, the Pippins had their biggest inning of the entire season, scoring 7 runs on 8 hits off of Goodall and righty Derek Salata to break things open. After Christian Padilla led off the inning with a double, the Pippins had the next five batters reach before an out was finally recorded, and Goodall was relieved.

The Pippins turned to relievers Mark Woinarowicz and Nick Brown in relief of Vrieling, and the pair allowed two runs in the 8th inning, but the Pippins quickly responded with 2 runs in the top of the 9th inning to push their lead back to 8. Nine different players picked up multi-hits games for the Pippins, including three who had 3-hit games. Sherick was 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs and 2 doubles for Victoria, while Harrison Spohn was 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and a pair of walks.

After two days off for the West Coast League All-Star Break, the Pippins, now just two games back of a playoff spot, will resume their six-game Canadian road trip with a three-game series in Kelowna starting on Wednesday. First pitch for the series opener at Elks Stadium is set for 6:35 PM, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:20 at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

After falling on Saturday night to Victoria, 9-1, to drop the first two games of a three-game weekend series, the Pippins close out the first leg of their Canada road trip today with a Sunday afternoon game against the HarbourCats from Royal Athletic Park. First pitch is set for 1:00 PM, with right-hander Trystan Vrieling to start for the Pippins, opposite Victoria righty Mitch Lines. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz on pippinsbaseball.com/live begins at 12:45 PM.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS PITCHING FALTERS LATE, VICTORIA TAKES SERIES: In a game very similar to the series opener on Friday, the Victoria HarbourCats brought out the bats late to take advantage of Yakima Valley Pitching and claim a win on Saturday, 9-1, thus clinching the three-game weekend series. Joe Magrisi, the Pippins right-hander, struggled for the first time all season, as the HarbourCats hit him around in the 6th and 7th innings to the tune of eight earned runs on ten hits, 3 walks, and 13 strikeouts over 6-plus innings. Entering the day, Magrisi has allowed just two earned runs in 28.1 innings, but his 13 strikeouts were also a season-high. The Pippins could not get much going offensivelym scoring just one run in the top of the 8th inning off of reliever Hunter Hennigh, when Nick DiCarlo hit an RBI single. Starter Dakota Hawkins was shutdown for the HarbourCats, striking out 6 and not walking a batter over 6 shutout innings to earn his first win of the summer. The HarbourCats scored eight of their nine runs in the final four innings of the game.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Trystan Vrieling will start for the Pippins on Sunday in the day game series finale. The right-hander out of Gonzaga will be making his fourth appearance of the summer, and his second as the starter. His last start came last Sunday at home in a doubleheader against Port Angeles, where he allowed just two runs (one earned) over 5 innings of work, striking out 6, but took the loss in a 2-1 Port Angeles win. On the season, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound native of Kennewick, Wash., has posted an 0-2 record and 2.61 ERA in 10.1 innings of work, striking out 12 and walking 3. Opponents have hit .262 off of Vrieling this season.

FOR THE ELKS: Right-hander Mitch Lines will make his third start of the summer for the HarbourCats on Sunday to close out the series with the Pippins. The 6-foot, 190-pound right-hander native to Battle Ground, Wash., is 0-1 on the year with a 9.81 ERA over his first two starts of the summer. In 7.1 innings, Lines has struck out 7 and walked 4, while opponents have hit a combined .382 off of the Lower Columbia College righty. Lines, who will transfer to Boise State in the fall, lost his last start on Monday in Walla Walla, allowing six earned runs on 8 hits, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts over 3.1 innings.

SIXTH INNING STRUGGLES: The Pippins have struggled in the middle innings of games all season, but those issues have been exacerbated over the last two games with Victoria. Over the last two days, the Pippins have been outscored, 10-0, in the sixth inning alone, with that deficit rising to 19-0 when the 8th inning is included. The sixth inning has been the most difficult one all year for the Pippins – they have allowed 36 runs in that inning this year, the most of any inning, and have been outscored by 14 in the sixth innings of games this year.

A LOT OF DUDES: Within the past week, the Pippins have had four new players debut for the team in WCL play, brining their total number of players to appear in a game this season, through 36 games, to 47. Brothers Kyle and Tyler Dean, both position players, debuted early last weekend against Port Angeles, while left-hander Anthony Alvarado made his season debut on the mound on Sunday. On Thursday, right-hander Dominic Miller debuted in relief. A litany of injures has led to larger-than-expected roster turnover early in the season.

ODDS & ENDS: The Pippins did not commit an error on defense for the first time since June 7 against Wenatchee, a stretch of 33 games over six weeks.

VICTORIA, B.C. – In a game eerily similar to the series opener on Friday, the Victoria HarbourCats and Yakima Valley Pippins kept it close early before the home team broke out the bats late, scoring 8 of their 9 runs in the last four innings to claim a 9-1, series-clinching win on Saturday night at Royal Athletic Park.

In a scene that set itself up much like Friday’s series opener, Victoria (8-3, 27-12) did not get much going against Pippins (6-6, 17-21) starter Joe Magrisi throughout the first five innings. After trading zeroes through three and a half innings, the HarbourCats struck in the fourth when Chase Meidroth hit a solo home run to left-center field, just beyond the fence. It was the only hit in the first five innings for Victoria.

Magrisi was dealing through five, but his opponent, Victoria righty Dakota Hawkins, was just as good, shutting down the Pippins over six scoreless innings. Hawkins did not walk a batter and struck out six, allowing just three hits. The right-hander picked up his first win of the summer, as his offense exploded once the bottom of the sixth rolled around.

In the bottom of the sixth, Magrisi – who had only allowed two earned runs all season – allowed the first six men to reach, and four of them to score, before striking out the last three batters he saw in the frame. Similar troubles developed for the All-Star right-hander in the 7th inning, when Victoria put the first four men on base before Magrisi was substituted out of the game. On the night, in his first loss of the summer, Magrisi allowed eight earned runs on 10 hits over 6-plus innings, walking 3 and striking out a season-high 13.

Behind Hawkins, the bullpen for Victoria was strong, with Hunter Hennigh and Matt Amrhein combining to allow just one run over the final three innings. Hennigh gave up the only run in the top of the eighth inning, when Aidan Welch led off the frame with a walk, and scored a few batters later on an RBI single from Nick DiCarlo. Amrhein, the HarbourCats’ closer, allowed one hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth.

Meidroth led the way on offense for Victoria with three hits and three RBIs, while Parker Bramlett went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs, and Matt Turner, out of the nine-hole, was 2-for-3 with a triple and 2 runs scored. DiCarlo had the only RBI for the Pippins, who recorded just six hits and did not have a player with a multi-hit game.

The series concludes on Sunday at Royal Athletic Park with an early 1:00 PM first pitch. Right-hander Trystan Vrieling will start the finale for the Pippins, looking to avoid the sweep, opposite Victoria righty Mitch Lines. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz will begin at 12:45 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

After a 17-2 loss in Friday’s series opener in Victoria, the Pippins return to action tonight north of the border, looking to tie the series up at one game apiece. First pitch is set for 6:35 PM. West Coast League All-Star Joe Magrisi will start for the Pippins, squaring off with Victoria right-hander Dakota Hawkins. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz will begin at pippinsbaseball.com/live at 6:20 PM.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS BEATEN IN SERIES OPENER AT VICTORIA: The Pippins kept things competitive in the first five innings of Friday’s series opener in Victoria against the HarbourCats, trailing 4-0 after five innings, but things quickly collapsed on the mound from that point forward in a 17-2 loss. The Pippins’ offense was not at its best, stranding a total of 14 runners in 9 innings, but the struggles came from the pitching staff, which allowed consecutive 6-run innings in both the 6th and 7th innings. The HarbourCats pounded out the 17 runs on 18 hits, including sending six men to bat against Pippins reliever Anthony Alvarado in the 7th, and all six of them scored without an out being recorded. The Pippins did tack on two runs in the ninth inning, but it was too little, too late at that point.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Joe Magrisi will make his sixth start of the summer for the Pippins on Saturday in Victoria. The right-hander from Cal State Fullerton was dominant in his last start against Port Angeles, striking out 11 and allowing just four hits over seven shutout innings. The WCL All-Star has an ERA of 0.62 in 28.2 innings of work this season, but Victoria is the only team to score runs off of him this year. The HarbourCats tagged Magrisi for two earned runs in a season-low (for a start) four innings back on June 12 in Yakima. Magrisi leads the West Coast League with his 53 strikeouts on the season.

FOR THE ELKS: Right-hander Dakota Hawkins will make his fourth start of the summer for Victoria in Saturday’s game two against the Pippins. After opening his Victoria career in the bullpen, the Chehalis, Washington, native has made back-to-back turns in the HarbourCats rotation, most recently picking up a no-decision after allowing four runs (2 earned) over 5.1 innings last Sunday in Bend. On the year, the 6-foot, 195-pound righty from Lower Columbia College has pitched to a 3.06 ERA in 14.2 innings, striking out 8 and walking 3, while opponents have hit .250 off of him.

LONG ONES: After playing their longest nine-inning game of the season on Thursday against Bend (3:52), the Pippins played another 3-plus hour game on Friday, lasting 3 hours and 15 minutes in the 17-2 loss. The Pippins have now played 12 games this season that have gone at least 3 hours long, including six in the first 12 games of the second half of the season. The Pippins have only played 10 nine-inning games this year that took less than 2 and a half hours, with 7 of those 10 coming in the first three weeks of the season.

PARKER POWER: Pippins infielder Tanner Parker had the first 4-hit game by any Pippin this season on Friday, continuing a recent return to form for the shortstop. After sitting around .200 with his July batting average, Parker has collected 7 hits in 13 at-bats in his last 3 games – a .538 batting average. Parker leads all Pippins this year with 38 hits, including a team-high 9 doubles, 2 home runs, and 20 RBIs.

A LOT OF DUDES: Within the past week, the Pippins have had four new players debut for the team in WCL play, brining their total number of players to appear in a game this season, through 36 games, to 47. Brothers Kyle and Tyler Dean, both position players, debuted early last weekend against Port Angeles, while left-hander Anthony Alvarado made his season debut on the mound on Sunday. On Thursday, right-hander Dominic Miller debuted in relief. A litany of injures has led to larger-than-expected roster turnover early in the season.

ODDS & ENDS: The Pippins set a season high on Friday with 13 hits, and tied a high with 14 runners LOB.

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Yakima Valley Pippins kept it close early, but fell apart late on the mound in a 17-2, series opening loss to the Victoria HarbourCats on Friday night at Royal Athletic Park in British Columbia, Canada.

The Pippins (6-5, 17-20) kept things competitive early, but stranded 14 runners on base over the 9 inning contest. Victoria (8-3, 26-12) got a fantastic start on the mound from right-hander Aaron Celestino. Celestino, who had lost in a previous start against the Pippins in Yakima, struck out 8 over six scoreless innings and did not allow a walk with nine hits. He picked up his third win.

Jack Gonzales battled for the Pippins over 5.1 innings of work, but did not have his sharpest stuff and was hit around by a strong Victoria lineup. After striking for two runs in the second inning, Victoria added single runs in the third and fourth innings before knocking Gonzales out in the sixth, when they had their first of two six-run innings. Gonzales finished the night allowing 8 earned runs on 12 hits over 5.1 innings.

In the seventh inning, the HarbourCats had another 6-run frame, this time managing the runs on just one hit. Pippins reliever Anthony Alvarado entered the game and allowed six earned runs without recording an out, allowing all six men he faced to reach and score. The HarbourCats added another run for insurance off of right-hander Dominic Miller in the 8th inning.

The Pippins did manage to bring home 2 runs in the top of the ninth off of reliever Tyler Hilton, with Tanner Parker’s RBI single preventing Victoria from earning a shutout. Parker led the way on offense for Yakima Valley with four hits on the day, while Nick Israel, Tyler Dean, and James Bell all also added four hit days. Victoria had plenty of offensive standouts on the evening, with Kyle Harper going 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs and Chase Meidroth driving in 3 runs on 3 hits.

The series continues on Saturday night north of the border, with first pitch set for 6:35 PM in Game 2. Right-hander Joe Magrisi will start for the Pippins against Victoria right-hander Dakota Hawkins. Pregame coverage will begin with Miles Klotz at pippinsbaseball.com/live at 6:20 PM.

After wrapping up a season-long 10-game homestand with a series sweep of Bend on Thursday, the Pippins hit the road on Friday for a three-game weekend series north of the border against the Victoria HarbourCats. First pitch of the series opener at Royal Athletic Park is set for 6:35 PM, with Pippins left-hander Jack Gonzales set to match-up against Victoria righty Aaron Celestino. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz will begin at 6:20 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS SWEEP BEND WITH MARATHON WIN: In the longest nine-inning game of the season for the Pippins, at 3 hours and 52 minutes, Yakima Valley prevailed victorious over Bend, 9-7, to complete their third consecutive three-game series sweep over the Elks. The Pippins jumped ahead 6-0 after three innings against Bend, but the Elks battled back to tie the game with runs in the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings. In the top of the 8th inning, off of Pippins reliever Nick Brown, former Pippin Dayton Provost singled to bring home the go-ahead run for Bend, their first lead of the series. Outfielder Kyle Dean relieved Brown and finished off the inning. Dean would also earn the win, as the Pippins offense exploded in the bottom of the 8th, with Brady Hormel’s go-ahead, 2-RBI triple proving the difference in a 3-run frame that helped capped off the 9-7 comeback win.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Left-hander Jack Gonzales, a West Coast League All-Star, will make his second start of the summer for the Pippins on Friday to open up the series in Victoria. Gonzales, a junior from Dixie State, made his first start of the summer last Sunday in the first game of a doubleheader against Port Angeles, throwing a 7-inning complete game and earning the win after allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, one walk, and 5 strikeouts. A 6-foot-3, 225-pound native of Oceanside, Callifornia, Gonzales is 2-0 on the seasonin 12 appearances, striking out 25 and walking 10 over 30 innings of work.

FOR THE ELKS: Right-hander Aaron Celestino will make his sixth start of the season on Friday in the series opener against the Pippins. The 6-foot, 200-pound righty from the University of the Incarnate Wordlast pitched in relief on July 7 against Bellingham, earning the win with 5 shutout innings out of the bullpen. In a start in Yakima on June 12, Celestino took his only loss of the year, allowing 4 earned runs on 8 hits and 3 strikeouts over 5 innings. On the season, the Houston, Texas native is 2-1 with a 4.39 ERA, striking out 25 and walking 3 over 28.2 innings of work.

LONG ONES: Thursday’s 3 hour, 52 minute marathon was the longest nine-inning game of the season for the Pippins, but it continued a recent trend of long nine-inning games for Yakima Valley. The Pippins have now played 11 games this season that have gone at least 3 hours long, including five in the first 11 games of the second half of the season. The Pippins have only played 10 nine-inning games this year that took less than 2 and a half hours, with 7 of those 10 coming in the first three weeks of the season.

ELIMINATING ELKS: With the Pippins’ sweep-clinching win over Bend on Thursday, Yakima Valley has now swept the last three series against the Elks, and four of the last five series dating back to 2017. The win improved the Pippins’ all-time record over Bend to 19-8.

A LOT OF DUDES: Within the past week, the Pippins have had four new players debut for the team in WCL play, brining their total number of players to appear in a game this season, through 36 games, to 47. Brothers Kyle and Tyler Dean, both position players, debuted early last weekend against Port Angeles, while left-hander Anthony Alvarado made his season debut on the mound on Sunday. On Thursday, right-hander Dominic Miller debuted in relief. A litany of injures has led to larger-than-expected roster turnover early in the season.

ODDS & ENDS: Thursday’s game was the first game all season in which the Pippins have hit multiple triples…Kyle Dean became the first position player to pitch in a game for the Pippins in 2019.

YAKIMA, Wash. –  In their longest nine-inning game of the season, the Yakima Valley Pippins pulled out a late-inning win over the Bend Elks, 9-7, to complete the three-game series sweep at Yakima County Stadium on Thursday evening.

In 3 hours and 52 minutes, the two teams combined for 16 runs, 19 hits, four errors, and 19 walks in a convoluted ballgame. Neither the Elks (2-7, 14-22) or the Pippins (5-4, 17-19) pitched particularly well, with the Pippins jumping ahead early off of Bend starter Michael Hansell. Nick DiCarlo led off the bottom of the first inning with a double, and scored on a throwing error a few batters later to give the Pippins an early lead.

After scoring two more runs in the second inning, and three more in the third, knocking Hansell out of the game, the Pippins had a comfortable 6-0 lead. But from that point forward, right-hander Ryan Jameson struggled with his location, and the Elks offense pounced for three runs in the fourth inning and one more in the fifth to knock Jameson out of the game. He allowed four runs (three earned) on three walks, five hits, and five strikeouts over five inning.

Although the Pippins held onto the lead headed into the sixth, Bend quickly tied things up thanks to former Pippin Dayton Provost. The pinch-hitter laced a 2-out, 2-RBI single off of Pippins reliever Dominic Miller – making his Pippins debut – to tie the game at 6. In the top of the eighth inning, Provost singled again, this time off of Nick Brown, to put the Elks on top for the first time all series, 7-6.

The Pippins took back the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth inning against a pair of relievers for Bend. Drew Baumgartner allowed a pair of walks to put two on, one out for Brady Hormel, who drilled a triple to deep right-center field, drawing a collision in the outfield and bringing home two runs. Another insurance run scored and the Pippins grabbed the 9-7 lead that they would not surrender.

Kyle Dean, a position player who began the game in right field, earned the win on the mound after entering the game in the eighth inning due to a lack of relievers for the Pippins. He threw 1.1 scoreless innings. Baumgartner, who allowed two runs in 2.2 innings, took the loss for Bend.

Christian Padilla led the way on offense for the Pippins, going 3-for-3 while reaching base in all 5 of his at-bats, including a triple. Hormel had 2 hits and 2 RBIs, while Dean also added 2 hits and a double. Provost had 2 hits and 3 RBIs for the Elks, while Jake Jarvis and Efry Cervantes both added multi-hit games.

The Pippins now hit the road for a 3-game weekend series with Victoria before next week’s West Coast League All-Star Game in Bend. First pitch for Friday’s series opener at Royal Athletic Park is set for 6:35 PM, with Pippins left-hander Jack Gonzales set to match-up with Victoria righty Aaron Celestino. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz will begin at pippinsbaseball.com/live at 6:20 PM.

Following a 6-run comeback win over the Bend Elks on Wednesday night to clinch the 3-game series, the Pippins return to the Orchard tonight, looking for their third consecutive series sweep against the Elks. First pitch for the series finale is set for 6:35 PM, with a pair of right-handers – Yakima Valley’s Ryan Jameson, and Bend’s Michael Hansell – set to square off on the mound. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at pippinsbaseball.com/live at 6:20 PM.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS TOP BEND IN BACK-AND-FORTH CONTEST: In a thrilling game two of a three-game series on Wednesday at Yakima County Stadium, the Pippins came out on top of the Bend Elks, 13-11, to clinch the series and head into Thursday with a chance for a series sweep. After jumping ahead, 3-0, after one inning, when the first five men reached for the Pippins, Bend scored 2 runs in the top of the second and seven in the top of the fourth to take a 9-3 lead. But the Pippins slowly and furiously chipped away, with Nick DiCarlo blasting a 3-run homer in the fifth inningto cut the lead to one, and Aidan Welch singling home the go-ahead run in the sixth. After Bend retook the lead with 2 runs in the top of the seventh, the Pippins answered back with an RBI groundout from Kyle Dean and a Tanner Parker RBI single. Nick Brown closed the door out of the bullpen with two innings of scoreless relief, pushing the Pippins to their fourth win in their last five games.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Ryan Jameson will start for the Pippins in Thursday’s series finale. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound righty from Cal Poly is a tough-luck 0-3 on the season, with a 2.86 ERA over 5 appearances, including four starts. In 22 innings of work, Jameson has struck out 32 batters (tied for 7th-most in the WCL) and walked 11. Opponents have hit .213 on the season off of the Hollister, California, native, who lost his last start on Friday against Port Angeles (5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K).

FOR THE ELKS: Right-hander Michael Hansell will make his seventh start of the season for the Elks to close out the series on Thursday. A 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-hander from Sammamish, Wash., Hansell has an 0-3 record and 5.75 ERA in 20.1 innings this season for the Elks. The righty from Mesa (Ariz.) Community College has struck out 16 batters and walked 18 this year, while opponents have hit .301 off him.

NOT BUCKING THE TREND: After three and a half innings on Wednesday, with Bend leading the PIppins 9-3, it seemed like the Elks would snap their seven-game losing streak against the Pippins, which dates back to 2017. But Yakima Valley’s wild comeback win continued their more than two-year long winning streak over Bend, and gives the Pippins a chance to complete their third consecutive sweep of Bend on Thursday. All-time, the Pippins have swept Bend three times in a three-game series, with all three sweeps coming within the past two seasons.

NICK IS NICE: The hottest hitter in the Pippins lineup is infielder Nick Israel, who collected two hits and a season-high 4 RBIs in Wednesday’s win. Over his last five games, in which Israel has a hit in all five, Israel is hitting .438 (7-for-16), a stretch that has raised his batting average from .267 to .318. Over those five games, Israel has six RBIs, and 1 walk to 0 strikeouts. He has not struck out since July 5 in Portland, a streak that goes back seven games.

A LOT OF DUDES: Within the past week, the Pippins have had three new players debut for the team in WCL play, brining their total number of players to appear in a game this season, through 35 games, to 46. Brothers Kyle and Tyler Dean, both position players, debuted early last weekend against Port Angeles, while left-hander Anthony Alvarado made his season debut on the mound on Sunday. A litany of injures has led to larger-than-expected roster turnover early in the season.

ODDS & ENDS: Wednesday’s game went a season-long 3 hours and 38 minutes…Nick DiCarlo’s fifth-inning homer was the Pippins’ first since June 20, a stretch of 27 days and 19 league games.

YAKIMA, Wash. – The Yakima Valley Pippins rallied from a 9-3 deficit and pounded out 13 runs on 11 hits to clinch their series with the Bend Elks on Wednesday at Yakima County Stadium, winning 13-11 in front of a crowd of 625.

After combining for 1 run on six hits in Tuesday’s series opener, the Pippins (5-4, 16-19) and Elks (2-6, 14-21) combined for 24 runs on 25 hits and six errors in a game that featured several lead changes and plenty of back-and-forth moments. It was the Pippins that jumped out early, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning off of Elks right-hander Alex Giroux to take an early lead.

The first five batters of the bottom of the first inning reached against Giroux, who walked three and allowed an RBI double to Nick Israel. Bend quickly responded in the top of the second with two runs off of Pippins right-hander A.J. Wood, with Jake Jarvis hitting a solo homer and Vinny Zavolta following with an RBI single. Neither starter completed four innings, with Giroux exiting after 3.1 innings and 5 runs (4 earned), while Wood allowed 4 runs (3 earned) over 3-plus innings. Neither starter took a decision as things got crazy in the middle innings.

The Elks struck for seven runs in the top of the fourth inning against three different Pippins pitchers, with Anthony Alvarado allowing five earned runs and recording just one out after Wood was relieved two batters into the weekend. At the end of the frame, the Elks had a 9-3 lead, but the Pippins quickly responded in the bottom half.

Israel hit a 2-run single off of Bend reliever Joe Williams to cut the Elks lead to four, and the Pippins continued to rally from that point forward. In the fifth inning, Nick DiCarlo had his second hit of the day, a booming three-run homer to left field, that sliced the deficit to just one run, 9-8. The Pippins finally rallied to retake the lead in the sixth inning, when runs came home on a wild pitch and an Aidan Welch single to make it 10-9.

Bend took the lead back again in the top of the seven inning with two runs, but the Pippins rallied once again in the bottom of the seventh, with Kyle Dean bringing home a run on a groundout, despite the infield coming in, and Tanner Parker singling home an insurance run to make it 13-11.

Bo Henderson earned the win in relief for the Pippins, allowing two runs (one earned) over 3.2 innings, striking out one and walking one to earn his first win. Nick Brown pitched the final two innings in relief to pick up the save for the Pippins, his second of the year. Bend reliever Alan Embree, who faced just one batter in the seventh (DiCarlo) and allowed a single, picked up the loss, his third of the year.

DiCarlo led the way on offense for the Pippins with his best performance of the year, reaching base in all five trips in a 3-for-3, 3 RBI day. Israel added a season-high four RBIs in a 2-for-4 day, and Parker also had 2 hits and an RBI. For Bend, Jarvis had 3 hits, including two RBIs and the home run, and Chase Ferlund went 2-for-4 with 3 runs scored.

The series wraps up on Thursday in Yakima as the Pippins go for the series sweep, which would be their third consecutive sweep over Bend. Right-hander Ryan Jameson will start for the Pippins against a to-be-announced starter for Bend. First pitch is set for 6:35 PM, with pregame coverage beginning at pippinsbaseball.com/live at 6:20.

After picking up their second 1-0 win of the season on Tuesday and taking the series opener from the Bend Elks, the Pippins will look for their fifth win over their past six games on Wednesday night as the 3-game series continues at Yakima County Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:35 PM in game two, in which the Pippins will send right-hander A.J. Wood to the mound against a to-be-determined starter for Bend. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz at pippinsbaseball.com/live begins at 6:20 PM.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS PULL OUT NARROW WIN OVER BEND TO OPEN SERIES: The Pippins scrapped and clawed their way to a hard-fought series opening win against the Bend Elks on Tuesday at Yakima County Stadium, pulling out a 1-0 win, their seventh consecutive victory against the Elks. Tyler Frazier, the Pippins’ starter, was fantastic, allowing just four baserunners over seven shutout innings, only one of whom advanced past first base. Frazier picked up his second win after striking out 8, and Mark Woinarowicz threw 2 scoreless innings of relief to earn his first save of the summer. The Pippins picked up their only run of the ballgame in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Nick DiCarlo singled into center field with two on and two out, and Eddy Pelc, pinch-running for the injured Zach Meddings, scored from second base. It was the only run allowed by Bend starter Gil Luna, who walked 6 and threw 118 pitches over 6.2 innings of work to take the loss.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander A.J. Wood will make his third start of the summer tonight for the Pippins in the second game of the series against Bend. Wood, out of Central Washington, has made his last two appearances in relief after making a spot start on July 4 against Bellingham. He has allowed at least one run over each of his last four appearances, but still holds a 2.86 ERA on the season in 22 innings of work. In that stretch, Wood has a 1-1 record, and has struck out 19 batters to 10 walks. Opponents have hit .250 off of the right-hander native to Sacramento, California.

FOR THE ELKS: The Elks have not announced a projected starter for tonight’s game.

TYLER TERRIFIC: Tyler Frazier picked up his second win on Tuesday after firing seven shutout innings, continuing a strong recent stretch across all competitions. Frazier carried over momentum from his non-league start last week against the Northwest Honkers, in which he allowed one earned run over five innings of work. In his last five WCL appearances, Frazier has allowed one earned run over 11.2 innings, good for a 0.77 ERA. In that stretch, he has 13 strikeouts to just four walks.

HIGH QUALITY STARTERS: Frazier’s seven shutout innings marked the 8th quality start by a Pippins starter this year, and the third in the past week, after Joe Magrisi’s 7 shutout innings against Port Angeles on Saturday, and Jack Gonzales’ 7-inning complete game on Sunday. Overall, five of the Pippins’ eight quality starts on the season have come in the month of July. Tuesday also marked the Pippins’ third team shutout of the season, the second-most total in the league. Only Corvallis (4) has more shutouts on the year.

A LOT OF DUDES: Within the past week, the Pippins have had three new players debut for the team in WCL play, brining their total number of players to appear in a game this season, through 34 games, to 46. Brothers Kyle and Tyler Dean, both position players, debuted early in the weekend against Port Angeles, while left-hander Anthony Alvarado made his season debut on the mound on Sunday. A litany of injures has led to larger-than-expected roster turnover early in the season.

ODDS & ENDS: The Pippins’ win last night over Bend was their first win at home against a South Division team in 2019…Bend only had one runner advance past first base on Tuesday (Vinny Zavolta, 7th inning)…the Pippins improved to 3-6 in one-run games with last night’s 1-0 win, their second 1-0 win of the season…Mark Woinarowicz earned the first save by a Pippins reliever in the second half, and the first in over two weeks (Trystan Vrieling, July 3 vs. Bellingham).

YAKIMA, Wash. – Tyler Frazier threw 7 shutout innings and the Yakima Valley Pippins pushed across the only run of the ballgame in a 1-0 win over the Bend Elks on Tuesday night at Yakima County Stadium, opening up a 3-game series on the right note.

Frazier, making his second start of the year in West Coast League play, was dominant from start to finish for the Pippins (4-4, 14-19). Four of his seven innings of work were 1-2-3 frames, and he struck out a season-high 8 batters to just two walks. Only one did a runner advance past second base against Frazier, when Vinny Zavolta reached on a single and moved up on a walk in the 7th inning for Bend (2-5, 14-20).

The Pippins did not get much offense going against Elks starter Gil Luna, who was shaky with command over 6.2 innings (6 walks) but kept the Pippins off balance, with just 3 hits allowed on the day and 6 strikeouts. In the fifth inning, the Pippins got to Luna for the only time all night. Zach Meddings led off the inning with a single, but was promptly removed due to injury and replaced by Eddy Pelc. After a hit-by-pitch, a pickoff, and a walk, Nick DiCarlo singled into center field, scoring Pelc from second base and giving the Pippins a 1-0 lead.

The Pippins stranded 9 runners otherwise, including leaving the bases loaded in the 7th inning against Bend reliever Jake Wilson. Mark Woinarowicz closed things out for the Pippins in relief, allowing just two baserunners over 2 scoreless innings, and inducing a 4-6-3 double play to end the game in the top of the ninth inning.

Nobody collected a multi-hit game on either side, with just six combined hits between the two teams. Aside from DiCarlo and Meddings, Brett Wells also had a hit for the Pippins, and reached based in all 3 of his plate appearances. Dayton Provost and Nick Burgarello also collected singles for Bend.

The series continues on Wednesday with a 6:35 PM first pitch, as the Pippins look for the series win over the Elks. Right-hander A.J. Wood will start for the Pippins against a to-be-determined starter for Bend. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at 6:20 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

Following a double-header split on Sunday against Port Angeles that completed a 4-game series split with the Lefties, the Pippins return to action at Yakima County Stadium tonight to open up a 3 game series with the Bend Elks. First pitch for game one is set for 6:35 PM PT, with Bend left-hander Gil Luna set to oppose Yakima Valley righty Mark Woinarowicz on the mound.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS SPLIT TIGHT SUNDAY DOUBLEHEADER WITH LEFTIES: The Pippins needed strong pitching in a Sunday doubleheader with Port Angeles, and they got it, allowing just 3 runs in the two games, but split the doubleheader, and ultimately the series, with the Lefties. Jack Gonzales threw a complete game in the first game of the doubleheader as the Pippins pulled out a 5-2 win, striking out 5, and Aidan Welch added 3 hits in the victory. The Pippins scored all 5 runs in the fourth inning off of Port Angeles left-hander Nathan Bonck. In game two, a 2-1 win for Port Angeles, the Pippins got a strong start from Trystan Vrieling, who allowed one earned run over 5 innings, with zero walks, but Dwayne Angebrandt was even better for the Lefties, styming the Pippins over five innings of work. Early runs in the second and fourth innings pushed Port Angeles ahead, and they never trailed en route to splitting the doubleheader and the series, and pulling out the win in the season series, 4 games to 2.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Mark Woinarowicz will make his fourth start of the summer for the Pippins to open up the series against Bend on Tuesday. The right-hander from Cal State East Bay has shuffled between the rotation and the bullpen this season, making his last three league appearances in relief. On the season, the Yorba Linda, California native has a 3-3 record and 4.76 ERA, striking out 22 batters and walking 5 over 28.1 innings of work.

FOR THE ELKS: Left-hander Gil Luna will start for Bend in the series opener on Tuesday, making his seventh start of the season. The reigning West Coast League Pitcher of the Week, Luna sits second in the WCL this season with 47 strikeouts in just 29.1 innings, but also leads the league with his 32 walks. Opponents have hit a paltry .152 off of the Casa Grande, Arizona, native, who allowed one unearned run over 7 innings in his last start at Wenatchee, walking 4 and striking out 12 to pick up his second win of the year.

A LOOK AT THE ELKS: 33 games into 2019, the Elks have an identical record to the Pippins at 14-19, but have already eclipsed their win total from all of 2018, when they won a league-worst 12 games. For the second straight year, Bend’s struggles have manifested largely from the pitching staff, which has a 5.31 ERA that is 3rd-worst in the West Coast League. On offense, the Elks sit middle of the pack in runs scored (160) and team batting average (.244).

AN AID TO THE OFFENSE: Infielder Aidan Welch had 4 hits on Sunday in the Port Angeles doubleheader, including a 3-hit game in game one. 4 of Welch’s last 6 games have been multi-hit games, and he has seven multi-hit games in his first 14 games with Yakima Valley this season. Welch leads all Pippins hitters with a .360 batting average, and has also added 5 RBIs.

A LOT OF DUDES: Within the past week, the Pippins have had three new players debut for the team in WCL play, brining their total number of players to appear in a game this season, through 33 games, to 46. Brothers Kyle and Tyler Dean, both position players, debuted early in the weekend against Port Angeles, while left-hander Anthony Alvarado made his season debut on the mound on Sunday. A litany of injures has led to larger-than-expected roster turnover early in the season.

ODDS & ENDS: The Pippins are on a 6-game winning streak against Bend, last losing to the Elks on July 27, 2017 in Bend…the Pippins had 2 pitchers named to the WCL All-Star Team on Tuesday, left-hander Jack Gonzales and righty Joe Magrisi…it is the first time since 2015 that two Pippins arms are All-Stars.

YAKIMA, Wash. – Two pitchers for the Yakima Valley Pippins, right-hander Joe Magrisi and left-hander Jack Gonzales, have been named to the North Division roster for the 2019 West Coast League All-Star Game, the league office announced Tuesday. The All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday, June 23, at Vince Genna Stadium in Bend, Oregon.

It is the first WCL All-Star Game selection for both pitchers. Gonzales, in his second year with the Pippins, has posted a 2-0 record and 1.80 ERA over 30 innings of work. The Oceanside, California native ranks fourth in the West Coast League in ERA, while his 30 innings pitched are 6th-most league-wide.

Gonzales, a rising junior at Dixie State, has struck out 25 batters and walked 10 in 12 appearances, while opponents have hit just .226 off of him. Gonzales made his first start of the summer on Sunday against Port Angeles, throwing a 7-inning complete game and earning the win after allowing 2 runs and striking out a season-high five.

Magrisi, a two-time WCL Pitcher of the Week honoree, leads the league in ERA (0.62) and strikeouts (53) this season. A native of San Diego, California, the right-hander is the only pitcher in the West Coast League with 3 different double-digit strikeout games this season. In his last start, Magrisi earned the win after striking out 11 over 7 shutout innings against Port Angeles.

A rising sophomore at Cal State Fullerton, Magrisi has walked just 9 batters in his 28.2 innings of work this summer, while opponents have hit .115 off of him. Amongst qualified pitchers, that .115 mark ranks as the 2nd-best league-wide, and his 16.6 strikeouts per nine innings leads all qualified arms.

The Pippins’ two All-Stars marks the sixth consecutive season with at least two selections, in the team’s sixth year of existence. It is the first time since 2015 that the Pippins have sent two pitchers to the All-Star Game.

After snapping a 3-game WCL losing streak with a 7-1 win over Port Angeles on Saturday evening, the Pippins close out the series with the Lefties on Sunday with a doubleheader at Yakima County Stadium. Two 7-inning games will begin at 4:35 PM, with a 30-minute break between the games. The Pippins will start right-hander Trystan Vrieling will start in game one against Port Angeles left-hander Nathan Bonck, while the Pippins have not announced a starter for game two against Lefties right-hander Dwayne Angebrandt. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at 4:20 at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

Full Game Notes

STRONG PITCHING LEADS PIPPINS TO SERIES-EVENING WIN: Right-hander Joe Magrisi was fantastic in his start on Saturday, tossing 7 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts, and the Pippins rolled over Port Angeles to a 7-1 win to even up the series at Yakima County Stadium. Magrisi, who went just 4.2 innings in his last start, had 3 different 1-2-3 frames and allowed just four hits on 99 pitches in his longest outing of the season. The Pippins got plenty of offense, too, starting with an RBI double from Nick Israel in the first inning that gave the Pippins an early lead. In the fifth inning, Nick DiCarlo added a sacrifice fly, and the Pippins broke things open with a 4-run sixth inning against Lefties starter Tyler Tan. A.J. Wood finished the game off in relief for the Pippins, allowing one run in 2 innings of work.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Trystan Vrieling is set to start Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader for Yakima Valley, while a game 2 starter has not been decided. Vrieling, a 6-foot-3, 180 pound native of Kennewick, Wash., will be making his first start of the summer after 2 relief appearances to the start his Pippins career. The incoming freshman at Gonzaga has an 0-1 record and 3.37 ERA on the season, striking out 6 batters and walking 3 over 5.1 innings of work. He has allowed opponents to hit .200 and has one save.

FOR THE LEFTIES: Left-hander Nathan Bonck will start Game 1 for the Lefties, followed by right-hander Dwayne Angebrandt in the second game. Bonck, a 6-foot-5, 228 pound southpaw from Alaska, will be making his second start of the summer, and is coming off of a quality start (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 K) last Sunday at Cowlitz. Angebrandt, a 6-foot-1, 160-pound right-hander from Cal State Northridge, is 1-3 on the season with a 4.17 ERA. In 5 starts this year, Angebrandt has struck out 23 batters and walked 7 in 28 innings of work.

MASTERFUL MAGRISI: Following his seven shutout innings with 11 strikeouts on Saturday, Joe Magrisi reclaimed his spot atop the West Coast League leaderboards in both ERA (0.62) and strikeouts (53). Magrisi is in the midst of a 19.2 scoreless innings streak, last allowing a run in the fourth inning of his start on June 12 at home against Victoria. The 11 strikeouts marked the third consecutive start that Magrisi has struck out 11 or more batters. Bend’s Gil Luna is the only other WCL pitcher with multiple starts this season with double-digit strikeouts.

AN AID TO THE OFFENSE: Infielder Aidan Welch collected 2 hits and reached base three times on Saturday, extending his recent hot stretch at the plate. 3 of Welch’s last 4 games have been multi-hit games, and he has six multi-hit games in his first 12 games with Yakima Valley this season. Welch leads all Pippins hitters with a .333 batting average, and has also added 5 RBIs.

A LOT OF DUDES: With the West Coast League debuts of brothers Tyler and Kyle Dean for the Pippins on Friday in the series opener against Port Angeles, the Pippins have now had 45 different players suit up for a game this season through just 30 games. When left-handed pitcher Anthony Alvarado makes his debut, it will bring the total up to 46. A litany of injures has led to larger-than-expected roster turnover early in the season.

ODDS & ENDS: The Pippins are playing their second doubleheader this season, both against Port Angeles…Joe Magrisi earned the win on the mound on Saturday, improving Pippins starting pitchers to 4-10 on the year…Pippins pitching did not issue a walk on Saturday for the first time since June 4 at Ridgefield.

YAKIMA, Wash. – Joe Magrisi did not allow a run over seven shutout innings and the Yakima Valley Pippins got enough offense in the middle innings to topple the Port Angeles Lefties, 7-1, on Saturday evening at Yakima County Stadium, evening their weekend series at one game apiece.

Magrisi, coming off of his shortest start of the summer last weekend at Portland, had elite command of his three-pitch mix as he sliced up the Port Angeles (2-2, 12-18) lineup from start to finish over his seven-inning outing. After a season-high six walks a week ago, Magrisi did not issue a free pass on Saturday, and also struck out 11 batters to up his league-leading strikeout total to 53 on the year. He allowed four hits, and threw 99 pitches.

The Pippins (2-3, 13-18) jumped on Port Angeles starter Tyler Tan early, giving Magrisi a 2-0 lead after two innings. Aidan Welch singled through the left side, and Nick Israel brought him home a batter later with an RBI double. After a wild pitch moved Israel to third, Noah Andrews scored Israel on a groundout, and the Pippins led 2-0. They never trailed in the ballgame.

While Magrisi cruised through the top halves of innings, Tan ran into some trouble in the middle innings, allowing an unearned run to score in the fifth before exiting with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the sixth. Reliever Zach Tresemer, facing Andrews, got a ground ball up the middle, but it slid right underneath second baseman Damiano Palmegiani’s glove, leading to two Pippins runs and the start of a 4-run sixth inning that pushed the lead to 7-0.

A.J. Wood finished off the game for the Pippins with two innings of relief, allowing one run on a double in the 8th inning while striking out one. Magrisi earned the win, improving to 2-0 on the season, while Tan took his first loss of the summer.

Israel led the way on offense for the Pippins, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs on the day. Welch also added two hits for the Pippins, while Kyle Dean added a double (his first hit of the summer). Gavin Rork (2-for-4, 1 run scored) paced the offense for Port Angeles.

The series wraps up on Sunday with a doubleheader set to begin at 4:35 PM. The two teams will play a pair of seven-inning games separated by 30 minutes. Left-hander Nathan Bonck will start game one for Port Angeles, and will be opposed by Pippins righty Trystan Vrieling. Right-hander Dwayne Angebrandt will get the ball for the Lefties in Game 2 against a to-be-decided pitcher for Yakima Valley. Pregame coverage at pippinsbaseball.com/live with Miles Klotz begins at 4:20 PM.

After dropping the series opener to the Port Angeles Lefties on Friday night at home, 4-1, the Pippins return to action tonight and continue their series against the Lefties with a 6:35 PM first pitch. In a rematch of a rain-cancelled pitching matchup from last month in Port Angeles, right-hander Joe Magrisi will pitch for the Pippins against Lefties righty Tyler Tan. Pregame coverage begins at 6:20 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live, with Miles Klotz on the call.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS FALL TO PORT ANGELES IN WILD SERIES OPENER: The Pippins dropped the first game of their weekend series to the Port Angeles Lefties, 4-1, on Friday night at Yakima County Stadium, in a game in which both managers were ejected. The Pippins could never generate enough offense, scoring their only run in the bottom of the ninth inning, and got three of their five hits on the night from center fielder Luke Schwartz. Ryan Jameson, the Pippins’ starter, was not bad, allowing just one earned run in five innings, but the duo of righties Nate Weeldreyer (3 scoreless innings) and Michael Buchanan (4 scoreless innings) for Port Angeles stymied the Pippins offense all night long. Port Angeles used 2-run innings in both the fourth and sixth innings to jump ahead early, and never trailed in the opener.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Joe Magrisi will make his fifth start of the season for the Pippins on Saturday. The sophomore right-hander out of Cal State Fullerton only went 4.2 innings deep in his last start at Portland, in part due to his six walks, but did not allow a run and allowed just one hit in the outing while striking out a season-high 12 batters. On the season, Magrisi is 2nd in the West Coast League with his 42 strikeouts in just 21.2 innings of work, while his record stands at 1-0. Magrisi has posted a 0.83 ERA and allowed opponents to hit .099 off of him.

FOR THE PICKLES: Right-hander Tyler Tan will make his fourth start of the summer for the Lefties on Saturday in Yakima. The 5-foot-7, 170-pound native of Kent, Washington, played under Lefties head coach Darren Westergard at Skagit Valley College this past spring. In 3 starts this year, Tan has a 1-0 record and 2.36 ERA, striking out 11 batters and walking 7 in 19 innings of work. Tan was the starting pitcher in the game in Port Angeles on June 25 that was cancelled after 4-plus innings due to rain. In that outing, he lasted just 1.1 innings, as the Pippins pounded him for 8 runs (7 earned) on six hits and a walk.

LONG ONES: Friday’s series opener lasted 3 hours and 13 minutes, marking the fourth consecutive league game that has gone at least 2:50. On the season, it was the Pippins’ 9th game that went at least 3 hours long in league play – 7 of which have came in the past month of the season. Yakima Valley has played 14 games that have gone at least 2 hours and 45 minutes long.

HOMER DROUGHT: It has been over three weeks since the Pippins last hit a home run in any competition, with the last coming from Henry Gargus on June 20 at home. The Pippins’ 5 homers on the year in WCL play are the fewest of any team in the league, with every other team having at least 10 homers on the season. The Pippins are also last in the league in doubles (32), and tied for last in triples (2) on the season.

A LOT OF DUDES: With the West Coast League debuts of brothers Tyler and Kyle Dean for the Pippins on Friday in the series opener against Port Angeles, the Pippins have now had 45 different players suit up for a game this season through just 30 games. When left-handed pitcher Anthony Alvarado makes his debut, it will bring the total up to 46. A litany of injures has led to larger-than-expected roster turnover early in the season.

ODDS & ENDS: The Pippins have lost each of their three games this season against the Lefties after winning 8 of their first 9 against the Port Angeles franchise…Friday’s loss was the Pippins’ 11th time this season scoring 2 or fewer runs, and their 9th time scoring one run or fewer (including the third time in the last three games)…infielder Aidan Welch went 0-for-4, snapping a 9-game on-base streak.

YAKIMA, Wash. – In a wild series opener at Yakima County Stadium, the Yakima Valley Pippins fell, 4-1, to the Port Angeles Lefties, in the series opener of a 4-game series at Yakima County Stadium.

The Pippins (1-3, 12-180 didn’t score a run against the Lefties (2-1, 12-17) until the bottom of the ninth, but a wild night throughout ensured one of the wackiest games of the 2019 season. The Lefties struck early off of Pippins reliever Ryan Jameson, tagging him for two runs in the fourth inning after an infield single by Gavin Rork and a single by Justin Fugitt put two on with no outs. A wild pitch scored Rork, and Baxter Halligan followed with a sacrifice fly to score Fugitt and make it 2-0.

From there, the Lefties pitching staff cruised, with starter Nate Weeldreyer tossing 3 scoreless innings and reliever Michael Buchanan – who picked up his first win in relief – allowing just one baserunner over four scoreless frames. Tension ensued in the sixth inning, when Pippins manager Marcus McKimmy was ejected for arguing with home plate umpire Kyle Katz. The Lefties added two more runs that inning, with Halligan tagging reliever Mark Woinarowicz for an RBI double, and another run coming in to score on a passed ball.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Pippins, off of Port Angeles reliever A.C. Chavez, rallied to score their only run of the ballgame. After Brady Hormel hit a leadoff single, back-to-back groundouts moved him to third. A batter later, Nick Israel hit an infield single that scored Hormel. The next batter, Tyler Dean, reached on a fielding error, before chaos ensued.

After one pitch was thrown to Luke Schwartz, a massive argument erupted between both umpires and two of the Pippins coaches, as well as the entire Pippins dugout. Due to the lengthy delay, the Lefties changed pitchers, putting right-hander Carter Loewen into the game. On a full count, Loewen got Schwartz to bounce out to third base, but after the Lefties had already gone onto the field to celebrate, the call was overturned, and Schwartz was called safe, loading the bases.

A batter later – and after Lefties manager Darren Westergard was ejected – Christian Padilla struck out on a high fastball to end the wild contest. The series will continue on Saturday with a 6:35 PM first pitch at Yakima County Stadium. Right-hander Joe Magrisi will start for the Pippins opposite Port Angeles’ Tyler Tan. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at 6:20 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

After a brief three-game break from West Coast League play, the Pippins return to league action tonight at home against the Port Angeles Lefties, opening up a 4-games in 3 days series. Friday’s opener is Military Appreciation Night at the Orchard, with a special 7:05 PM first pitch and fireworks to follow the game. Ryan Jameson will start for the Pippins opposite Port Angeles righty Nate Weeldreyer. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at 6:50 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS COMPLETE CLEAN SWEEP IN NON-LEAGUE GAMES: The Pippins took a quick break from West Coast League play on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and completed a 3-0 stretch against non-league teams with an 11-10, walk-off win over the Northwest Honkers on Thursday night. In a crazy game, the lead changed hands and the score was tied several different times in the late innings, leading to a 10-inning game. In the bottom of the tenth, the Pippins’ Aidan Welch took a 2-2 fastball through a hole in the left side of the infield, and Eddy Pelc (who led off the frame with a walk) came around to score the winning run, ahead of a throw from left fielder Paul Bryniarski. The Pippins improved to 4-0 on the year in non-league games with the win. They have just two non-league games remaining this season.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Ryan Jameson will make his fourth start of the summer on Friday to open up the series against the Lefties. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound right-hander from Cal Poly last started a week ago on July 5 in Portland, where he took a no-decision despite putting together his best start of the year. In 6.2 innings of work, the Hollister, California native struck out a season-high 10 batters and allowed just 1 hit and no runs, while walking 3. On the season, Jameson has an 0-2 record and 3.17 ERA in 17 innings of work, striking out 27 and walking 9.

FOR THE PICKLES: Right-hander Nate Weeldreyer is set to make his second start of the season for the Lefties on Friday in the opener against the Pippins. The 6-foot-1, 197-pound right-hander from Auburn, Washington, has made one start on the year, allowing an earned run in 3 innings of work against Bend on June 29 at home. In that start, he struck out four batters and walked 2. The right-hander will be a freshman at the University of Washington in the fall.

JACK ATTACK: Jack Gonzales continued his stellar stretch of relief outings on Sunday in Portland, tossing another 1.1 of scoreless relief, striking out 2 and walking 1, while allowing just one of three inherited runners to score. The outing was Gonzales’ sixth consecutive without allowing an earned run, dating back to June 24 against Corvallis. In that span, Gonzales has tossed 15.2 scoreless frames to lower his ERA to 1.56. In those innings, he has 15 strikeouts to just 4 walks.

HOMER DROUGHT: It has been over three weeks since the Pippins last hit a home run in any competition, with the last coming from Henry Gargus on June 20 at home. The Pippins’ 5 homers on the year in WCL play are the fewest of any team in the league, with only Cowlitz (8) also in single digits in homers. The Pippins are also last in the league in doubles (32), and tied for last in triples (2) on the season.

A LOT OF DUDES: The Pippins have had 43 different players suit up in West Coast League games this season through their first 29 games, and three more are expected to debut this weekend against Port Angeles. Returning outfielder Kyle Dean, returning pitcher Anthony Alvarado, and new infielder Tyler Dean all appeared this week in non-league games, and will bring the total up to 46 when they debut in WCL play. A litany of injures has led to larger-than-expected roster turnover early in the season.

ODDS & ENDS: The Pippins fell behind, 5-0, to Portland on Sunday after 2 innings; they have now been outscored 44-25 in the first two innings of games this season, a -19 run differential…Sunday’s game took 3 hours and 14 minutes, the fourth straight game that has gone at least 2:50…on Thursday against the Northwest Honkers, the Pippins set a season high in walks drawn (15) and a low in strikeouts (1).

YAKIMA, Wash. – Aidan Welch played the role of walk-off hero on Thursday night at Yakima County Stadium, singling through the left side of the infield in the bottom of the 10th inning to score Eddy Pelc and lead the Yakima Valley Pippins to an 11-10 walk-off win over the Northwest Honkers, sweeping the 2-game non-league series.

After Eddy Pelc drew a walk and Luke Schwartz was hit by a pitch to put the winning run at second base with one out, Welch dug in against Honkers reliever Austin Pesicka. Welch fouled off three tough pitches, working the count to 2-2, before smacking a fastball through the left side of the infield, scoring Pelc ahead of a throw from left fielder Paul Bryniarksi. It gave the Pippins their first walk-off win of the 2019 season.

Even disregarding the crazy ending, it was a wild game from start to finish to wrap up the 2-game series. The Pippins fell behind early to the Honkers, trailing 5-0 after an inning and a half, as the Honkers crushed Pippins starter Ayden Adams for a pair of doubles in the second, including a 2-run extra-base knock by Brock Bueno. The Pippins quickly responded, however, with at least one run in each inning from the 2nd through the 7th.

The biggest frame came in the fourth, when, having again surrendered the lead, the Pippins struck for four runs, capped off by an RBI double down the right-field line from Greg Fuchs to make it a one-run game. After tying it back up in the fifth inning at 8, the Pippins surrendered the lead – and tied it again – with a run in the sixth.

In the top of the 7th, the Honkers struck for an unearned run off of Pippins reliever Anthony Alvarado. Zachary Zurbrugg brought home Kendall Yackley on a sacrifice fly, after Alvarado’s throwing error allowed Yackley to reach second. In the bottom of the seventh, the defensive misfortune benefitted the Pippins, as Nick DiCarlo’s soft fly ball into left field was dropped by Bryniarski, scoring Kyle Dean and tying the game at 10.

With the Pippins hoping to conserve pitchers for a 4-game series in 3 days over the weekend against Port Angeles in WCL play, infielder Tanner Parker pitched the top of the tenth inning and earned the win in relief, stranding the bases loaded with a pair of strikeouts and two walks. The Pippins, on offense, drew a season-high fifteen walks, to just one strikeout (a season low).

Having completed a 3-0 set of non-league games, the Pippins welcome in the Port Angeles Lefties for a WCL series starting Friday night at 7:05 PM at Yakima County Stadium. Friday night is Military Appreciation Night, with postgame fireworks to follow the series opener. Ryan Jameson will start for the Pippins opposite Port Angeles righty Nate Weeldreyer. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at pippinsbaseball.com/live at 6:50 PM.

YAKIMA, Wash. – The Yakima Valley Pippins used a 5-run sixth inning and a strong start on the mound to complete an 8-6 win over the Northwest Honkers in non-league action on Wednesday night at Yakima County Stadium.

The Pippins, who fell behind early after an inning and a half but tacked on 3 runs through four innings, finally turned runners left on base (11 in the first five innings) into runs scored with a big fifth inning. Facing Honkers reliever Warren Utschinski, the Pippins drew three walks, had two singles (including a perfectly placed bunt) and capped it off when James Bell cracked a two-RBI knock to double the Pippins up over the Honkers, 6-3.

That lead was more than enough for the front end of the Pippins pitching staff, headed by righty Tyler Frazier, who was confident and effective in his strike-throwing over 5.1 innings of work. The righty allowed 3 runs, only one of which was earned, and struck out five while walking only one and allowing five hits. He was relieved by Jack Gonzales with the bases loaded in the sixth, but only one run came in to score.

The Honkers put a scare in in the top of the 9th against Pippins reliever Nick Brown, as the first five men of the inning reached and made it a 2-run game, with the tying run reaching the plate with just one out. But Brown induced a 4-6-3 double play and then a game-ending groundout to third to give the Pippins the win.

The Pippins conclude their series with the Honkers, and their brief foray into non-league play, with a 6:35 PM first pitch on Thursday at Yakima County Stadium. Live coverage will be held at pippinsbaseball.com/live, with Miles Klotz on the call.

YAKIMA, Wash. – The Yakima Valley Pippins offense showed out on Tuesday night in Yakima, as the Pippins took down the visiting showcase team from the Cascade Collegiate League, 11-9, at Yakima County Stadium.

The Pippins, in their first non-league game since the season-opening exhibition against the Seattle Studs, struck for 11 runs on 8 hits, beginning with a 3-run first inning. The offense didn’t slow down from there, adding on runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings in a game in which the Pippins trailed just once.

In the top of the 4th inning, the Cascade League team brought home three runs on consecutive singles off of Pippins starter Bo Henderson to take a one-run lead. But the Pippins quickly responded with one of their biggest innings of the summer, a 5-run bottom of the fourth inning capped off by a 2-run single from Tanner Parker to give the Pippins the lead back.

Henderson, who allowed 6 earned runs in 5 innings of work, earned the win, while A.J. Wood, who pitched 4 innings of relief and allowed 2 runs, both unearned, earned the multi-inning save. Parker, who had three hits, and Nick Israel, who also had three hits, led the way on offense for the Pippins.

The Pippins continue their stretch of non-league games on Wednesday when they open up a 2-game series against the Northwest Honkers. First pitch is set for 6:35 PM. Miles Klotz will have coverage at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Yakima Valley Pippins pitching struggled and the offense could not carry the load in an 11-4 loss to the Portland Pickles at Walker Stadium on Sunday, dropping the three-game, second half-opening series on the road.

The Pickles (2-1, 11-18) jumped on top of Pippins (1-2, 12-17) starter Nick Brown early, tagging the right-hander for a run in the first inning and four more in the second inning, led by a homer from leadoff man Chase Luttrell, who homered in consecutive games in the series. With a 5-0 lead after two innings, the Pickles – who scored 2 runs combined in the first two games of the series – rode the momentum to an easy win to take the series.

The Pippins made things interesting early off of Pickles left-hander Michael Perzan when they struck for 3 runs in the top of the third inning. Back-to-back singles from Noah Andrews and Tanner Parker set the stage for Ty DeLancey, who singled home a run with the bases loaded, and Brady Hormel, who brought home a second run on a groundout. The Pippins were able to tag Perzan for 3 runs in 3 innings on 5 hits and 2 walks, but scored just once more, in the ninth inning, off of four Portland relievers.

Portland really broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth off of Pippins lefty Mark Finkelnburg, a Portland native. Everett Lau, a left-handed hitter, took a Finkelnburg fastball to dead center field for a three-run homer, and Finkelnburg was unable to complete an inning in his first relief appearance of the summer, allowing four runs on four hits. Brown, who took his third loss of the season, allowed 5 earned runs over 1.2 innings of work.

Portland’s two four-run innings, the bottom of the second and the bottom of the fourth, were especially crushing as the Pickles scored all eight of those runs with two outs. Perzan picked up his third win of the season for Portland. Patrick Hubbs, Daniel Naughton, Christian Ciuffetelli, and Conner Thurman combined to allow one unearned run in relief.

Every single hitter in the Portland lineup, including substitutes, collected at least one hit and scored a run. Gabe Skoro led the way with 3 hits, while Jonathan Kelly went 2-for-4. Aidan Welch (2-for-4) and DeLancey (2 hits before being substituted) had the only multi-hit performances for the Pippins.

After an off day on Monday, the Pippins return home to the Orchard on Tuesday to begin a 9-day, 10-game homestand. The homestand begins with three non-league games, beginning with the showcase team from the Cascade Collegiate League on Tuesday at 6:35 PM. Bo Henderson will start for the Pippins in the game, which will be broadcast at pippinsbaseball.com/live beginning at 6:20 PM with Miles Klotz on the call.

Following a 2-1 loss in extra innings at Walker Stadium on Saturday night, the first extra-inning game of the year for the Pippins, Yakima Valley returns to action for a 5:05 PM rubber match against the Pickles, seeking the series win. Right-hander Nick Brown will make his first start of the summer for the Pippins, and will be opposed by Portland southpaw Michael Perzan. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at 4:50 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

Pippins Game Notes 7-7

PIPPINS FALL IN EXTRA INNINGS TO PORTLAND: The Pippins played their first extra-innings game of the 2019 season Saturday, falling 2-1 in 10 innings to Portland to even the weekend series at a game apiece. With the Pippins leading 1-0 after 8 innings, Portland leadoff man Chase Luttrell hit a solo, game-tying homer to right-center field to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning against Pippins reliever Trystan Vrieling. In the tenth inning, Portland used back-to-back doubles to win it, with John Arndorfer collecting the game-winning hit. The loss spoiled a great outing from starter Joe Magrisi, who struck out 12 batters over 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and walking 6. Titus Groeneweg, Magrisi’s roommate and college teammate at Cal State Fullerton, tossed 6 innings of 1-run ball on his own, striking out 2 and not issuing a walk.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Nick Brown will make his first start of the summer to wrap up the series in Portland against the Pickles. Brown has been one of the Pippins’ most-used relievers this season, appearing in 8 games and posting a 1-2 record and 3.08 ERA. In 11.2 innings, Brown has struck out 10 batters and walked 10 while opponents have hit .261 off of him. A native of Catoosa, Oklahoma, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Brown will be a redshirt senior at Pittsburg State in the fall.

FOR THE PICKLES: Left-hander Michael Perzan will make his 6th appearance of the summer for the Pickles to close out the series. The reigning WCL Pitcher of the Week, the Chandler, Arizona native tossed 10 scoreless innings in 2 appearances last week, including 6 one-hit innings with 6 strikeouts on June 30 in Bellingham. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound southpaw from Grand Canyon has a 2-0 record and 2.45 ERA over 18.1 innings of work this season, striking out 16 batters and walking 7. Opponents have hit .169 off of him.

JACK ATTACK: Jack Gonzales continued his stellar stretch of relief outings on Friday in Portland, earning the win with 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, including getting the game-ending strikeout with the winning run at 2nd base in the ninth. The outing was Gonzales’ fifth consecutive without allowing an earned run, and also his fifth consecutive outing of at least 2 innings. In that span, Gonzales has tossed 14.1 scoreless frames to lower his ERA to 1.66. In those innings, he has 13 strikeouts to just 3 walks.

SHUTOUT CITY: The Pippins picked up their second shutout of the season – and their second of the past week – with the 1-0 win on Friday in Portland. Their first shutout came on Tuesday against Bellingham, when three Pippins pitchers combined on a 5-hit shutout. The 3 hits on Friday are the fewest allowed in a Pippins shutout since Taylor Dollar and Connor White held Cowlitz to 3 hits in a 1-0 win on August 1, 2017. The Pippins’ two shutouts this year are tied for the 2nd-most in the WCL, trailing only Corvallis (3).

A LOT OF DUDES: The Pippins had another new addition to the starting lineup on Thursday against Bellingham, with outfielder Eddy Pelc becoming the 43rd different player to appear in a Pippins uniform so far this season through 27 games. A litany of injures has led to larger-than-expected roster turnover early in the season.

ODDS & ENDS: The Pickles will use a left-handed starter for all three games of the series with Perzan starting today…The Pippins lost their first game of the season when leading after 8 innings, falling to 12-8 when entering the ninth ahead…the Pippins set a team record with their 17 strikeouts on the mound.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Yakima Valley Pippins struggled to score runs and fell victim to a late explosion of extra-base hits in a 2-1, walk-off loss in 10 innings to the Portland Pickles at Walker Stadium on Saturday, evening the second half-opening series at 2.

It was the first extra inning game of the season for the Pippins (1-1, 12-16), but it almost didn’t end up that way. Portland (1-1, 10-18) managed just 2 hits through the first eight inning of the game, and entered the bottom of the ninth trailing, 1-0. Reliever Trystan Vrieling, who had fired 4 innings of scoreless relief, served up a leadoff homer to Chase Luttrell to tie the game at 1.

In extra innings, extra-base hits – which the Pickles had none of in the first 17 innings of the series – came in bunches, with Jonathan Kelly leading off the bottom of the 10th inning with a booming double to left-center field. A batter later, John Arndorfer brought him home with a double just inside the third base bag, sending Portland to a walk-off win, their first win of the second half of the season.

The Pippins got a fantastic start from right-hander Joe Magrisi, who did not have his sharpest command (6 walks in 4.2 innings), but allowed just 1 hit and no runs while striking out a season-high 12 in just over 100 pitches on the night. Vrieling was strong in relief, as well, despite taking the loss, striking out five over 4.1 innings.

Portland pitching was strong throughout, with starter Titus Groeneweg only allowing one unearned run. In the top of the fourth inning, Nick DiCarlo reached on an error, and Aidan Welch followed with a double that brought home the first, and only, run of the game for the Pippins. Groeneweg, who struck out 2 in his 6 innings, allowing 3 hits, took a no-decision. Joey Morris, who tossed 2 scoreless innings in relief, earned the win, his first of the summer.

Arndorfer led the way for the Pickles offensively with his two hits and the game-winning RBI. Welch had the only multi-hit day for the Pippins, who managed just 4 hits on the night.

The Pippins conclude their series with Portland on Sunday with an early 5:05 PM start time, with a chance to take the second-half opening series. Nick Brown will make his first start of the summer for the Pippins opposite Portland left-hander Michael Perzan. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at 4:50 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

After opening up the second half with a thrilling 1-0 win at Portland on Friday, the Pippins return to action in the three-game weekend series with a Saturday night contest at Walker Stadium. Right-hander Joe Magrisi starts for the Pippins opposite his college teammate, Pickles left-hander Titus Groeneweg. First pitch is set for 7:05 PM PT in Portland, with pregame coverage with Miles Klotz beginning at 6:50 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS PITCHING DOMINATES IN WIN AT PORTLAND: The Pippins opened up the second half of the 2019 season with a thrilling win in Portland on Friday, topping the Pickles, 1-0, in a pitcher’s duel for the ages. Neither team had a hit in the first four innings, and the two teams finished with a combined 7 hits and 25 strikeouts. Pippins starter Ryan Jameson was on point in his 6.2 innings of work, striking out a season-high 10 batters and allowing just 1 hit and 3 walks, and Jack Gonzales followed with 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. The Pippins scored the game’s only run in the 8th inning, when Eddy Pelc reached on aa single and then scored on a double down the line by Tanner Parker. Pelc led the way on offense for the Pippins with his 2 hits, and Parker collected his team-high 17th RBI.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Joe Magrisi will make his fourth start of the summer for the Pippins on Saturday in Portland. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound righty from Cal State Fullerton last pitched in relief on Tuesday against Bellingham, striking out 3 batters in a scoreless ninth inning. His last start, on June 25 in Port Angeles, was not officially counted as the game was called due to rain, but Magrisi had finished 4 scoreless frames with 6 strikeouts in that start. On the season, Magrisi has a 1-0 record and 1.05 ERA, with 30 strikeouts just 3 walks in 17 innings of work. Opponents hit .107 off of him, and he has one save.

FOR THE PICKLES: Left-hander Titus Groeneweg, a college teammate of Magrisi’s at Cal State Fullerton, will get the start for Portland in Saturday’s game 2. A tall, 6-foot-5, 180-pound southpaw native to Vacaville, California, in the Bay Area, Groeneweg has posted a 1-0 record and 2.20 ERA in 16.1 innings of work this season for Portland. In that span, he has struck out 17 batters and walked 2, while opponents hit 290 off of him.

JACK ATTACK: Jack Gonzales continued his stellar stretch of relief outings on Friday in Portland, earning the win with 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, including getting the game-ending strikeout with the winning run at 2nd base in the ninth. The outing was Gonzales’ fifth consecutive without allowing an earned run, and also his fifth consecutive outing of at least 2 innings. In that span, Gonzales has tossed 14.1 scoreless frames to lower his ERA to 1.66. In those innings, he has 13 strikeouts to just 3 walks.

SHUTOUT CITY: The Pippins picked up their second shutout of the season – and their second of the past week – with the 1-0 win on Friday in Portland. Their first shutout came on Tuesday against Bellingham, when three Pippins pitchers combined on a 5-hit shutout. The 3 hits on Friday are the fewest allowed in a Pippins shutout since Taylor Dollar and Connor White held Cowlitz to 3 hits in a 1-0 win on August 1, 2017. The Pippins’ two shutouts this year are tied for the 2nd-most in the WCL, trailing only Corvallis (3).

A LOT OF DUDES: The Pippins had another new addition to the starting lineup on Thursday against Bellingham, with outfielder Eddy Pelc becoming the 43rd different player to appear in a Pippins uniform so far this season through 27 games. A litany of injures has led to larger-than-expected roster turnover early in the season.

ODDS & ENDS: The Pippins snapped their 9-game road losing streak, which dated back to June 5 in Ridgefield, with Friday’s win…Jack Gonzales stranded the only inherited runner he had on Friday, and has now stranded all 7 inherited runners on the season…the Pippins’ win yesterday was the first in team history against the Pickles, who entered the WCL in 2018 and swept the Pippins in their only series last year.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Yakima Valley Pippins got a stellar pitching performance and a few timely hits late to open the second half with a win, topping the Portland Pickles, 1-0, on Friday night at Walker Stadium.

It was not the greatest games for fans of big offense, as the Pippins (1-0 second half, 12-15) and the Pickles (0-1 second half, 9-18) combined for just 7 hits on the night in a game that took over 3 hours. Both starters, Yakima Valley’s Ryan Jameson and Portland’s Bradley McVay, were tremendous, with neither allowing an earned run.

Jameson pitched into the 7th inning in his best start of the year, striking out a season-high 10 while allowing just four baserunners (3 walks, 1 hit). He did not, however, earn a decision, as the Pippins scored the go-ahead run in the 8th inning after Jack Gonzales took over to finish off the 7th.

In the 8th, Eddy Pelc led off the inning with a single, and then advanced to second on a stolen base. He later scored a batter later on a double from Tanner Parker down the right field line. Although Parker was stranded at second, that was all the runs the Pippins would need.

Gonzales navigated through trouble in the later innings, as the Pippins did all game. The Pickles stranded ten runners on the night, none bigger than the two in the bottom of the ninth. After Chase Luttrell led off the inning with a single, Jonathan Kelly moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice. A walk from pinch-hitter Alex Shanks and a wild pitch put the winning run in scoring position with two outs, but Gonzales got Austin Lively to strike out swinging to end the ballgame.

Gonzales, who earned his first win of the season in relief, did not allow a run in 2.1 scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 1.66. It also snapped a 9-game road losing streak for the Pippins, who won their first game away from home since June 5 at Ridgefield. Nicolas Lopez, who allowed the one earned run on two hits in the 8th inning, took the loss for Portland, his first of the year.

Pelc had the only multi-hit day for either side, going 2-for-3 and scoring the game-winning run in the 8th inning. Parker and Owen Cobb (bunt single) contributed the other hits for the Pippins. Lively, Luttrell, and K.C. Hunt had hits for the Pickles.

The series continues on Saturday with a 7:05 PM first pitch from Walker Stadium. Right-hander Joe Magrisi will start for the Pippins, opposite his Cal State Fullerton teammate, Portland lefty Titus Groeneweg. Pregame coverage with Miles Klotz begins at pippinsbaseball.com/live at 6:50 PM.

Following a series sweep of the Bellingham Bells at home to close out the 2019 season’s first half, the Pippins hit the road again to the south as they travel to Walker Stadium in Portland to open up a weekend series with the Portland Pickles. First pitch for the first game of the second half is set for 7:05 PM PT, with pregame coverage at pippinsbaseball.com/live set to start at 6:50 PM. Right-hander Ryan Jameson will start for the Pippins opposite Portland’s Brad McVay.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS BREAK OUT OFFENSIVELY, SWEEP BELLINGHAM: The Pippins collected a season-high 13 runs in an offensive outburst to top Bellingham, 13-4 and complete the sweep on Thursday to close out the first half of the 2019 season. Nearly everyone contributed for the Pippins, with six different players scoring runs and six different players driving in runs. The Pippins struck early for 3 runs off of Bells starter Cole Tucker in the 3rd inning and never trailed from there, plating 6 more in the 4th inning off of the Bellingham bulllpen. Pippins reliever Darius Garcia picked up the win in relief, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings to improve to 1-3 on the year. With the win, the Pippins conclude the first half with an 11-15 record.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Right-hander Ryan Jameson will make his third start of the season for the Pippins to open up the second half in Portland. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound native of Hollister, California, lost his last start last Friday in Corvallis, allowing four earned runs over 5.1 innings, while striking out 6. In 3 appearances this year, including two starts, the righty from Cal Poly has struck out 17 batters in 10.1 innings, but his record is 0-2 and his ERA sits at 5.22. Opponents have hit .302 off of Jameson this season.

FOR THE PICKLES: Left-hander Brad McVay, a Portland-area native and sophomore at the University of Portland, will get the start for the Pickles in the series opener on Friday. A 6-foot-2, 190-pound southpaw from the Portland suburb of Milwaukie, McVay has made 4 appearances this summer, including a pair of starts, in which he has pitched to a 2-2 record and 3.44 ERA. He last pitched on June 21 against Victoria at home, earning the win in relief with 4 innings of 1-run ball, striking out 6 against the league’s best offense. In 15.2 innings of work this season, McVay has struck out 19 batters and walked 11.

A LOOK AT THE PICKLES: While the Pippins closed out the first half with plenty of momentum, the Pickles slumped to the finish, losing their last five games to close out the half with a 9-17 record, 2nd-worst in the West Coast League’s South Division, and 3rd-worst in the league. The main culprit for the Pickles’ struggles has been the team’s offense, which ranks last in the league in batting average (.193) and OPS (.575) and 2nd-to-last in runs scored (98). On the pitching side, the Pickles’ tandem starter system has not been as effective as last season, sitting in the middle of the pick in the league in ERA (4.92, tied for 7th).

THIS GUY IS-REALLY GOOD: Nick Israel collected a season-high 3 hits on Thursday, continuing a recent stretch of success at the plate. The switch-hitting infielder has collected all 7 of his hits this season in his last 5 games after going hitless in his first 6 Pippins at-bats, serving largely as the designated hitter. As the DH this year, Israel is hitting .538 (7-for-13). Also on Thursday, Israel singled from both sides of the plate in the Pippins’ 6-run fourth inning.

A LOT OF DUDES: The Pippins had another new addition to the starting lineup on Thursday against Bellingham, with outfielder Eddy Pelc becoming the 43rd different player to appear in a Pippins uniform so far this season through 26 games. Pitcher Luke Turner, who will join the team in Portland, will become the 44th player to debut when he appears. A litany of injures has led to larger-than-expected roster turnover early in the season.

ODDS & ENDS: The Pippins won on a Thursday for the first time all year yesterday, and have now won at least one game on each day of the week in 2019…the Pippins drew a season-high 9 walks at the plate on Thursday…Owen Cobb scored 4 runs on Thursday, the first Pippin to do so since Cole Pofek on 7/15/18.