Pippins Blanked in Series Opener Against Cowlitz

Longview, Wa. — A whole lot of zeroes on the scoreboard in Longview as the Pippins dropped game one of a three-game series, 2-0 against the Cowlitz Black Bears.

The Black Bears pitching and defense kept the Pippins off the board all night long. Their starting pitcher, Kyle Rich, threw four innings, and allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out four batters.

The Pippins had the bases loaded in the top half of the second inning, but left them all stranded on a strikeout swinging by James Bell and a groundout by Aiden Welch to end the inning.

In the top of the fourth, the Pippins had runners on second and third with two outs, but Bell struck out, this time to end the inning.

In the eighth, for the third time in the game the Pippins left a runner stranded on third. This time, Kyle Dean reached on a two-out double and reached third on a wild pitch by Black Bears’ reliever Ellis Stevens. Pippins’ left fielder Christian Padilla grounded out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the first, with Pippins’ starting pitcher Tyler Frazier on the mound, Black Bears’ catcher Seth Beckstead hit a two-out single to left that scored Brian Cromwell. The ball got underneath the glove of the left fielder Padilla and rolled to the wall, allowing Josh Marchese to also come in and score.

Those were the only runs in tonight’s ball game, effectively ending the game before it ever really got started. With the loss the Pippins now are on a six-game losing streak and have fallen to 8-15 in the second half of the season and 19-30 overall.

Tomorrow’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

By Yakima Valley Pippins

August 7, 2019