Bells Fall in Close Battle to AppleSox

The Bellingham Bells fell, 3-2, in walk-off fashion to the Wenatchee AppleSox in the first of a three-game series Friday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.
In a game that was dominated by pitching, the AppleSox used small ball and quality team offense to walk-off the Bells for the first time this season.
Wenatchee scored its first run of the game in the first inning after Cole McKenzie reached on a two-out single against Nick Proctor, and was knocked in by a Dalton Harum flare single to right field.
Proctor settled in from that point, tossing five one-run innings and striking out four.
The AppleSox were then able to score their second run against Jimmy Chatfield, who took over for Proctor, in the seventh to take a 2-0 lead.
Kody Darcy led off the inning with a single and was then bunted to second by Connor Kiffer. Darcy then stole third and Kodie Kolden drove him in with a sacrifice-fly to center.
It was the first run Chatfield has given up this summer, ending his streak of thirteen and one-third scoreless innings.
The Bells rallied for their first runs in the eighth when Troy Viola and Jordan Vujovich got on with one-out walks. Pinch-hitter Cole Hinkelman was then hit by a pitch to load the bases for Jack Machtolf, who score Viola with a sacrifice-fly to center, making it 2-1. The next batter, Derek Marshall, then flared a two-out single to right, plating Vujovich to knot the game up at 2-2.
The AppleSox would spoil the rally in the bottom of the ninth though, as they manufactured their third run, similar to the way they scored their second in the seventh inning.
Hunter Montgomery led off with a single against Bells reliever Danny Garcia, and was then bunted to second by Darcy. Kiffer followed with a single to put runners on the corners with one out. Kolden then delivered with a suicide squeeze bunt to score Montgomery from third, winning the game, 3-2.
The teams will square off in game two on Saturday at 6:35 p.m.
Summer Baseball, Lifetime Memories