News

Bellingham takes season series in shutout against Wenatchee

Photo: Bellingham Bells


Chris Micheles and Bellingham’s pitching staff outlasted Wenatchee starter Curtis Bafus and the AppleSox pitching staff in a 2-0 victory to take home the series and season victory.

Head coach Bob Miller wanted to make Micheles comfortable in his first start for Bellingham. Miller paired Micheles with University of Washington teammate and catcher Michael Petrie and the tandem did not disappoint.

With Petrie calling the pitches behind the plate , Micheles was able to finish his day giving up just four hits, one walk, and striking out three hitters in his five innings of no-decision work.

Micheles was sharing a mound with Wenatchee pitcher Bafus, who was having a great day on the mound. After Friday night’s 13-1 blowout victory, Bellingham found themselves right in the thick of a pitcher’s duel.

Both pitchers ran into a little bit of trouble in their fifth inning of work. The top of the fifth started off with a leadoff single followed by a fielder’s choice to get the lead runner. Wenatchee was able to get a slow hit ball between Zach Needham and Ernie Yake on the left side of the infield.

However, with a pair of runners aboard and one-out, Landen Kimbro made a great stop at first base to knock down what would be the game’s first run. Kimbro’s only play was at first, and Micheles was able to strand the pair of AppleSox in scoring position by striking out the final batter he would face.

The Bells would make their own noise in the bottom half of the inning after Petrie and Connor Mack were aboard the base paths with back-to-back singles. Stoner would then take his second HBP for the team to load the bases. However, with one away, Bafus was able to escape the Bellingham threat with a ground out and a strikeout.

The Bells were finally able to crack the Bafus’ code in the bottom of the seventh inning. Kimbro led the inning off with his second base hit of the day. Petrie was able to join Kimbro on the bases after miscommunication on the Wenatchee infield allowed Bellingham’s catcher to reach first on the attempted sac-bunt.

Jordan Stoner was able to single home the first run of the inning on a sharp ground ball into left field, which forced a play at the plate. Petrie’s slide was perfect and knocked the ball arriving to the plate out of the catcher’s glove to plate the game’s first run. Yake followed suit with an RBI single of his own to give the Bells a 2-0 advantage late in the ballgame.

Those two runs would be the only of the contest, as the Bells claimed the series at home. The Bells, currently riding a four-game winning streak will wrap-up six consecutive games against the AppleSox on Sunday at 3:05 pm.

Recent Headlines

5 hours ago in Sports

Rozier and Billups will not receive NBA salaries while on leave in gambling cases, AP sources say

NBA guard Terry Rozier and coach Chauncey Billups will not receive their salaries while on leave for their arrests on federal gambling-related charges, two people with knowledge of the matters told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

12 hours ago in Sports

Manny Pacquiao hints at possible rematch with Floyd Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao has hinted a rematch of his 2015 blockbuster with Floyd Mayweather Jr. could be on the cards next year. "Right now we have a lot of negotiations about my next fight — there's a possible rematch with Floyd Mayweather," Pacquiao told a news conference Wednesday.

12 hours ago in Sports

Guerrero homers off Ohtani as Blue Jays even World Series with 6-2 win over Dodgers in Game 4

Dodger Stadium was still shaking with joy when Monday turned to Tuesday as the Toronto Blue Jays trudged into their clubhouse. Their 18-inning loss in Game 3 felt like a monumental setback that might have already decided the World Series.

1 day ago in Sports

Mahomes, Hunt lead Chiefs to dominant 28-7 win over Commanders, their 9th straight in the series

Patrick Mahomes wound up throwing for 299 yards and three touchdowns, Kareem Hunt found the end zone twice, and the Chiefs' defense was just as dominant as their high-flying offense over the final 30 minutes, helping Kansas City pull away from a halftime tie for a 28-7 victory over the Commanders on a cold night at Arrowhead Stadium.

1 day ago in Sports, Trending

Freeman’s homer in 18th inning lifts Dodgers over Blue Jays 6-5 in World Series classic

Freddie Freeman homered leading off the bottom of the 18th, Shohei Ohtani went deep twice during another record-setting performance and the Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 in an instant classic Monday night.