On a quick pitstop from the road, Bellingham dominated the two non-conference games they played in front of the home crowd at Joe Martin Field.
On Wednesday against the Highline Bears, Bellingham took home an 8-1 victory, highlighted by two early homers to set the tone for the rest of the contest.
Head coach Bob Miller said non-conference play has been good for his club to get some rest and make sure everyone has been getting some work. He said the lively bats have been a real crowd pleaser during their two-game break from the road.
“Well, it’s exciting baseball when you score runs, but it’s been good,” Miller said. “Even with the last few away games we’ve played before this little break, we’ve swung the bat pretty well. So, it’s been good.”
After a pickoff attempt gone awry, the Bells found themselves in an early 1-0 deficit on a single to right field.
Bellingham wasted little time trailing in the contest and quickly jumped on the Bears via the long ball.
In the bottom half of the second inning, Dusty Stroup led off with a leadoff double that swirled up in the Bellingham wind out in right field. Cody Pasic was unimpressed by the wind blowing in from center field and crushed a two-run homer that didn’t stand a chance to stay in the ballpark. Pasic’s first homerun of the season gave the Bells a 2-1 lead, one they wouldn’t look back from.
The Bells picked up right where they left off in the bottom of the third. Jordan Stoner, celebrating his 23rd birthday, led the inning off with a single to left field. Ernie Yake battled for a walk to follow and Zach Needham brought them both home with a three-run homerun to right field, his second in as many games.
After a quiet fourth inning from both sides, the Bells went back to work in the bottom of the fifth. Three consecutive one-out walks set the stage for Cole Joy to join the RBI party. The catcher’s single to left put the game well out of reach with a 7-1 lead.
However, that wasn’t quite enough as Dusty Stroup added to the Bells lead with a one-out infield single to score Needham, who opened the inning with a leadoff double.
While it was the power and timely hitting which yet again stole the show from the Bells’ pitching staff, they were once again phenomenal.
Carson Olson had some trouble with his command, ending his day early after two innings of work, allowing a run. After the second inning, the Bells were lights out.
Nick Hull came into the contest and made himself right at home. The righty tossed four innings of one-hit ball and didn’t allow a walk to acquire the win.
Theron Kay and Trevor Delaite played setup roles for Davis Baillie who finished Highland off in the top of the ninth.
The Bells take to the road once again for a three-game series against the Yakima Valley Pippins. Bellingham’s tough June on the road has almost come to a close before the team returns home for six straight games at Joe Martin Field.
“Just expect us to play our game and I expect us to play hard, as we have,” Miller said. “It’s been really impressive to see effort given on a night in, night out basis.”
First pitch on Friday, June 29 is scheduled for 6:35 pm.
