Elks Take Two of Three from Bellingham
Elks pitcher A.J. Lattery (right) celebrates with teammates after a hitless inning on Friday, July 16, 2021. (Brooks Juhasz)
Noah Wolf, director of media relations
noahwolf51 (at) gmail (dot) com
BEND, Ore. - After taking two of three games from the Bells in Bellingham, the Elks did the same at Vince Genna Stadium in Bend, winning the season series over a fellow WCL founding team.
July 16, 2021 Elks Dominate Bellingham to Open Second Half Bend 6, Bellingham 1
The Elks batters struggled early on in Friday's game at Vince Genna Stadium.
That didn't matter much to A.J. Lattery.
The Oregon State right-handed pitcher threw six innings of no-hit baseball and kept Bend in the contest. The bats would eventually pick up, and the Bend Elks would pick up a dominating win over the Bellingham Bells, 6-1, to open the second half of the West Coast League season.
Lattery walked five batters in his start, but struck out 13, more than any other Bend pitcher in a single game this season. He and the lone Elks reliever, Ben Ferrer (S.C. Upstate) combined to strike out 19 Bells over the course of the game. Despite allowing the lone hit and run in the contest, Ferrer notched his second save of the year. Lattery earned a well-deserved win.
The Elks took a 1-0 lead when Gavin Rork (Seattle U.) notched an RBI single, scoring his college teammate Julian Kodama in the fourth inning. Kodama got an RBI himself one frame later, knocking in Bryce Boettcher (U. Oregon) to double the lead to 2-0.
Bellingham would halve the Elks' lead in the seventh, making the score 2-1, but the Bend bats responded immediately, scoring four runs in the bottom of the frame to extend the lead to 6-1, which would end up being the final. Kodama notched another two RBIs in the inning.
July 17, 2021 Elks Claim Series, Season Series Win Over Bellingham Bend 5, Bellingham 2
For the second night in a row, the Elks and Bells were locked in a pitchers' duel.
And for the second night in a row, the Bend pitcher had the edge.
Dillon Holliday (Dixie St.) tossed seven innings, racking up nine strikeouts and allowing just one earned run. He earned the win as the Elks defeated Bellingham, 5-2, on Saturday night at Vince Genna Stadium.
After taking two of three from the Bells in Bellingham in late June, the Elks have claimed the season series over Bellingham.
The Elks again had a masterful night from their pitchers, as Matt Dallas (U. Oregon) tossed the final two innings, surrendering a run on a home run yet striking out six batters. The Elks struck out 15 Bells in total, after striking out a season-high 19 on Friday night.
Offensively, the Elks spread out their runs scoring one run in the third, and two each in the fifth and seventh innings. Bend had 10 hits from seven different players, and eight of the nine in the Elks' order reached base. Daniel Garcia (Grand Canyon) led the way with three hits in four at-bats, including a double and an RBI.
The most exciting play of the night came with the game tied at 1 in the bottom of the fifth. Bryce Boettcher stood on third after hitting a triple, and the Bellingham pitcher was working out of the windup. Boettcher took advantage, accomplishing a straight steal of home plate to give the Elks a lead they would not relinquish.
July 18, 2021 Elks Fall in Bellingham Series Finale Bend 11, Bellingham 6
27 games into the West Coast League season, the Elks' broom closet remains locked shut.
The Bend Elks had the chance to sweep the Bellingham Bells, but lost on Sunday evening, 11-6, at Vince Genna Stadium.
Bellingham (16-20, 5-7 2nd half) took their first lead of the three-game series in the third inning, and would not relinquish the lead, despite a four-run seventh inning from the Elks. Bend starter Kade Morris (U. Nevada) took the loss, falling to 1-1 on the summer.
On the offensive side, Peter Mendazona (U. Nevada) led the way for Bend, going 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored, reaching base each time he came to the plate. Three other players had two hits for the Elks: Greg Fuchs (Oregon St.), Julian Kodama (Seattle U.) and Austin Hauk (Hofstra). Two players, Kodama and Omar Veloz (Cal. St. Fullerton) notched a pair of RBIs.
Performance of the series: A.J. Lattery (Oregon St.) started Friday’s game, tossing six innings of no-hit baseball on the way to the win. He walked five batters, but struck out 13, the most by any Elk in a single game this season.
Player of the series: Julian Kodama (Seattle U.) had five RBIs in the entire first half of the season. He had six over the course of these three games, notching five hits and scoring three runs.
Play of the series: Bryce Boettcher (U. Oregon) stood on third base with two outs in the fifth inning of Saturday’s game, after hitting a triple. Noticing the Bellingham pitcher was in the windup, Boettcher took off for home and slid in safely, accomplishing a straight steal of home.
Up next: Bend (12-15, 2-1 2nd half) has a day off before traveling to the home of the Yakima Valley Pippins (18-12, 3-3) for a three-game series, beginning Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.