Elks Fall Victim to Yakima Valley Sweep
The Elks take the field at Yakima County Stadium on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. (Noah Wolf)
Noah Wolf, director of media relations
noahwolf51 (at) gmail (dot) com
YAKIMA, Wash. - Yakima County Stadium is an unlucky place for the Elks, who have now lost twelve straight games at the park nicknamed “the Orchard,” including three this week to the Pippins.
July 20, 2021 Yakima Valley Once Again Keeps Bend Bats Quiet Yakima Valley 4, Bend 2
On July 2, the Elks defeated Yakima Valley 12-3.
Since then, the two teams have played three more games, and the Elks have scored a combined seven runs in those contests.
Whatever magic the Bend bats had in them for that first game, it seems to have run out, as the Elks fell Tuesday night to the Yakima Valley Pippins, 4-2 at Yakima County Stadium.
Jacob Kmatz (Oregon St.) made his West Coast League debut and held the Pippins scoreless through three innings, but the Elks couldn't take advantage, also not scoring in the first three frames. After the Elks scored a run in the top of the first on a double by Gavin Logan (Oregon St.), the Pippins came back with a run of their own in the fourth.
Kmatz (0-1) would throw to two batters in the fifth, who would both reach base and later score. His final line was four innings of five-hit baseball, allowing three earned runs and three walks while striking out seven and taking the loss.
The Elks (12-16, 2-2 second half) would come back within a run, scoring in the sixth inning to make it a 3-2 ballgame. Logan again notched the RBI, this time on a sacrifice fly. Both runs for Bend were scored by Collin Montez (Washington St.) in his first WCL game. Montez went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks, and two runs.
The Pippins (19-12, 4-3) extended their lead to 4-2 in the seventh, but the Elks offensively were stymied. They would put runners on in each of the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, only to hit into a double play in each frame, two of which ended the inning.
July 21, 2021 Elks Battle, But Ultimately Fall to Yakima Valley Yakima Valley 6, Bend 5
The Elks seemed to have momentum in their favor after a three-run sixth inning.
The tides certainly turned.
Bend was kept off the bases in the seventh and eighth innings before the Pippins scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth, defeating Bend 6-5 at Yakima County Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Elks (12-17, 2-3 second half) again were the ones to strike first, scoring two runs on three hits in the top of the first. Gavin Rork (Seattle U.) led off the inning with a walk before Greg Fuchs (Oregon St.) doubled him home. Collin Montez (Washington St.) followed him with an RBI single to give the Elks a 2-0 lead before the Pippins even batted.
Yakima Valley (20-12, 5-3) scored five runs in the second and third innings combined, and kept the Elks scoreless for four straight innings. But Bend turned it around in the sixth, scoring three runs in the frame. Rork hit an RBI single before Chase Matheny (S.C. Upstate) hit a two-run, two-out double to tie the game at five, before the aforementioned game-winning run scored in the eighth for Yakima Valley.
July 22, 2021 Elks Go Winless in Yakima Valley Yakima Valley 8, Bend 4
The Elks have not won a game at Yakima County Stadium in their last twelve tries.
That continued in a three-game series this year, as the Elks again fell victim to a Yakima Valley sweep. The Pippins defeated Bend, 8-4, in the series finale Thursday.
The Elks (12-18, 2-4 second half) got off to a hot start, taking the first lead for the third game in a row. After a sacrifice fly by Collin Montez (Washington St.) scored Gavin Rork (Seattle U.), the Elks would draw two walks with two outs. That set up a three-run home run by Matt Dallas (U. Oregon) to give the Elks a 4-0 lead.
But the Pippins (21-12, 6-3 second half) would score eight unanswered runs, making it the largest comeback win by an Elks opponent this season. They spread their scoring out throughout the game, but the four-run third was the big blow for Yakima.
As the Pippins scored their runs, the Elks couldn't get things going again offensively, mustering just two hits after the first inning for a total of four on the game, tied for a season low. At one point, the Pippins retired 16 straight batters in the Elks order.
Performance of the series: Cameron Smith (Lewis-Clark St.) threw 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball on Thursday in relief, allowing just one hit and keeping the Elks in the contest.
Player of the series: Collin Montez (Washington St.) had an RBI in each of the final two games of the series, going 3-for-9 in the series overall with a double and three walks in his debut series as an Elk.
Play of the series: Matt Dallas (U. Oregon) mashed his first home run of the WCL season on Thursday, a towering three-run shot over the left field fence to give the Elks a 4-0 lead in the first inning on Thursday. The Elks would eventually fall, 8-4.
Up next: Bend now travels to Borleske Stadium in Walla Walla for a three-game series against the Sweets (13-20, 4-5). First pitch on Friday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m., with Sunday starting at 6:05.