Elks Sweep Wenatchee in Dominating Fashion
The sun sets on Vince Genna Stadium as the Elks finish an 8-4 win over the Wenatchee AppleSox on Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Noah Wolf)
Noah Wolf, director of media relations
noahwolf51 (at) gmail (dot) com
BEND, Ore. - The Elks earned their first series sweep of the summer, taking all three games from the Wenatchee AppleSox at Vince Genna Stadium.
July 27, 2021 Elks Return To Bend With A Win Bend 10, Wenatchee 2
After six games on the road, the Elks returned to Vince Genna Stadium and stayed in the win column.
Bend won its third game in a row, 10-2, in the series opener Tuesday night against the Wenatchee AppleSox.
For the seventh game in a row, the Elks (15-19, 5-5 second half) scored first, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning on two hits. Julian Kodama scored his Seattle U. teammate Gavin Rork on a single, after Rork reached on an error and stole second base. Kodama then scored on a double by Aidan Welch, another Seattle U. player, to give the Elks a 2-0 lead.
Jacob Kmatz (Oregon St.) would give up a run in the top of the fourth inning, but that would be the only run he would surrender. He spun seven innings of three-hit baseball, walking just one and striking out six and earning the win, improving to 1-1 on the year. It was the Elks' second quality start in a row, after Dillon Holliday (Dixie St.) tossed one on Sunday night.
The Elks had a big inning in the fifth, scoring four runs in the frame. Daniel Garcia (Grand Canyon) drove in two with a double, and Gavin Logan (Oregon St.) had an RBI single in the inning as well.
Sam Linscott (Lewis-Clark St.) hit a solo home run to lead off the Elks' sixth inning, his team-leading second home run of the year, to give the Elks a 7-1 lead at the time.
Bend would score three more in the next frame, thanks to an RBI single from Garcia and a two-run hit from Linscott.
July 28, 2021 Elks Walk All Over Wenatchee Bend 21, Wenatchee 4
Sometimes, you have to fight to win.
Sometimes, the game is handed to you.
The Elks notched twelve hits Wednesday, but took twenty free passes, defeating the Wenatchee AppleSox 21-4 at Vince Genna Stadium.
Wenatchee (14-24, 4-10 second half) took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Elks wasted no time answering back, scoring five runs in the first inning. Julian Kodama (Seattle U.), Daniel Garcia (Grand Canyon) and Bennett Thompson (U. Oregon) all had run-scoring hits in the frame. Garcia ended up with four RBIs over the course of the game, an Elks season-high for a single game. The Elks had a 5-1 lead after the first inning, and never trailed after that.
Bend (16-19, 6-5) would score three more in the third inning, with Omar Veloz (Cal. St. Fullerton) notching an RBI double. Kodama and Sam Linscott (Lewis-Clark St.) both drove in runs in the inning as well.
Over the course of the game, the Elks drew 13 walks and were hit by pitches seven times. Gavin Rork (Seattle U.) led the way with three HBPs, and Aidan Welch (Seattle U.) walked three times to lead the team. Every spot in the Elks order reached base and scored at least once. The Elks scored multiple runs every other inning: the first, third, fifth and seventh.
Four runs scored for the Elks in the fifth inning to pad the lead to 12-2 at that point, on just two hits in the frame. Greg Fuchs (Oregon St.) had a two-run single in the inning, as part of a 4-for-4 days with 3 RBIs, 3 runs scored, and a double.
The Elks would score nine more runs in the seventh inning to complete their scoring for the night, taking a 21-4 lead in the frame. Six of the nine runs scored on a bases-loaded walk or hit batsman. Bend sent 15 men to the plate in the frame.
July 29, 2021 Elks Finally Sweep, Defeating Wenatchee Bend 8, Wenatchee 4
The first five series that the Bend Elks played at Vince Genna Stadium, they lost every series finale.
Thursday night, three quarters of the way through the season, that finally changed.
The Elks defeated the Wenatchee AppleSox, 8-4, to secure their first series sweep of the season.
For the second night in a row, the AppleSox (14-25, 4-11 second half) took the lead in the first inning, but the Elks would respond quickly. After the first five Bend batters were retired in order, Austin Hauck (Hofstra) clubbed a solo home run to straightaway centerfield to tie the game at one.
Bend (17-19, 7-5) scored two in the bottom of the third inning, taking a lead that they would never relinquish. Julian Kodama (Seattle U.) drove in both with a two-out single in the inning.
The Elks would get three more in the fifth inning, all unearned on just two hits in the frame. Bennett Thompson (U. Oregon) had a double in the inning, one of two doubles for him in the contest. Bend scored one in the sixth and another in the eighth to total eight runs in the context, eventually winning 8-4.
Jack Slominski (Grand Canyon) had his best start as an Elk, tossing five innings of five-hit baseball and allowing just one earned run. He walked one batter and struck out seven to earn his first win of the season.
Performance of the series: Jacob Kmatz, an incoming freshman to Oregon State, tossed seven innings on Tuesday, allowing just one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out six. Kmatz earned his first quality start and win of the WCL season.
Player of the series: Daniel Garcia (Grand Canyon) went 4-for-8 in the first two games of the series with a double, three runs, and seven RBIs. He got the night off on Thursday as a reward.
Play of the series: With the Elks trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning Thursday, Austin Hauck (Hofstra) clubbed his first home run of the season, a two-out solo shot to straightaway centerfield. That tied the game for the Elks, and they never trailed for the rest of the game.
Up next: The Elks now head to the City of Roses to take on the Portland Pickles (21-15, 6-6) for a three-game series beginning Friday. First pitch of all three games at 7:05 p.m.