PORT ANGELES — Stymied by solid pitching efforts and some trouble on the base paths, Port Angeles fell 5-1 to the Wenatchee Apple Sox in a West Coast League baseball game Wednesday night at Civic Field.
The Lefties put runners on base in the first inning against Wenatchee pitcher Logan Mercado on a Javy Espinoza single and a Shea Thomas walk, but consecutive fly-ball outs ended the scoring chance.
Trevor Tishenkel opened the home half of the second with a base hit, but was later caught stealing.
Wenatchee went up 2-0 in the top of the third on RBI singles by Dakota Duffalo and Adam Grob.
Port Angeles scored its lone run in the bottom of the third when Takuto Kataoka and Espinoza reached base on back-to-back hits and Kataoka scored on a double-steal of home and second base.
The threat ended when batter Shea Thomas struck out, and Espinoza was thrown out trying to steal third base.
Mercado finished with eight strikeouts in five innings on the hill before reliever Skylar Hales took over, allowing one hit and striking out four in three innings of relief.
Wenatchee added three insurance runs in the eighth, two of them coming on a home run to left field by John Newman Jr.
Chase Grillo shut down the Lefties in the ninth despite giving up a leadoff single to Tishenkel start the inning.
Port Angeles (7-13) fell into last place in the North Division with the loss. The Lefties wrapped a three-game set with the Apple Sox late Thursday and will host a three-game nonleague set with the Redmond Dudes starting at 6:35 p.m. tonight.
Wenatchee 5, Port Angeles 1
Wen. 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 — 5 9 2
PA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 8 1
WP: Mercado. LP: Aggson.
Pitching
Port Angeles — Aggson 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K; Sanchez 3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K; Saunders IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K; Sinclair IP, H, BB, 2 K.
Wenatchee — Mercado 5 IP, 6 H, ER, 2 BB, 8 K; Hales 3 IP, H, BB, 4 K; Grillo IP, H, 2 K.
Hitting
Port Angeles — Tishenkel 3-4, 2 B; Kataoka 2-4, 2 SB, R,; Espinoza 2-4, SB; S. Thomas 0-2, BB, RBI; Holman 1-4.
Wenatchee — Newman 2-4, R, HR, 2 RBI; Duffalo 2-5, RBI; Grob 1-4, BB, R, RBI.
