The Kamloops NorthPaws defeated the Walla Walla Sweets in Washington 6-1 as the Sweets lost their first series opener at home this season. The NorthPaws have won back-to-back games and moved into sole possession of third place in the North Division, winning their 10th game of the season.
Righty Mason Chien was on the mound to start the week for the NorthPaws and pitched a gem, going seven innings, giving up one earned run on five hits, striking out eight batters. Chien’s lone troublesome inning was in the third when he gave up a walk and a single with one out. The second out was a fielder’s choice, leaving runners on the corners. Chien gave up a base hit, bringing home the only run of the game for the Sweets. That was the only inning Chien where gave up multiple hits.
At the plate, for the NorthPaws, the middle of the order was once again getting it done, with Drew Schmidt, Joey Rico and Jared Hall combining eight of the NorthPaws thirteenth hits. At the bottom of the order, the NorthPaws newest player, a second baseman from UT Tyler Tanner Hornback, had a pair of hits, including an RBI. Center fielder Ethan Kodama also had a pair of hits and scored twice as well.
In the second inning, the game would no longer be scoreless as Tanner Hornback, in his first at-bat as a NorthPaw, drove in Hall with a single. This would start a stretch of three consecutive innings, with Kamloops scoring a run. In the fourth, Joey Rico singled and brought home Kodama to make it 2-0. Kamloops made it three nothing with Kodama singling, scoring Hornback.
From there, it was all about Mason Chien. After the run scored in the third, he would only give up one more hit, and three of his final four innings were 1-2-3 innings, including striking out the side in order in the sixth. The Sweets had no answer, prompting Walla Walla Play-by-play broadcaster Drew Albaugh to say, “The NorthPaws are up by two right now, but it feels like way more the way Chein has pitched tonight.”
In the top of the eighth, Jared Hall singled, scoring Schmidt to give the NorthPaws some breathing room. The lead would be extended in the ninth courtesy of Schmidt, whose fourth hit of the night scored a pair, making it 6-1.
Lefty Kaden Douglas-Pluff came on in the eighth and cruised through the final two innings, securing the 10th win of the season for Kamloops. The NorthPaws and Sweets will be back at it tomorrow night at 6:35 as the NorthPaws look for their second road series victory of the season and third win in a row. You can find all the action on West Coast League TV.
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