AppleSox falter in extra innings, drop 8-7 thriller to Elks

BEND, Ore.  - The Wenatchee AppleSox squandered a four-run lead and fell to the Bend Elks 8-7 in 11 innings on Wednesday night at Vince Genna Stadium despite a solid offensive performance.

The AppleSox (34-19, 16-10 second half) built a 5-1 advantage by the middle of the fourth inning but saw their lead evaporate as the Elks rallied with six runs over the fifth and sixth frames.

Cooper Whitton led Wenatchee's offense, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. He opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first and later added a two-run double in the sixth.

Braiden Boyd made his second start for the AppleSox, pitching a career-high five innings. He struck out four and allowed just four hits in his team-leading 13th appearance of the season.

Wenatchee's offense showed patience at the plate, drawing 12 walks, one shy of their season high. However, they were unable to capitalize fully on these opportunities.

The Elks mounted their comeback in the middle innings, tying the game with a five-run sixth. The contest remained deadlocked until the bottom of the 11th when Bend secured the win on a sacrifice fly following three walks.

This loss comes as Wenatchee prepares for the postseason, having already secured the best records in the North Division for both halves of the season. It marks the first time the AppleSox has achieved this feat since the two-half playoff format was introduced in 2016.

The AppleSox will conclude their regular season on Thursday before facing the Victoria HarbourCats in the North Division Series this weekend. Game 2 of that series is scheduled for Sunday evening at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium in Wenatchee.