By Joe Traub

Port Angeles Lefties

PORT ANGELES — Four Kelowna home runs proved the difference as the Falcons doubled up the Port Angeles Lefties 8-4 in the opener of a three-game West Coast League series Friday night at Civic Field.

Austen Butler gave Kelowna a 3-1 lead with a two-run shot in the top of the fifth.

Conagher Sands and Cole Cummings added solo shots in the seventh and eighth innings, and Brad Norton’s three-run bomb in the ninth put even more distance between the two squads.

Port Angeles plated two runners in the ninth to cut the score to 8-4, but couldn’t come closer.

Leadoff hitter Gavin Rork sparked the Lefties with two hits, a stolen base and two runs offensively. Rork also flashed the leather in the outfield with a run-robbing diving catch of a Conagher Sands shot to right-center field.

Port Angeles (15-21, 5-5 second half) hosts Kelowna at 1:35 p.m. today.

Kelowna 8, Port Angeles 4

Kel 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 3 — 8 9 5

PA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 — 4 6 1

WP: Tritch LP: Tan

Pitching

Kelowna — Tritch 6IP, 2H, R, 6K; Grote 2IP, 3H, R; Scott 1IP, H, 2ER, 2BB.

Port Angeles — Tan 6.1IP, 6H, 4R, 2ER, 3BB, 5K; Hamrick 2.2IP, 3H 4ER, 2BB, 2K.

Hitting

Kelowna — Meritt 3-4, 2R; Norton 1-5, HR, 2R, 3RBI; Cummings 1-4, HR, R, RBI; Sands 1-4, HR, R, RBI; Butler 1-3, 2BB, HR, R, 2RBI.

Port Angeles — Rork 2-4, HP, 2R; Schauwecker 1-1, BB, 2RBI; Altamarino 0-1, BB, RBIl Fugitt 1-3.

Port Angeles 9, Cowlitz 7

PORT ANGELES — For the first four innings on Thursday night, it appeared as if the Port Angeles Lefties would enjoy a rare comfortable victory in the 2019 season. The hosts lead Cowlitz 9–1 after four innings, but the Black Bears clawed back with six unanswered runs before the Lefties shut things down late to win 9–7 to clinch a series victory.

Matt Christian and Baxter Halligan hit back-to-back doubles down the left-field line in the first inning to give Port Angeles a quick 1–0 lead.

In the second inning, Alex Garcia singled with one out then Trevor Rosenberg drew a walk an out later. Gavin Rork then singled on the infield with Garcia scoring on a throwing error. Nick DiPonzio came up and obliterated a Dylan Pottgieser curveball over the center field wall for his second home run of the season, giving the Lefties a 5–0 advantage. Christian then made it back-to-back, as the West Coast League all star hit his team-leading seventh jack.

The Lefties continued to muscle up, as Connor Denning blasted his first home run in a Port Angeles uniform in the third. The fourth inning saw Halligan drive in a run with a two-out single and then score on C.J. Schauwecker’s double to left-center field.

Trailing 9-1 in the fifth, Luke Price doubled in two runs to bring home two runs for the Black Bears. Cowlitz came calling once again in the sixth, as Andres Sosa connected on a two-run double of his own before scoring on a throwing error to cut the margin to 9-6.

The Lefties bullpen was able to shut it down from there, as Zach Tresemer retired all four batters he faced to earn the victory after entering with two outs in the sixth. Carter Loewen surrendered one run in the eighth inning before striking out two in a hitless ninth inning for his fourth straight appearance resulting in a save.

Port Angeles claimed a series victory for the first time since sweeping a rain-shortened two-game set with Yakima Valley in late June.

Port Angeles 9, Cowlitz 7

Cow. 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 1 0 —7 9 0

PA 1 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 X —9 11 1

WP: Tresemer LP: Pottgieser Sv: Loewen

Pitching

Cowlitz — Pottsgieser 2IP, 7H, 6ER, BB, 5K; Smyth 2IP, 3H, 3ER, BB, 3K;

Port Angeles — Weeldreyer 3IP, H, 2BB, 5K; Schlotman 2.2IP, 7H, 6R, 5ER, 2BB, 3K.

Hitting

Cowlitz — Marchese 2-4 2B; Price 1-4, 2B, 2R, RBI; Sosa 2-4, 2B, 2R, RBI.

Port Angeles — Christian 3-4, 2B, HR, 2R, RBI; DiPonzio 1-5, HR, R, 4RBI; Halligan 3-4, 2 2B, R, 2RBI; Denning 1-4, HR, R, RBI; Rork 1-4, BB, 2R.

Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Lefties third baseman Justin Fugitt bats in the first inning against Kelowna on Friday at Port Angeles Civic Field.