PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Lefties are getting hot heading into the final week of the season, winning their fifth game out of their past seven with a 10-5 win over the Edmonton Riverhawks.
BY Choi and Adam Paganelli continued with their hot bats. Choi hit a home run for the second time in three days and drove in two runs, while Paganelli went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and two RBIs. Paganelli raised his average to .376, which would be among the West Coast League leaders if he had more at-bats. It was Choi’s fourth home run of the year, tops for the Lefties.
Aaron Greenfield (Cal State, Dominguez Hills), in his first game for the Lefties, also hit 3-for-5 with a triple, a run scored and two RBIs. Port Angeles High School product Ethan Flodstrom also drove in two runs and walked twice.
The game was tied late at 5-5. The Lefties scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh and two more in the bottom of the eighth to pull away.
On the mound, five Lefties pitchers allowed only two earned runs all game and struck out a total of 15 Riverhawks. Devon Daniels and Andrew Monson were near-perfect, going a combined three innings in relief, allowing one hit, one walk, no runs and striking out four.
Trey Maeker pitched the sixth and seventh innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits, but he earned the victory. He struck out three. Nelson Smith had one of his best outings of the year, pitching the final two innings, allowing one hit and two walks and striking out five batters. He earned the save.
Having gone 5-2 in the past week, the Lefties have an outside chance to make the postseason, which has been expanded this year, if they can remain hot over the final week of the season. They finish the regular season with a three-game series at Nanaimo, a new team that is struggling at 6-18. They must finish in the top four of the North Division to have a chance. Port Angeles is currently sixth, 3½ games out of fourth in the second-half standings.
Port Angeles (19-30 overall, 8-15 second half) played Edmonton after press deadline and will wrap up its home season at Civic Field at 6:35 p.m. today.
Port Angeles 10, Edmonton 5
Edm. 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 — 5 10 3
PA2 3 0 0 0 0 3 2 X — 10 10 1
WP: Maeker. LP: Buchanan. SV: Smith.
Pitching
Edmonton — Atamanchuk 1.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 BB, K; Wabick 2.1 IP, H, BB, 2 K; Butt 2 IP 2 K; Buchanan 2 IP, 6 H, ER, 2 BB, K.
Port Angeles — McCullough 2 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 K; Daniels IP BB, K; Monson 2 IP, H, 3 K; Maeker 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 K; Smith 2 IP, H, 5 K.
Hitting
Edmonton — Corl 3-5, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI; Choinard 1-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, SB; Masciangelo 2-4.
Port Angeles — Paganelli 3-5, 2B, 3B; Greenfield 3-5, R, 2 RBI; Munoz 1-2, R, RBI; Choi 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI; Flodstrom 0-3, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.