The four wins recorded by the Bellingham Bells last week were only a small highlight for the team.
The Bells went 4-2 to improve on their West Coast League-leading record, but Bellingham also locked down the first-half championship of the league’s North Division. In doing so, the Bells secured a spot in the WCL playoffs next month.
A solo home run in extra innings from Bells’ second baseman Elijah Hainline was the difference June 27 against the Bend Elks.
Bellingham’s offense was limited to two runs across the first seven innings of the game before scoring four runs in the top of the eighth to tie things up by way of an RBI walk from Cole Hage and a bases-clearing double from Jack Van Remortel.
With the game tied at 6-6 in the 10th inning, Hainline sent the ball out of the stadium to give the Bells a 7-6 lead.
Nate Clow earned the win on the mound for the Bells. Starting pitcher Trevin Hope pitched 5 2/3 innings allowing only one run with nine strikeouts.
Bells catcher Blake Conrad rolls over a player after making the tag at home plate. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Bellingham dominated from the start in the second game of the series in a 10-4 win over the Elks.
Van Remortel hit a two-run home run in the first inning to put the Bells up 2-0 early. The Bells scored three more runs off wild pitches to push their lead to 5-0.
Bellingham’s lead was 8-0 before any answer from the Elks, but the lead was never in danger in the win.
Bend salvaged the final game of the series with a 3-0 win and Bellingham returned home for some non-league action against the Cascade Collegiate League Showcase Team and the Dub Sea Fish Sticks.
Bellingham’s pitching staff stifled Cascade in the series opener July 1, allowing only two hits and striking out 11 batters.
Bellingham’s Cody Delvecchio delivers a pitch in the early innings. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Ty Saunders and Ryan Scott each pitched three scoreless innings with Scott picking up the pitching win.
Bellingham got RBIs in the win from Jace Phelan, Willis Cresswell, Christopher Campos, Van Remortel and Hainline.
Game two of the series looked much like the first for the first five innings. The Bells got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Hainline scored from third on an errant throw to first base and Bellingham led 4-0 after five innings.
Bells’ starting pitcher Cody Delvecchio was perfect through five innings before Cascade got three runs back in the sixth and eighth innings.
Bellingham was able to hold on for the 5-3 win with Jared Bujanda crossing home plate for an insurance run on a wild pitch late in the game.
The Bells’ Josh Trujillo avoids the tag on a steal at second base. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
The Dub Sea Fish Sticks came to town for a non-league matchup July 3. The Fish Sticks made the trip up Interstate-5 worth it with an 8-4 win over the Bells.
Bellingham starting pitcher Shane Spencer tossed three scoreless innings, allowing only one hit with six strikeouts, but the typically-strong bullpen from Bellingham wasn’t as sharp as usual and the Bells trailed 6-0 through the top of the eighth.
Bellingham scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth on RBIs from Kyle Parkman, Hage, Campos and Hainline to bring the Bells within two runs. It wouldn’t matter as the Fish Sticks tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth to push the lead back up to 8-4 before holding on for the victory.
Bellingham hosted the Redmond Dudes in its final non-league game of the season. The Dudes handed the Bells their second-straight loss with a 6-4 defeat.
The Bells returned to league play with a three-game series against the Edmonton Riverhawks July 5–7 at Joe Martin Field.
