AppleSox edge Falcons 7-5, clinch series win in tight contest

WENATCHEE -- The Wenatchee AppleSox secured their third consecutive victory, edging out the Kelowna Falcons 7-5 in a tightly contested West Coast League matchup on Tuesday night at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium.

Jonathan Fitz delivered the decisive blow in the sixth inning, breaking a 4-4 deadlock with a two-run single. Cannon Peery, returning to the lineup after a brief absence to support his brother at the College World Series, led the AppleSox offense with three RBIs.

Braiden Boyd (1-2) earned the win in relief, allowing just one run while striking out four over 4.1 innings. The Chelan native's performance was highlighted by a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play executed with Fitz to end the fifth inning.

Kade Benavidez recorded his second save of the season, retiring the final five batters to preserve the victory. He also contributed offensively with two hits.

The Falcons (7-13) struck first, capitalizing on a bases-loaded hit by pitch in the opening frame. Wenatchee (16-7) promptly responded, taking a 3-1 lead on Peery's two-run double and James Castagnola's RBI single.

Kelowna regained the lead in the second inning, stringing together a leadoff triple, sacrifice fly, and two-run homer to pull ahead 4-3. The AppleSox equalized in the third when Peery drove in Michael Hartman, who now leads the WCL with 23 runs scored.

The game remained deadlocked until Fitz's clutch hit in the sixth. Wenatchee added an insurance run in the seventh on Aidan Dougherty's RBI single, extending his hitting streak to six games.

The AppleSox will look to complete the series sweep on Wednesday evening, with Garrett Ahern slated to make his first start of the summer. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.