Welwerts K’s 12; Snowbirds Walk Off on Day 9
By Kirsten Karbach
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Andrew Welwerts tallied 12 strikeouts in a complete game for the Palm Desert Coyotes, while the Coachella Valley Snowbirds walked off with their first victory of the season to lead the way on day nine of the California Winter League.
Shun Morofuji emerged as the hero for the Snowbirds, who bested the Washington Blue Sox by a 3-2 final. Morofuji stepped up with the bases loaded and delivered the deciding blow, a single that scored Masahiro Miyadera with the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Tyler Garkow did not factor in the decision despite a solid start, limiting Washington (1-6) to one run on two hits and two walks across four innings. Carl Jameson earned the victory after tossing a hitless top of the seventh for Coachella Valley (1-6).
The opening game on the main field saw the Manitoba North Stars double up the British Columbia Bombers 10-5 on Canada Day at Palm Springs Stadium.
Dakota Freese racked up nine strikeouts in five innings to earn the win, as the right-hander permitted five unearned runs on seven hits. The former Oakland A’s prospect has now struck out 20 batters in 13.1 innings in the CWL.
Manitoba (5-1-1) broke a five-all tie in the fifth when Darius Washington and Carl Johnson connected for back-to-back solo dingers. Victor Barron added a solo shot of his own in the sixth inning. Bobby Webb led the offense for British Columbia (2-4-1) with a 2-for-4 performance, upping his average to .471.
The Toronto Rush wrapped up Friday’s action on the main field by taking down the Canada A’s, 8-4. The Rush (4-3) jumped ahead in the second when Issei Washizaki lifted a sinking liner into right with runners at second and third. Right-fielder TJ Braff layed out with a diving catch to rob Washizaki of a base hit, but Marcus Blackmon tagged from third and scored on the sacrifice fly.
Joe Davis and Kevin Wirth each knocked in two runs for Toronto, while Seth Powers earned the win with four innings of one-run ball, striking out seven. Kyle Hayman singled in both of his at-bats and knocked home a run in the loss for Canada (5-2).
Andrew Welwerts struck out 12 for Palm Desert as the Coyotes and Oregon Lumberjacks battled to a 2-2 tie on the auxiliary field. Derek Hasenbeck came up clutch for the Jacks (2-4-1), delivering a two-out, solo homer in the top of the seventh inning to pull the teams even, and Alex Miden worked around a pair of baserunners to preserve the deadlock.
Welwerts worked all seven innings for Palm Desert (4-2-1), limiting Oregon to just two runs on three hits. In 14 innings, the right-hander has collected 27 strikeouts and permitted just one earned run.
In the final game of the day, the Alberta Grizzly (4-3) exploded for 13 runs on 15 hits to down the Bay Area Bootleggers (2-4) by a 13-3 final. Kyle Adie led the offensive explosion by going 4-for-5 with two RBIs, while Brett Huffman and Adam Picard each homered for Alberta.
Saturday is Dollar Beer Day at Palm Springs Stadium, featuring Bud and Bud Light drafts for just one dollar. Action begins when the New York Colonials and Palm Springs Chill square off at 10 a.m.
