The Bellingham Bells were on the road last week and have now won four of their last six games. The Bells finished their series against the Kelowna Falcons July 25 with a 6-4 victory. Afterward, they faced the Nanaimo Nightowls in a three-game series from July 26–29.
The Bells dropped the first game 6-3 but responded with back-to-back victories, 4-3 and 7-5. The Bells started their second straight road series against the Kamloops Northpaws and lost the first game 13-4 Tuesday, July 30.
Bellingham evened the series with Kamloops Wednesday, July 31, shutting out the Northpaws 7-0.
The Bells are tied with the Victoria HarbourCats for second in the West Coast League’s North Division with a 12-8 record while the Wenatchee Applesox lead with a 14-7 record.
Bellingham bats strike late
The Bells trailed Kelowna 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and the bases empty on Friday, July 26. Logan DeGroot and Trent Mallonee each walked before Gavin Long hit an infield single to load the bases for Roman Martin. Martin battled to a full count before launching a walk-off grand slam.
Martin had a hot five-game span, totaling six hits and six RBIs.
In the 7-5 victory against Nanaimo on Sunday, July 28, the Bells scored three runs in the top of the ninth with DeGroot’s RBI single and Jason Shedlock’s two-run double.
Starters begin to struggle
The Bells starting pitchers have been one of the top rotations in the WCL, giving up a fourth-best 157 runs allowed. However, the starting pitchers were responsible for 13 runs in a five-game stretch.
Everett Swaim, Tyler Van Dyke, Josh Flaugher and Peter Storjohann allowed at least two runs each in their starts during that span. Nathan Van Beek had the best performance, allowing one hit, one walk and one earned run across three innings.
Local player to watch
Ryan Heppner from Point Roberts has been a solid reliever this season. Although he has not stepped on the mound since July 23 against Kelowna, he continues to make a presence when he pitches against WCL opponents.
Heppner holds a 2-2 record with a 1.88 ERA, 15 strikeouts and 12 hits allowed in 14 1/3 innings pitched.
What’s next
The Bells finish a three-game series against the Kamloops Northpaws Thursday, Aug. 1. Afterward, they return home to host the Victoria Harbourcats in a three-game series Aug. 2–4.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
