The Bellingham Bells have climbed into third place in the West Coast League’s North Division despite winning only three of their last six games, including a 2-1 loss to open a three-game series at the Edmonton Riverhawks.
The Bells (14-9), rebounded to beat Edmonton 8-4 in Game 2 on Wednesday, June 26 and now trail the second-place Riverhawks (15-8) by one game and the division-leading Wenatchee Applesox (16-7) by two games.
Despite losing two of three to the Victoria Harbourcats and dropping the first game against the Riverhawks, the Bells remain 8-3 in their last 11 matchups.
Hot bats slow down
The Bells averaged 4.8 runs per game in their first 22 matchups this season. They won their first two of three games during this stretch by scoring five or more runs.
Nate Kirkpatrick holds a nine-game hit streak, which includes seven hits and four RBIs in the last five games. He has the top batting average for the Bells (.333), which is 10th in the West Coast League. Kirkpatrick is also second on the team in total RBIs (12) and fifth in walks (8).
Jacob Mejia tallied six hits and four RBIs during the five-game stretch. He leads the Bells in home runs (3), second in batting average (.329) and doubles (7) and third in RBIs (11).
In the last two games, the Bells scored three total runs. Despite piling up 17 total hits, the Bells stranded 13 runners in a 6-2 loss to Victoria and nine runners against Edmonton.
Starters strike opponents but relievers struggle
Bellingham’s pitchers have allowed under three runs per game throughout the season. In the last five games, the Bells were 1-2 when allowing more than three runs.
The starters held down many top-tier offenses. Pitchers Will Franklin, Tyler Van Dyke, Nathan Van Beek, Sheldon Egger and Josh Flaugher gave up a total of 15 hits, four earned runs and four walks while earning 19 strikeouts in 17 innings.
However, the relievers allowed 20 runs in the five games. Despite allowing 24 runs during that stretch, the Bells rank second in strikeouts (195), fourth in runs allowed (76), fifth in hits allowed (139) and eighth in walks allowed (96).
Local watch
Lynden’s Lane Simonsen keeps his 0.00 ERA after striking out two batters and giving up no hits in three innings.
Bellingham’s Bryce Johnson struggled to reach base safely in the last three games despite having four plate appearances. However, Johnson boasts a .245 batting average with seven RBIs and three doubles this season.
What’s next
The Bells cap off their three-game series with Edmonton at 6:05 p.m. Thursday, June 27.
Afterward, they return to Joe Martin Stadium for a six-game homestand, starting with a three-game series against the Wenatchee AppleSox (16-7) from June 28–30.
For schedules, stats and ticket information, visit bellinghambells.com.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
