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Summer Collegiate

Sweep start to NightOwls Season

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The Nanaimo NightOwls picked up where they left off in 2022, posting a 7-3 victory over the visiting Walla Walla Sweets at historic Serauxmen Stadium on Sunday afternoon, completing a three-game opening-series whitewash.

Following on the heels of a 14-4 win in the home opener, and a 6-5 late-inning Houdini act on Saturday evening, the NightOwls have now won eight games in a row dating back to August of 2022 when the expansion club closed that season with five wins in a row, including three wins at Serauxmen over the Port Angeles Lefties.

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The NightOwls are one of six teams, in a league of 16, to start 3-0 in this young West Coast League season, sitting in a tie atop the North Division with the Victoria HarbourCats, Wenatchee AppleSox and Bellingham Bells, who will be at Serauxmen Stadium for a Friday-Saturday-Sunday afternoon set next weekend. Springfield and Corvallis are tied at 3-0 in the South Division. Four teams from each division make the playoffs.

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Outfielder Brandon Hupe (UBC) and first baseman Ethan Rivera (Cal State San Marcos) went back-to-back with long balls in the first inning, setting the tone. Hupe, in his second year as a NightOwl and with a year of college eligibility remaining, drove a ball to left field, while Rivera, a versatile right-handed bat who also catches, drove a pitch to the opposite field over the “Screen Monster” to put Nanaimo on a path they would never be pushed off.

Starter Cooper Littledike and five relievers, four of them lefties, combined to scatter seven hits, walk just three, and fan eight hitters, most of those strikeouts coming at key points.

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Otho Savage of Walla Walla took the loss.

Hupe, who is batting .714 to start the season, was 3-4 with three runs driven in and two runs scored, adding a double to his day. Justin Ramirez, the all-time hits leader at Arizona Christian, and DH Wylie Waters were both 2-4 as part of a 12-hit NightOwls attack — including a double each. Slick shortstop Elijah Ickes (Hawaii) was 1-2 with a walk to improve his batting average to .667. Catcher Michael Easter (East LA College) was 1-1 with a run and two walks and is batting .750 in the season’s early days.

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The traveling Sweets move on to play at Victoria on Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday — the NightOwls have Monday off before a trip to Kelowna to play the Falcons (1-2) in games Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with right-hander Payton Robertson (Arizona Christian) slated to start the first game, followed by another righty in Talon Mihalinac (New Jersey Institute of Technology) in the second game.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats cruise to victory

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Isaiah Afework had four RBIs in one game for the second time this season (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

July 24, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Victoria HarbourCats wrapped up their final non-league game of the season Thursday night against the Victoria Mavericks, coming out on top 22-2.

Logan Shepherd got things going in the first inning with an RBI single. Isaiah Afework followed that up with a two-run double to make it 3-0. Jake Butler hit an RBI single, and Garrett Brooks drove home two with a triple to cap off the six-run opening frame.

BOX SCORE

Back-to-back RBI doubles from Shepherd and Dillon Lopez in the second inning made it 9-0, before an Afework opposite field home run increased the lead to 11-0.

The Mavericks got on the board in the fourth inning when Sami Samir hit a double with the bases loaded to plate a pair.

The Cats scored three more runs in the bottom of the fifth, including a Liam Fast RBI double, pushing the lead to 14-2.

Connor Ross reached base three times and had one RBI tonight (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

The hits kept coming as five HarbourCats hit RBI singles in the bottom of the sixth inning, which made it 22-2.

WATCH GAMES HERE

Jack Finn started the game and pitched three scoreless innings while striking out four. Ethan McNish-Heider replaced him and threw three of his own, giving up two runs and striking out four. Jacob Thompson pitched the seventh inning, striking out one, before the game was called due to a mercy rule.

Brooks and Afework led the way with four RBIs apiece. Shepherd drove in three and Jai Berezowski, Declan Brown, and Butler all drove in a pair of runs.

Tomorrow is the start of Peninsula Co-op’s Kids Free Weekend! Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s games are free for kids 12 and under. You can get tickets at the gate or in person at the HarbourCats office; this option is not available online. Friday’s game is also Anawim House Sock Toss night! Bring pairs of new or gently used socks or buy a pair at the game to throw on the field after the first HarbourCats home run of the game.

Due to popular demand, we are expanding our $12 Tuesday seats. All remaining Premium Reserved seats (normally $22 per seat) for the July 29 game against Kamloops are now just $12. PLUS, WE NOW HAVE $12 THURSDAYS! All remaining Premium Reserved seats for our game Thursday, July 31 are now just $12. Come watch the best baseball in town for the best price anywhere!

BUY TICKETS HERE

Tickets and merchandise can also be purchased in person at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street or by calling 778-265-0327.

For more updates, be sure to follow @HarbourCats on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

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Summer Collegiate

NightOwls flash defensive gems against Knights

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NANAIMO, B.C. — Win or lose, the Nanaimo NightOwls are certainly entertaining.

Centre fielder Andrew Ivy made three highlight reel catches, Trevor Goldenetz made a spectacular catch at the left field wall, and infielder Ryder Florence had a spinarama ground ball out — but it wasn’t enough in a 9-2 loss as the visiting Corvallis Knights took advantage of almost all their baserunners on Wednesday night at historic Serauxmen Stadium.

No less than 10 great defensive plays combined were flashed by both teams.

Catcher Nate Davis was 3-5 for Nanaimo and Goldenetz had two hits including a double for the NightOwls.

The Knights only outhit the NightOwls 10-8 in winning the second game of the series.

Both teams committed two errors.

The third game of the series is 6:35pm at Serauxmen Stadium, and its host family appreciation night.

After the series, the NightOwls go to Kamloops to face the NorthPaws for games Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the latter an afternoon game.



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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats rally late but fall short to Fish Sticks

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Tanner Beltowski was back in the leadoff spot tonight, scoring two runs (Photo: Christian J. Stewart) 

July 23, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Dub Sea Fish Sticks survived a late push from the Victoria HarbourCats to win 10-8 Wednesday night.

For the second straight night, the Fish Sticks got on the board in the opening frame, and it was once again Matt Churchill who did the damage. The slugger drove in a run with a single to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. He had five hits and five RBIs in this two-game series.

The HarbourCats didn’t waste any time responding, scoring three runs in the bottom half of the first. Jake Butler (George Mason) and Declan Brown (Wenatchee Valley) both hit RBI singles to give the Cats a 3-1 advantage.

BOX SCORE

Fish Sticks’ left fielder Kai Gonzaga hit a solo home run in the top of the second inning to cut the deficit in half, making it 3-2. Dub Sea added two more in the inning to turn the game around and give them a 4-3 lead.

Declan Brown had three hits and three RBIs in the two games against Dub Sea (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

Wyatt Hurley blew the game wide open with a three-run home run in the top of the third inning, extending the Fish Sticks’ lead to 7-3.

Dustin Davidson (Freed-Hardeman U) started for Victoria and threw three innings. He was replaced by Dillon Dibrell (Rogers State), who pitched two shutout innings while striking out six batters. Tristin Thomas (West Texas A&M) took over from there, pitching two innings of his own, giving up one run on two hits while striking out a pair.

WATCH GAMES HERE

Dub Sea extended their lead to 10-3 in the top of the eighth, but the home team did not go away quietly in the bottom half. A Butler RBI single, his third hit of the night, got things going, and Liam Fast then followed it up with a two-run single. Jai Berezowki and Dominic Biello, both from the Victoria Golden Tide, also hit RBI singles to cap off the five-run frame and make it 10-8.

The Cats rally did not continue into the ninth inning as the Fish Sticks were able to hold on for the victory.

Cade Rusch (Bellarmine) pitched the final two innings for Victoria, striking out six and giving up two runs.

Jake Butler had three hits tonight (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

Tomorrow, the HarbourCats take on the Victoria Mavericks, and it is the first-ever Country Night! Get yourself gussied up in your country outfits and come on down to the ballpark for a night of all things country. Rob Curtis will be performing on the field when the gates open at 5:30 PM. Friday is the start of Peninsula Co-op’s Kids Free Weekend! Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s games are free for kids 12 and under.

Due to popular demand, we are expanding our $12 Tuesday seats. All remaining Premium Reserved seats (normally $22 per seat) for the July 29 game against Kamloops are now just $12. PLUS, WE NOW HAVE $12 THURSDAYS! All remaining Premium Reserved seats for our Thursday games on July 24 and July 31 are now just $12. Come watch the best baseball in town for the best price anywhere!

BUY TICKETS HERE

Tickets and merchandise can also be purchased in person at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street or by calling 778-265-0327.

For more updates, be sure to follow @HarbourCats on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

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