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Summer Collegiate

– Kamloops NorthPaws

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Author: Larry Read

WENATCHEE, WA—The second half of the 2023 West Coast League season started in the same fashion as the first half for the Kamloops North Paws.  The Paws were swept on the road.  This time, Kamloops dropped three straight to the AppleSox in Wenatchee.

The scores were 7-6 in 12 innings on Friday (July 7), 5-1 on Saturday (July 8) and 11-6 on Sunday (July 9).  Wenatchee won all six regular season games with the NorthPaws.

The AppleSox move to 22-8 overall and 3-0 in the second half.  Kamloops falls to 7-26 overall and 0-3 in the second half.

By the way, Bellingham won the 2023 North Division First Half Title while the Ridgefield Raptors took the crown in the South Divisionhttps://westcoastleague.com/bells-secure-postseason-bid-second-half-race-starts/

Kamloops will have a day off to travel home on Monday (July 10). They will open up a three-game series at home against the Edmonton RiverHawks on Tuesday (July 11). 

The AppleSox will begin a six-game road trip on Tuesday (July 11) when they meet the Night Owls in Nanaimo.

SERIES RECAP:

Friday, July 7, 2023: AppleSox 7 NorthPaws 6 (12 innings)

The NorthPaws battled back from a 5-0 deficit to score five in a row to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning.  Kamloops then took the lead in the 12th inning when Robin Villeneuve (Gatineau< QC) doubled and scored Casey Wayne who led off the inning with a single.

Wenatchee though scored two in their half of the 12th. Sebastian David  (Medina, WA) led off and was hit by a Kolby Lukinchuk (Prince George, BC) pitch.  He scored on a fielder’s choice which resulted in Reeve Boyd (Seattle, WA) getting to first. He scored the winning run on a single from Brandham Ponce (Federal Way WA).

Ponce was 2-6 for Wenatchee.  Austin Ohland (Maple Valley, WA) led them offensively going 2-6 with 3 RBI. 

Cooper Neville (Glendale, AZ) was 3-5 with two RBI and a run scored to lead Kamloops. Joey Baran (Austin, TX) was 2-5 with a run scored.    

Lukinchuk was tagged with the loss. He is 0-1 in 11 appearances this season. He pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up three hits, two runs and walked one.    Bryce Johnson (Sammanish, WA) was the third of three AppleSox pitchers and garnered the win.   He went four innings giving up two runs, four hits, struck out eight and walked four.  He is 2-1 on the year.

Link to Scoresheet:  http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598639

Saturday, July 8, 2023: Applesox 5  NorthPaws 1

Kamloops broke open a scoreless tie with a run in the fifth inning. Wenatchee evened it up sixth with a run of their own and added another in the seventh and three more in the eighth.  They had 13 hits to the NorthPaws’ six.

Trent Liolios (Newport Beach, CA) led the way for Wenatchee with a two run homer in that eighth inning. It was his first homer of the year. He was 2-5 with two runs scored. Ponse was 2-3 with a run scored as well for the AppleSox.

Kamloops ‘ Rei Kimura (Osaka, Japan) was 2-4.  Villeneuve was 2-3 while Mestas was 2-5.

Griffin Allen (San Jose, CA), the third of four Wenatchee pitchers was the winner. He went 3 2/3 innings striking out two, giving up two hits and walking one. He moved to 1-0 on what was his first appearance of the year for the AppleSox.  Collin Hysell (Payette, Idaho) the third of three NorthPaws pitchers was the loser.  He went two innings giving up five hits and three runs including the homer to Liolios.  He is 0-1 in is fourth outing of the season.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598641

Sunday, July 9, 2023:AppleSox 11 NorthPaws 6

Kamloops was playing catchup from the beginning. They gave up four runs in the first and one in the second before getting on the scoresheet. Villeneuve singled to center field brining in Tyler Glowacki (San Diego, CA) who had walked earlier. 

Wenatchee scored two in the bottom half of the third to go up 7-1 and then added two runs in the sixth and the seventh innings.  

The Paws cut the deficit to to 9-4 with two runs in the top half of the seventh and added singles in the eighth and ninth.   Neville led the way for Kamloops going 2-4 with two runs scored. Villeneuve was 1-5 with a run scored. Glowacki scored two runs.

The AppleSox offense was led by Easton Admundson  (Nampa, ID) who was 2-3 with two runs scored and three runs batted in. Liolios was 2-5 with a run scored and three runs batted in. Frankie Carney (San Diego, CA) was 2-2 with two runs scored.

Andrew Monson (Liberty Lake, WA) went three innings of relief for his first win his second start with Wenatchee. He gave up a run, a hit, a walk and struck out six.   New Zealander MacLain Roberts was the first of six NorthPaws pitchers. He suffered his fifth loss in six decisions going two innings. He gave up five runs on two hits with six walks and one strikeout.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=602296

HEAD COACH KEITH FRANCIS:

On Roadtrip:

“We performed well in most disciplines, but we continue to struggle at the plate.  Two nights ago, we left 18 men on base.  We just can’t hit. Today (Sunday), we came out flat and our pitching put us behind the eight ball early.  We are playing hard. We just can’t connect at the plate.  We have tried different things including having the players do BP (Batting Practice) in the cage and by themselves.  Tuesday (July 11), we will try something different.  Everyone wants to turn this (lack of hitting) around.  We just need to slow down and concentrate on hitting the ball.”

NEXT UP FOR THE NORTHPAWS:

Their next home series will be Tuesday July 11th when the Edmonton RiverHawks come to town. Opening pitch that night along with Wednesday and Thursday July 12-13th will be 6:35 PM.  Kamloops then has a four day break.

July 12th  is SPCA Night. Guess the object inside the Big Steel Box at the game and be entered to win a Yeti Cooler and More.  The Clue will be unveiled at the game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH ON THE RIVERHAWKS:

KJ Ward – RHP – Park University Gilbert

Jonny McGill – OF – University of British Columbia

Jack Wheatley – MIF – Liberty University

Kelly Corl – MIF – Niagara University.

If you can’t make the home games, they are all webcast on  https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/ .   Some home games will also be shown on Shaw TV in Kamloops (Cable 10 or 105 with Blue Curve).

NEW FAN PROMOTION:

The NorthPaws are looking for their newest fans.  The team is running a promotion right now which sees you capture a $15 ticket for any home game for the remainder of the season. There are only 100 of these tickets available.  Visit tickets.northpawsbaseball.ca and click “Find tickets” on the game you would like to attend. Enter ‘NEWESTFAN’ into the promo code box and the tickets are unlocked!

TAILGATE PARTY:

The Molson’s Tailgate Party is hoppin’ before every NorthPaws home game.   It runs Tuesday through Saturday 5-630 PM.  The Party runs Sundays noon-1 PM.  Hotdogs and a Pilsner are sold for $ 12.00 plus tax.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Dominate NorthPaws 14-4

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David Krahn made some noise in his first start since returning from injury, hitting 2/3 with 3 RBI and a home run. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats bounced back after Friday night’s loss and thumped the visiting Kamloops NorthPaws 14-4 on Saturday night.

It’s impossible to predict the future in baseball, but tonight’s first inning was a pretty good sign of how this ballgame would go. Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) drove a liner over the shortstop to lead it off for the Cats, getting a runner on base for one of the most dangerous bats in the WCL, the unstoppable David Krahn. The UBC infielder watched a couple of pitches out of the zone before teeing off on a no-doubter to Pembroke Street for his second bomb in his last two at-bats. Krahn’s ninth homer of the year not only gave an early lead to the HarbourCats, but also tied the franchise record for home runs in a season! Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois) drove in another on a sacrifice fly, and suddenly the home team had a three-run advantage after the first inning.

BOX SCORE

The NorthPaws barked back in the top of the second with back-to-back doubles to drive in their first run of the game. Determined to maintain the upper hand, starting pitcher Erik Rico (Fresno State) sliced through his next challengers to earn a pair of strikeouts and end the inning. There would be no such nonsense in the third, as Rico recovered from a couple of walks to set down three NorthPaws in a row.

It was only a matter of time before the Cats were back on the prowl. Krahn came up in a big spot with the bases loaded and lined a ball hard into left-centre field to widen the lead for the HarbourCats. Logan Shepherd (Mercer) followed up with a bases-clearing double to really break the game open and make it 7-1.

Rico backed up the bats with five innings of shut-down pitching. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Erik Rico’s night came to an end after five excellent innings of one-run ball, over which he allowed just two hits and racked up a tidy nine strikeouts – just a regular Saturday night for this all-star arm.

The HarbourCats kept their foot on the gas in the fifth inning with another three-run frame. Bryan Bradshaw smacked a single to drive in two, and a Logan Shepherd singe brought David Krahn home. Entering the back half of the ballgame, Victoria now held a commanding 10-1 lead.

Davis Lee (Calgary) assumed control of the mound in the sixth inning and worked quickly, torching through the Kamloops lineup with a three-strikeout frame. The next inning was handed off to the capable hands of Houston Tomlinson (Arkansas State), who tossed a clean inning to keep the HarbourCats well out in front.

The Cats found themselves in a bases loaded jam in the top of the ninth, but the lead held strong and Victoria walked away with a 14-4 blowout victory in game two.

WCL STANDINGS

Kamloops and Victoria will face off one more time at 1:05 pm on Sunday with the series up for grabs!

There are only five home games remaining in the 2026 regular season including our final weekend homestand of the year against Kamloops this weekend and then a mid-week set against the Port Angeles Lefties next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Then on August 3rd, we end the season with a bang! Our final fireworks show and Fan Appreciation Night! Don’t miss your chance to catch a game in 2026! Get your tickets now at http://Harbourcats.com/tickets.

ATTENTION VOUCHER HOLDERS: Just a reminder that all ticket vouchers must be exchanged for one of our remaining regular season games! They are not eligible for playoffs, nor can they be carried over to 2027.

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Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Drop Series Opener to NorthPaws

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Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats ran out of time to complete their comeback in a Friday night matchup against the Kamloops NorthPaws, falling 9-5 to the visitors.

BOX SCORE

Contrary to how things have been going lately for the HarbourCats, it took until the fifth inning for either team to make their mark on the scoreboard. In what was otherwise an airtight start through the first four frames by Quincey Brown (UCSD), a single and two walks loaded the bases for Kamloops in the fifth. Brown plunked a batter to bring in the first run, and a single after that cleared the bases to put the NorthPaws out in front with a four-run lead.

The Cats struck back in the home half of the inning, sparked by a leadoff walk from Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish). A couple of groundouts moved Kwak over to third and Logan Shepherd (Mercer) came up with a two-out base hit to score Victoria’s first run of the game and cut into the Kamloops lead.

Cats starter Quincey Brown saw five innings of work in which he gave up four runs on three hits with four strikeouts. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Taylor Franklin (George Fox) stepped in as Brown’s replacement on the rubber, coming in for the top of the sixth and allowing an RBI double to restore a four-run lead for the NorthPaws. Franklin was back for the seventh and got to two outs before an error at first base allowed two more runs for Kamloops. The NorthPaws followed that up with the first homer of the night, a two-run bomb to left-centre that widened the lead to 9-1.

Victoria mounted the beginnings of a comeback in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with nobody out for Home Run Derby champion Logan Shepherd. Shepherd popped a ball up that miraculously dropped just fair in a sea of NorthPaws to drive in a run, and Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s) notched a sacrifice fly soon after.

Hawaii Pacific reliever Flynn Warren took the mound in the top of the eighth and worked quickly en route to a clean inning. The bottom of the eighth brought the return of David Krahn (UBC), who wasted no time rattling off a solo moonshot to deep left to chip away at the deficit.

Victoria loaded the bases again in the bottom of the ninth, but ran out of chances before any real damage could be done. In the end, the comeback fell short and the NorthPaws come out on top in game one by a score of 9-5.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats and NorthPaws will continue to duke it out throughout the weekend, hitting the field again for game two on Saturday night.

There are only six home games remaining in the 2026 regular season including our final weekend homestand of the year against Kamloops this weekend and then a mid-week set against the Port Angeles Lefties next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Then on August 3rd, we end the season with a bang! Our final fireworks show and Fan Appreciation Night! Don’t miss your chance to catch a game in 2026! Get your tickets now at http://Harbourcats.com/tickets.

ATTENTION VOUCHER HOLDERS: Just a reminder that all ticket vouchers must be exchanged for one of our remaining regular season games! They are not eligible for playoffs, nor can they be carried over to 2027.

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Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Stomp Owls to Sweep Series

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Nanaimo, B.C. – The HarbourCats faced the Nanaimo NightOwls for the third game of the series and erupted for 18 runs, finishing off the sweep.

In a fascinating case of déjà vu, the HarbourCats dealt some serious damage to their up-island hosts in the very first inning. After two singles by Jacob Silva (UTSA) and Rohne Klein (San Jose State) helped to load the bases, a wild pitch, a walk, and a plunked batter brought home the first three Victoria runners on base. Michael Rodda (Palomar) laced a base hit up the middle to bring home two more, and a Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) single capped off the inning. Three outs, eleven batters, and six runs by the end of the top of the first.

BOX SCORE

Things went from bad to worse for the NightOwls and from good to better for the HarbourCats in the second inning! Once again, the bases found themselves full and, once again, Victoria put six runs on the board. Walks drawn by Aidan Rice (Portland) and Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois) pushed the first two to the plate. Then, with the pond full of ducks, Riley Kwak stepped up and hammered a baseball into the stratosphere for a grand slam, bringing the score to a nice even dozen.

The offence relented until the fifth, when a Rohne Klein solo homer added on further. Shortly after in the top of the sixth, the Cats loaded the bases and cashed in two runs by way of a Logan Shepherd (Mercer) double. A sacrifice fly provided the final word on inning number six, leaving Victoria holding a respectable 17-1 lead with three more innings to go.

With 18 runs in this ballgame, the Cats tied their 2026 season-high. (Photo by JPM Photography)

As he so often does, WCL All-Star Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) put together an excellent start. The Waco, Texas-born righty gave up a lone run in his six-inning outing, allowing four hits and earning three strikeouts. Carson Ackermann (Tacoma) was his successor, and he whipped his way through a clean seventh inning with two strikeouts and a popup.

The NightOwls made an effort in the bottom of the eighth, putting up four runs on Ackermann, and the right-hander continued to slip in the ninth. With the bases loaded and two outs, local catcher Jai Berezowski (Collegiate Cats) took the mound to finish it off, securing a flyout on three pitches to close out the series sweep on an 18-7 win.

WCL STANDINGS

There are only seven home games remaining in the 2026 regular season including our final weekend homestand of the year against Kamloops this Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then a mid-week set against the Port Angeles Lefties next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Then on August 3rd, we end the season with a bang! Our final fireworks show and Fan Appreciation Night! Don’t miss your chance to catch a game in 2026! Get your tickets now at http://Harbourcats.com/tickets.

ATTENTION VOUCHER HOLDERS: Just a reminder that all ticket vouchers must be exchanged for one of our remaining regular season games! They are not eligible for playoffs, nor can they be carried over to 2027.

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