The Kamloops NorthPaws started their 2025 campaign off strong with a 8-0 victory over the Port Angeles Lefties. Notable performances from designated hitter Keegan Drinkle and right-handed pitcher Kaden Douglas-Pluff helped the NorthPaws cruise to win on Friday night.

Kamloops came out of the gates swinging, scoring one run in each of the first three innings courtesy of singles from Drinkle and catcher Matt MacDonald, along with a sacrifice fly from shortstop Anthony Setticassi.

Right-hander Owen Fernandez got the opening day nod and didn’t disappoint, going three shutout innings while allowing only three hits and striking out a pair of hitters. Lefty Kaden Douglass-Pluff was first out of the bullpen and pitched a gem. He threw five shutout innings, giving up three hits and striking out five while not allowing a walk.

“You couldn’t have drawn it up and better,” Said pitching coach Jack Slominski. “That’s one thing I’ve preached to them: if we are going to get beat, they going to have to hit their way on.”

Douglas-Pluffs’ brilliance on the mound allowed the offence to keep attacking. In the fifth, a hit-and-run attempt was perfectly executed as Matt MacDonald broke for second while Drinkle sent a double to the gap, scoring the fourth run of the game.

In the sixth, some aggressive baserunning put another run on the board as both runners on base attempted the double steal. The Lefties catcher threw the ball over his second baseman’s head, allowing Ethan Kodama to score. The NorthPaws were aggressive all night, creating chaos on the basepaths.

“I think we’re really athletic one through nine and have seven or eight guys who can run at all times, so we’re going to do that a lot and put pressure on teams,” Said Assistant Coach Trey Newman.

In the seventh inning, after yet another double steal, Keegan Drinkle drove in his third run of the ball game, this time via a sacrifice fly. He and Matt MacDonald were all over the bases, combining for seven hits and four RBIs. It’s noteworthy that of those hits, only one was for extra bases.

“This is what I expect from him (Drinkle). The guys in front of him did a great job setting the table, and he cashed in,” said head coach Reily Jepson.

In the ninth, second baseman Joey Marino had runners on second and third and sent a single up the middle that scored the seventh and eighth runs of the ballgame for the NorthPaws.

To round out the performance, there were a few nice defensive plays. In the bottom of the first, Kalen Applefield couldn’t get to a fly ball on the right field line but quickly threw a missile to second base to record the out. A pair of nice double plays were turned in the middle infield, and the defence was capped off by a heroic catch by center fielder Ethan Kodama, who ran down a ball and then slammed into the wall and hung on to secure the catch.

The NorthPaws will look to build on Friday’s performance in game two against the Lefties on Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35. You can watch on West Coast League TV or listen on the Kamloops NorthPaws Mixlr.

Source

The Kamloops NorthPaws are 2-0 on the season following an 11-5 victory over the Port Angeles Lefties in game two of the weekend series. The Lefites scored the first four runs of the ballgame, but Kamloops responded with eight unanswered and never looked back as they cruised to a five-fun victory on Saturday night.

The game started with Lefties starting pitcher Ian Hoffstettetter walking the bases loaded but got out of it by striking out the side. Port Angeles would build on their pitcher’s heroics and got to work in the bottom of the second. A single and two walks loaded the bases with one out.  Two singles and two wild pitches plate four runs for the Lefties.

In the top of the third, two singles and a walk loaded the bases for the NorthPaws with no one out—NorthPaw first baseman Keegan Drinkle dove in the first run with a sacrifice groundout. Ethan Kodama would then send a routine ground ball to second base, but a throwing error allowed a second run to score, cutting the lead in half.

In the top of the fourth, Kamloops tied the game by once again loading the bases with none out. Shortstop Elijah Clayton singled up the middle, bringing one home. Then left fielder Cade Palkowski scored from third after another Leftie error.

After a scoreless fifth inning, the NorthPaws found their stride at the plate. Elijah Clayton doubled and would later be driven in by Kalen Applefield. Drinkle doubled, and Kodama walked, setting up pinch hitter Austin Coyle, who delivered with a single, scoring two more to make it an 8-4 game.

The lefties would get one back, but that would be all from them. Drinkle would drive in a run in the seventh, and a throwing error by the lefties would allow two more runs to score. The NorthPaws would put it on cruise control from there and take game two.

“It was cool to see the guys battle back and not feel like they were out of the game,” said Head Coach Reily Jepson.

The comeback wouldn’t be possible without a pair of Kamloops natives on the mound who stopped the bleeding. Right-handers Manny Recchi and
Nolan Austin pitched a combined six innings, giving up four hits, surrendering just one run, and working their way out of jams in the process.

“It was cool to see those guys get in there and be steady and being in the moment and not letting it get too big,” said Jepson.

At the plate, the leadoff man, Elijah Clayton, was all over the score sheet with three hits, three stolen bases and two runs. Clayton reached base in five of his six at-bats on Saturday night.

“Getting on base and getting myself into scoring position is something I feel like I can bring to this team,” said Clayton.

To go along with his great night at the plate, he also made a could of nice defensive plays, including an unassisted double play. Assistant Trey Newman is on the coaching staff at CAL, where Clayton plays, and is very familiar with his game.

“I think he’s set up to have a great summer. He worked hard at Berkley, and I think as good as it’s been so far, he can be even better,” said Newman.

The NorthPaws will go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon, with the first pitch set for 1:35. You can watch all the action on West Coast League TV or listen on the NorthPaws Mixlr.

Source

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Story and Photos by Christian J. Stewart

May 31, 2025

Victoria, BC – It wasn’t too long ago that players like Mike Piechnik and Reg Underwood and teams like Bate Construction, Payless and Travellers Inn were roaming the field at Royal Athletic Park and playing national championship caliber fastpitch in front of packed audiences.

Some of that history came alive again on Saturday afternoon as the Sooke Loggers and Lacey A’s put on a great exhibition of men’s fastpitch in front of a healthy crowd of 1,361 fans at Wilson’s Group Stadium.

The double header, put on by the HarbourCats Foundation and main sponsor Emery Electric, was an entertaining affair that saw the host Loggers thump the A’s 12-2 in game one and then eked out a tight 5-4 win in game two.

However the game was perhaps less important than some of the past legends of the game getting together and re-living old times. PA announcer extraordinaire Cliff Lequesne was on hand to handle some of the pre-game ceremonies,  Piechnik took the mound for first pitch duties along with his son Lucas, and Doug Roberts brought an amazing collection of classic jerseys that were on display on the third base concourse.

Saturday’s fastpitch games were a warm-up for the Victoria HarbourCats home opener that will take place next Friday June 6th against the Port Angeles Lefties.  Prior to that however, the local Victoria Eagles will invade Wilson’s Group Stadium as they will play a double header against the Langley Blaze at 12 Noon on Sunday and then follow that with a game Tuesday night at 6:35 pm against the cross town rival Victoria Mariners.

Tickets for all those games are available through the HarbourCats one and only ticketing partner Showpass at http://harbourcats.com/tickets.

Here are some more photos from today’s Fastpitch Showcase, courtesy of Christian J. Stewart.

Source