Summer Collegiate

Weird, Wild and Wacky: NorthPaws get the W in their home opener

Published

1 year ago

June 7, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

The Kamloops NorthPaws finally returned home after a six-game road trip and treated their fans to a 12-8 victory over the Kelowna Falcons on Friday night. The team’s home opener had a little bit of everything. The two teams combined for 20 runs, 23 hits and eight errors, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats.

Kelowna would waste no time getting on the board, with three singles propelling them to a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the first, shortstop Elijah Clayton would walk and then steal second base. A high throw by the catcher sent the ball into center field; additionally, the center fielder misplayed the ball, allowing Clayton to score.

Back-to-back walks and a base hit loaded the bases with no one out as first baseman Keegan Drinkle sent a sacrifice fly to left field, tying the game. Later in the inning, right fielder Jared Hall doubled, bringing in two more runs and taking the lead.

The seesaw battle would begin as the Falcons scored in the second via a wild pitch and took a 5-4 lead off a fielder’s choice and an error in the third. In the bottom of the fourth, Ethan Kodama singled, tying the game, and would later advance to third after an error on a failed pickoff attempt. Kodama scored via a sacrifice fly to restore the NorthPaws lead.

The Falcons would stay pesky by driving in a run in the fifth and score two more runs in the seventh, taking an 8-7 lead. Kamloops tied the game after yet another RBI from Jared Hall. This time, it was a sacrifice fly. The seventh inning ended strangely, however, as second baseman Anthony Setticassi sent a single through the left side. Keegan Drinkle rounded third and was heading for home when the throw beat him. As he tried to avoid the tag, he ran into the side of the Kelowna catcher, knocking the ball loose from his glove.

Drinkle stepped on home and was initially called safe, but the Falcons catcher was furious and tried to go after him but was held back. Drinkle continued to walk toward the dugout, but the home plate umpire ejected him from the game right there, and he was called out, negating the potential game-tying run.

Kalen Applefield would replace him at first base, but the NorthPaws were determined to retake the lead in the eigth. A pair of Falcon errors put runners on second and third. Third baseman Kieran Gaffney sent a single to right field that tied the game. Outfielders Austin Coyle and Jared Hall both doubled, scoring four runs and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

“My teammates put me in a great position, and I’m thankful I was able to come through tonight,” said Hall

The five-run eighth inning was enough, as hometown kid Nolan Austin shut the door, securing the fifth win of the season for the NorthPaws. Austin was terrific on the mound, going two and two-thirds innings, giving up just two hits while not surrendering a run.

“Nolan was fantastic; he had all of his pitches working and was going after hitters all night,” said Pitching Coach Jack Slominski.

After a series in Bellingham that saw the NorthPaw bats cool down, it was a refreshing sight to see situational hitting work in their favour.

“We left a lot of guys on base in Bellingham, so it was nice to come home and execute,” said Assistant Coach Trey Newman.

For many of the NorthPaw players, this was their first taste of intense baseball at Norbrock Stadium. For Trey Newman, it was a similar experience in 2022, and he remarked on how cool it was to hear the stadium loud again. Newman is eager to help the NorthPaws regain what they had three summers ago.

“I was telling everyone that this is what the stadium sounded like when we played at home. Keep coming out to Norbrock. I promise we will give you something to cheer about,” said Newman.

The NorthPaws will visit Kelowna for the first time tomorrow night. That game will be available on West Coast TV as well as the NorthPaws Mixlr. On Sunday, the team is back home for an afternoon game to conclude the three-game weekend series. The first pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Nail Down 5-3 Win in Nanaimo

Published

6 hours ago

June 24, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Marcus Nolen’s homer in the second inning gave an early advantage to the HarbourCats. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Nanaimo, B.C. – Victoria kicked off the Island Rivalry series the right way on Tuesday night, claiming a 5-3 win over the Nanaimo NightOwls

The Cats made it a loud second inning in this one, slamming two monster moonshots to get on the board first. Marcus Nolen (Fresno State) shelled the parking lot for his second of the season, followed up by a blast to right field from Max Bernal (Fresno Pacific) to make it a three-run inning for the Cats.

BOX SCORE

That run support backed up a scoreless start from Landon Marchetti (San Jose State), who pitched three innings, gave up zero hits, and struck out four batters. Davis Lee (Calgary) was summoned for the bottom of the fourth, surrendering the first Nanaimo run of the evening before stranding two runners to end the inning. Victoria responded with another run in their next turn at the plate, bringing in a run on a sacrifice fly to restore a three-run lead.

Davis Lee took a seat after a strong two innings of work, giving way to Asher Clark (Northern Colorado) in the sixth. The right-hander loaded the bases but buckled down, generated some weak contact, and stranded the runners to keep the HarbourCats’ lead intact.

David Krahn is tied for the second-most hits in the West Coast League, adding three more in tonight’s ballgame. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Clark ran the bases full once again with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, inducing a change of personnel for the HarbourCats. Marcus Janovsky (UBC) took to the field, hitting a batter but stranding three runners to escape the inning clutching a 4-3 lead.

Victoria answered back in the next frame, beginning with a well-earned walk from Kade Davis (UTSA), who later came around to score on a base hit by Dryden Fuoco (Hill College). 5-3 Cats after eight innings..

It was Carson Ackermann’s turn to get in on the action in the bottom of the eighth. The Tacoma College hurler locked down the frame with two strikeouts to keep the score frozen. Pierce Stone (Regis) appeared on the bump to close it out and didn’t disappoint, filling up the zone and securing a quick three outs to seal the deal.

WCL STANDINGS

The series continues tomorrow, with the HarbourCats hosting the NightOwls in Victoria for an Island Rivalry game at 6:35 pm!

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Offence Erupts Early in 15-5 Win

Published

2 days ago

June 22, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

David Krahn’s two-homer ballgame led the way for an offensive clinic. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Port Angeles, WA – The HarbourCats closed out the Port Angeles series in style on a sunny Sunday afternoon, racking up 17 hits in a 15-5 victory.

David Krahn (UBC) took it upon himself to spark the offence early in this one, blasting a leadoff rocket to make it 1-0 Cats in the top of the first.

BOX SCORE

The Lefties responded quickly, dropping a perfectly placed line drive into left field to bring in the tying run in the bottom of the first. Port Angeles threatened with more runners in scoring position, but an unassisted double play by David Krahn kept the game even at one.

Cats outfielder Max Bernal (Fresno Pacific) knocked a double into the gap in the next inning to push Dryden Fuoco (Hill College) up to third base. David Krahn came in clutch once again in his second trip to the plate, driving in Fuoco to snatch the lead back for Victoria. The second-inning offence wouldn’t end there for the Cats, as Matt Westley (George Mason) and Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) both singled to widen the lead to 5-1 by the end of the frame.

Matt Westley was 2/4 this afternoon with a double and 3 RBI. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria didn’t let up after gaining the lead, putting some ducks on the pond in the top of the third inning for, you guessed it, David Krahn. The Langley, B.C. product pulverized his second homer of the game to further extend the lead to 8-1. The hits just kept coming in the third frame, and suddenly Victoria was up 12-1.

A bruised Lefties lineup managed to throw a counter-punch in the bottom of the third, uncorking two leadoff home runs to dead centre. A valiant effort, but the home side had a lot of work to do if they were to erase a 12-3 deficit.

The Cats kept their foot on the gas, loading the bases in the top of the fifth and bringing home a pair of runs on hits by Matt Westley and Brady Hewitt. Austin Lindsey (Hill College) came in to pitch for the bottom of the fifth, relieving Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) who allowed three runs on four hits over four innings.

Spencer Kratt (San Jose State) took over on the heels of two spotless no-hit innings from Lindsey, before Anson Stuckly (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) closed it out in the ninth with two strikeouts.

Port Angeles managed to scrape together a comeback attempt in the later innings, but Victoria’s mountainous lead stayed intact for a 15-5 win.

WCL STANDINGS

With the road trip complete, the Cats will come back to Victoria to take on the Nanaimo NightOwls at 6:30 pm on Tuesday night.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Lefties Take Game Two in Extra Innings

Published

3 days ago

June 20, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Port Angeles, WA – The Port Angeles Lefties eked out a win in an extra innings nail-biter, walking it off for an 8-7 victory,

It didn’t take long for the HarbourCats to follow up on last night’s win. Jacob Silva (UTSA) stepped into the box and crushed an RBI double to take an early lead in the top of the first.

BOX SCORE

The Lefties responded in a big way in the bottom of the second, taking advantage of hard contact and a HarbourCats error to set the stage for a three-run homer. This ended a short start for Bryson Toner (Hawaii), giving way to Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) to finish the second inning down 5-1.

Lightning struck twice in the fourth inning for the HarbourCats. Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) crushed his team-leading third homer of the year, followed up by Renton, Washington’s Rohne Klein (San Jose State) sending one well over the fence as well. With two home runs in just one inning, the Cats were suddenly right back in this game.

Brady Hewitt let one fly tonight for his third homer of the season. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Momentum continued for the Cats in their next trip to the plate. David Krahn (UBC) found a gap and hustled his way to a leadoff double before returning home on a Matt Westley (George Mason) base hit later in the inning. Kade Davis (UTSA) would eventually be the man to take back the lead for Victoria, as he came through with a 2-RBI double down the right field line to push the score to 6-5 in favour of the HarbourCats.

The home team was determined not to let this outburst slide, solving Daniel Tovar for the first time and tying the game at six. Tovar exited the game after a strong outing on the bump, going 3.1 innings with two hits, one run, and three strikeouts.

Jack Clark (CSU San Marcos) was rock-solid in a four-inning relief appearance in which he gave up only one hit. The score remained deadlocked all the way until extra innings, when Rohne Klein earned a sacrifice fly to take a narrow 7-6 lead in the top of the tenth frame. The Lefties struck back once again in the bottom of the inning, laying a bunt down to move the runners over and walking it off to force a rubber match on Sunday.

WCL STANDINGS

The third and final match of the series takes place on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 pm, after which the Cats will return to Victoria to face the Nanaimo NightOwls at 6:30 pm on Tuesday night.

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