Summer Collegiate

NorthPaws take two of three from Kelowna with another one run victory

Published

12 months ago

June 27, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

The Kamloops NorthPaws held on to win game tree by a score of 3-2, winning the series against the Kelowna Falcons at Norbrock Stadium on Thursday night. Righty Sawyer Jensen went five strong innings, giving up just two earned runs. The NorthPaws had a scrappy sixth inning, taking the lead while the bullpen locked it down, giving up just two hits in the final four innings.

The Falcons were pressing early in the bottom of the second as they mounted a two-out rally. Jensen hit two batters and walked a third to load the bases. Jensen struck out Devin Porch to end the inning, keeping the game scoreless.

“I told him when he was warming up to not worry about how good your stuff is and just compete. He did that tonight,” said Pitching Coach Jack Slominski.

After the Falcons left the bases loaded, the NorthPaws went to work in the bottom of the second. Catcher Matthew MacDonald walked to lead off the inning. A throwing error by the Kelowna pitcher on a pickoff attempt allowed MacDonald to reach second base. Center fielder Connor Clark singled, putting runners on the corners. Clark tried to steal second while MacDonald anticipated the catcher’s throw to second and broke for home. He would score, putting the NorthPaws up 1-0.

In the fifth, Jensen ran into some trouble on the mound. A single walk past the ball put runners on first and second. The Falcons would get a line drive to stay fair down the right field line, scoring a pair of runners and taking a 2-1 lead. Jensen would eventually get out of the inning and finish with five innings pitched, giving up two earned on four hits with three strikeouts.

With the bottom of the order coming back up to the plate in the sixth, MacDonald led off with his second walk of the game and would later steal second. A balk advanced the catcher to third base while first baseman Keegan Drinkle got hit by a pitch, putting runners on the corners. MacDonald scored the tying run on a past ball from Kelowna’s pitcher.

In a full count, third baseman Elijah Clayton got a hold of a ball and drilled it to left center field. The Falcons left fielder appeared to make the catch, but the ball went off his glove and hit him in the face. As he went down in left center, Drinkle hustled around the bases and scored the go-ahead and eventual winning run.

Lefty Tyler Starily was the first call out of the bullpen for Kamloops and went two scoreless innings, giving up just two hits while striking out two as well. In the top of the seventh, a single and two walks loaded the bases, but Clayton made an incredible play to record the force-out at second base, getting his team out of the inning.

Righty Julio Garcia came on in the eighth and would record a six-out save, dominating the Falcons, striking out three hitters, throwing 17 strikes and just four balls to record his third save of the season.

“He’s a great pitcher,” said Slominski. “We have confidence in him, knowing that when we give him the ball in the eighth or ninth, it’s likely over.”

The NorthPaws have won their fourth consecutive series on home soil, but it won’t be any easier as they play six in a row at Norbrock against the Bellingham Bells and the Wenatchee Applesox.

“It’s going to be tougher now; I want these guys to get used to winning games and expect to win and put out an effort where they can win games,” said Head Coach Riley Jepson.

The series against the Bells kicks off Friday night at 6:35 from NorBrock Stadium.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Close Out Series with 6-3 Loss

Published

17 hours ago

June 7, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

The Cats mustered just five runs over the three game series. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats offence came up short in this afternoon’s ballgame, as Victoria was defeated 6-3 to finish off the weekend.

The Falcons took an early lead this afternoon on a sacrifice fly to centre, but it was smooth sailing otherwise for starting pitcher Jeremiah Arnett (Rice). The righty gave up four hits over four innings, the only run being that sac fly, with a trio of strikeouts and no free passes.

BOX SCORE

Austin Lindsey (Hill College) was tagged in for the top of the fifth and nailed his first inning of work, setting the Falcons down in order. The sixth was a different story, as Lindsey allowed a solo homer to push Kelowna’s lead to 2-0.

San Jose State reliever Landon Marchetti took over on the mound for the seventh, letting a couple of runners on but managing to escape the inning without a run scoring.

Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) emerged from the bullpen in the top of the eighth to a precarious situation: bases loaded, no outs. The New Zealander walked one batter, hit two more, and gave up a sacrifice fly to allow four runs before the end of the frame.

Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) pitched four innings with three strikeouts. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The bottom of the eighth saw the HarbourCats offence finally gain some ground. A double from Kade Davis (UTSA) made room for Koa Won (Hawaii) to score, followed up by a single from Hewitt to bring in another run. Marcus Nolen (Fresno State) drove in one more before the inning came to a close with a score of 6-3 in favour of the Falcons.

The Cats would be unable to add on any more runs in the bottom of the ninth, dropping the final game of the series 6-3.

WCL STANDINGS

Victoria will now head on the road for a midweek matchup with the Edmonton Riverhawks, returning home on Friday to take on the Springfield Drifters.

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 – Cats Offence Stunted Versus Kelowna

Published

1 day ago

June 7, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats were defeated 8-1 by the Kelowna Falcons in the second game of the series.

The Falcons drew first blood in this one, launching a three-run dinger to left field in the top of the fourth to snag an early lead. Victoria’s starting pitcher Schuyler Fairchild (Wenatchee Valley) had cruised through the first three frames without much trouble up to that point, but his contributions this evening came to a close after the long ball in the fourth. Fairchild allowed three runs on four hits, striking out one batter and issuing a walk.

BOX SCORE

Inning number five required the services of Auburn, Washington’s Caden Shoul (Wenatchee Valley). The right-hander pitched 1.2 innings, calling it a night after giving up two runs in the top of the sixth to push Kelowna’s lead to 5-0.

Tyler Bono (North Central Texas) came into the game with the bases loaded and put on a sub-par performance, hitting two batters and walking one to allow three more runs. Marcus Janovsky (UBC) was summoned from the bullpen to finally get out of the inning.

Garen Geoghegan (Whitman) and Pierce Stone (Regis) combined for two scoreless innings in the final stages of the game, but Victoria’s offence continued to sputter.

Centre fielder Marcus Nolen (Fresno State) led off the bottom of the ninth with a double, and was welcomed home by another double hammered by Carter Eberhard (Cal Baptist) to score the Cats’ first and only run of the game.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats close out the series on Sunday, June 7 at 1:05 pm before departing to Alberta for a midweek matchup with the Edmonton Riverhawks.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Fall 4-1 to Falcons

Published

2 days ago

June 6, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Missed opportunities with runners in scoring position led to a disappointing outcome for the Cats. (Photo by Victoria Spotlight Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats were defeated 4-1 by the Kelowna Falcons on Friday night in the first game of the series.

Both sides’ bats stayed quiet until the third inning this evening, when the Falcons drove a pair of base hits up the middle, jumping out in front to a 2-0 lead.

BOX SCORE

Easton Reimers (North Dakota State) entered the game in the top of the fourth to relieve Cats starter Bryson Toner (Hawaii). Toner allowed two runs on five hits through his three innings on the bump this evening, throwing in a walk and a strikeout as well.

Reimers was excellent throughout his first two innings until a leadoff homer in the sixth broke his hitless streak. A second run scored on a passed ball before Reimers was able to get out of the inning and pass the baton to Jack Clark (CSU San Marcos).

The Cats offence woke up in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases and scoring a run on a ball that dropped just fair in left field from Rohne Klein (San Jose State). That was the only run they got on this crucial opportunity, as the Falcons picked up a big strikeout to escape the jam and maintain a 4-1 lead.

Tate Collins (Arkansas State) claimed control of the mound for the Cats in the top of the eighth inning. Despite a leadoff walk, the Little Rock, Arizona native tossed a zero on the board to bring about the bottom of the eighth for the Victoria offence.

The Cats were unable to pull off a comeback after loading the bases in the bottom of the ninth, leaving the runners stranded and losing the ballgame 4-1

WCL STANDINGS

Victoria and Kelowna will be back in action Saturday, June 6 at 6:35 pm for game two of the weekend series.

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