Summer Collegiate

Kamloops NorthPaws Losing Streaks End in Nanaimo

Published

1 year ago

July 10, 2024

Dugout Wire Service

Photo Credit – Allen Douglas Photography

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops NorthPaws traveled to Nanaimo and finally bumped the prolonged slump putting to bed a 14 game losing streak in the middle contest of the three game set. Despite the much needed win, their first on the road this season, the ‘Paws dropped the series to the NightOwls 2-1.

Kamloops returns to Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium for a three game weekend set versus the Walla Walla Sweets. Saturday (6:35 first pitch) will be a pre-Canada Day celebration as the squad will be in Kelowna on July 1. The Sunday contest is Save on Foods Family Day at the Park (2:05 first pitch).

GAME 1

Jaden Bitter got the start for Kamloops in game one on the Island, as the NorthPaws would fall 8-1 to the Nanaimo NightOwls, stretching their losing streak to 14 games.

Bitter, 4.2 IP, 4ER, 1BB, 3K, was out-dueled by Adison Mattix who pitched an exceptional game, 6IP, 0R, 3H, 11K.

The NightOwls struck first in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back with Riley Paulino, Wylie Waters, Aaron Marsh, Mitchell Middlemiss, and Drew Rutter all picking up a pair of base-hits in the win.

Kamloops finally broke the shutout bid in the 9th when Tyler Glowacki singled home Matthew Olivares for the Paws lone run of the contest.

GAME 2

The streak was finally busted in game two of the three game set as the Paws would defeat the NightOwls 8-5 on Wednesday night.

TRU WolfPack pitcher Kolby Lukinchuk recorded the win, 5.0IP, 6H, 3ER, 4K. The three runs given up by Lukinchuk came on one swing of the bat as Nevin Noonan hit a 3RBI homer in the sixth inning.

Kamloops scored the first six runs of the ballgame, beginning with three in the first inning, courtesy of Tyler Glowacki, RBI sac-fly, TJ Watcher RBI single, and Joey Rico RBI single. Caden Pearlman was lifted after 0.1 of an inning, taking the loss for Nanaimo.

The Paws added two more in the second as Jacob French hit his first homer of the season, bringing home Anthony Setticasi. Jacob Schlesselman scored on a passed ball in the sixth to make it 6-0 Kamloops.

The NightOwls would cut the lead to three in the 8th, with runs scoring on a single and a balk.

Manato Tateno earned the save pitching 1.1 innings of no-hit ball.

GAME 3

A two run homer welcomed Chase Taylor to the mound in the rubber-match of the series as the NightOwls jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to Wylie Waters.

Taylor would settle down from there pitching 5.0IP, 3ER, 3BB, 1K. The third run against Taylor came in the fourth when a throw from catcher Jerry Nix wasn’t handled at second base, allowing Deshon Thomas to score from third.

The Paws would load the bases in the 2nd, and have a pair of runners on in the third but Aidan Russell managed to escape the jams in both innings to maintain the Nanaimo lead.

A pair of Kamloops locals would follow Taylor on the bump, with Manny Recchi and Nolan Austin combining for 3 innings of scoreless ball.

Kamloops would tie things up in the ninth, as Jacob Schlesselman would double home Joey Rico and Jerry Nix to make it 3-2 NightOwls. With Schlesselman on second base representing the tying run and nobody out in the inning, Jaden Bitter would be asked to bunt but was unable to get it down and struck out. Up next Madden Ocko would walk, putting the potential go-ahead run on base in the ninth. Michael Weber would bring home Schlesselman with a single to left, but Ocko would be gunned at the plate, sending the game to the bottom of the 9th all square at 3-3.

The comeback effort would be for not, as the NightOwls would walk it off in the bottom half on an Aaron Marsh RBI single.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Friday, June 28 vs Walla Walla, first pitch 6:35
Saturday, June 29 vs Walla Walla, first pitch 6:35 (Pre-Canada Day Celebration)
Sunday, June 30 vs Walla Walla, first pitch 2:05 (Save on Foods Family Day)
Monday, July 1 @ Kelowna, first pitch 6:35
Tuesday, July 2 vs Kelowna, first pitch 6:35
Wednesday, July 3 @ Kelowna, first pitch 6:35
Thursday, July 4 – Off-day

FOR MEDIA REQUESTS
Jenna Forter
General Manager
Kamloops NorthPaws
250-200-1415
www.northpawsbaseball.ca

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats rally falls short, Hawks win series

Published

7 hours ago

August 11, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

August 10, 2025

For immediate release

EDMONTON, A.B.– The Victoria HarbourCats rallied late, scoring five runs in the ninth inning, but fell just short of a comeback as the Edmonton Riverhawks won 8-7 to advance to the North Division Final, ending the Cats’ season.

The Riverhawks wasted no time this afternoon, scoring six runs in the opening frame. A wild pitch brought home the first run, which was followed by two more coming home when a ground ball snuck past Jack Johnson (Tulane U) at first base. RBI singles from Jaxon Fox and James Cote, along with an RBI groundout, gave the hosts a huge 6-0 lead early.

The Cats started to claw their way back in the fourth inning when Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s) and Jake Butler (George Mason) singled and found themselves in scoring position with two outs. On an 0-2 count, Isaiah Afework (TAMU-CC) split the left side of the infield to drive home both baserunners, cutting the Hawks’ lead to 6-2.

Tyler Patrick (Fresno State) started for Victoria, and after the whirlwind first inning, he settled in and kept the Hawks at bay, completing six innings allowing just one hit from the second to sixth innings, striking out four Hawks.

BOX SCORE

Garrett Villa (Angelo State) replaced Patrick and was one pitch away from escaping the seventh inning unscathed, but gave up a two-run single to Shiryu Sato, increasing the hosts’ lead to 8-2. Villa pitched two innings, giving up those two runs while striking out three.

Hawks starter Myles Chamberlain, who got the win last Monday in Victoria, pitching six innings, was once again dominant tonight. He pitched into the ninth inning, but after surrendering three singles to load the bases, his night came to an end after 8-1/3 innings pitched.

Austin Egan was his replacement, but he hit the first two batters he faced, which brought home two runs for Victoria and cut the lead down to 8-4. Tristan Buehring (Whitman College) made it 8-5 on a sacrifice fly, which brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in the form of Kamana Nahaku (Hawaii). He smacked a double down the left field line to score a pair and make it a one-run ballgame. Brandon Craven replaced Egan and hit the first batter he faced, bringing up Lopez with the tying run at second and the go-ahead run at first. The designated hitter flew out to right field to end the game as the Cats’ comeback came up just short.

The Riverhawks will face the winner of tonight’s game three between the Bellingham Bells and Wenatchee AppleSox with a place in the West Coast League Championship game on the line.

For the second season in a row, the Cats fell in the deciding game in the first round of the playoffs, after losing to the AppleSox in 2024.

Thank you to all the best fans in the WCL for their incredible support all season long. The countdown to opening day in 2026 is on, and Todd Haney’s team will be more determined than ever to go all the way.

2026 SEASON TICKETS – Season ticket renewals and sales are now on for the 2026 season! Existing season ticket holders can log in to their Showpass account and navigate to the Memberships link, where they can easily renew their seats online. Members can also drop in or call the office at 778-265-0327, and we can process the renewal for them. New Season Ticket buyers can click HERE to purchase seats for 2026!

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

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Palmer dominates as Cats force decider

Published

1 day ago

August 10, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

August 9, 2025

For immediate release

EDMONTON, A.B.– A three-run second inning proved to be the difference as the Victoria HarbourCats forced a series decider tomorrow afternoon, by beating the Edmonton Riverhawks 3-1.

Peter Tassler (MSU Denver), making his first appearance of the playoffs, drove in two runs with a clutch single in the top of the second to give the visitors an early 2-0 lead. Tristan Buehring (Whitman College), who was moved up to the leadoff spot tonight, hit an RBI single to right field to plate Connor Ross (Cal Baptist) and increase his team’s lead to 3-0.

Ryne Palmer (Cal Baptist) got the start for the Cats and produced exactly the type of start Todd Haney’s team needed. The flame-throwing right-hander held the Hawks batters to no runs until the bottom of the fifth, when Kyle Yip drove in Shiryu Sato on a two-out RBI single to make it 3-1.

BOX SCORE

Palmer threw seven innings, a season-high, giving up just one run on five hits, while striking out three.

The Cats had opportunities to increase their lead, producing nine hits on the night, but couldn’t find that clutch hit to drive their baserunners home.

Austin Lindsey (Hill College) replaced Palmer in the eighth inning to face the heart of the Hawks’ lineup, and he gave up a lone single before getting out of the inning. The right-hander was back out for the save opportunity in the ninth inning and allowed the first two runners to reach, putting the tying run on first. With the pressure on, the Lufkin, Texas native struck out two and got Sato to fly out to right field to end the ballgame.

WCL PLAYOFF SCORES

This sets up a winner-takes-all game three tomorrow afternoon in Edmonton. First pitch is at 1:05 PM local time, and 12:05 PM PST in Victoria. You can watch the game on HCats.tv.

The winner will advance to the North Division Finals that will be played against the winner of the Wenatchee AppleSox vs Bellingham Bells series.

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

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Hemmerling tosses gem, Hawks win game one

Published

2 days ago

August 8, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

The HarbourCats were held to just four hits tonight (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

August 8, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – Fueled by a complete game from starter Reece Hemmerling, the Edmonton Riverhawks cruised to a 6-1 win over the Victoria HarbourCats in game one of this best-of-three divisional playoff series.

Shea Lake (West Texas A&M), who was recently named one of two HarbourCats Pitchers-of-the-Year, was on the bump for the Cats and started strongly in the first inning. However, in the top of the second, the Hawks’ batters went to work. Anthony Kodama and Stevie Waters both hit RBI singles on the first pitch they saw to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

BOX SCORE

Trent Lenihan hit a solo home run in the top of the third inning to make it 3-0. Cats left fielder Isaiah Afework (TAMU-CC) could not have come any closer to robbing that homer, as the ball went in and out of his glove as he jumped and reached over the fence.

Kamana Nahaku had two hits, including his fifth home run of 2025 (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

Lake completed four innings, giving up three runs on six hits, while striking out three and walking a pair. Meanwhile, Hemmerling was inducing soft contact all game long with his wipeout slider. Early on, there was a stretch where he retired nine Cats in a row, all while keeping his pitch count down.

Dustin Davidson (Freed Hardeman) was first out of the bullpen for Victoria and gave up two singles to begin the fifth inning. A sacrifice bunt attempt was then fielded by Davidson, but his attempted throw to get the lead runner at third was off the mark, sailing past his third baseman and allowing a fourth run to cross the plate. A wild pitch from the big lefty allowed a fifth run to score, which was followed by a bases-loaded walk to Waters, giving the Hawks a 6-0 advantage. Ethan McNish-Heider (Niagara) replaced him and got out of the bases-loaded jam on one pitch, getting Shiryu Sato to ground into an inning-ending double play.

WCL PLAYOFF SCORES

Hemmerling continued to dominate for Edmonton, allowing just three hits through eight innings of work. Kamana Nahaku (Hawaii) crushed a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to break the shutout and give the home fans something to cheer about. That was all Hemmerling gave up as he went the distance, pitching a complete game for the first time this season.

Shea Lake has been a workhorse all summer, pitching a total of 37.2 innings after tonight’s outing (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

Marcus Janovsky (UBC) pitched the final 3-1/3 innings for Victoria, giving up no runs on one hit, while striking out five.

Game two is tomorrow night at RE/MAX Field in Edmonton. First pitch is 7:05 PM local time, 6:05 PM PST. Hard-throwing right-hander Ryne Palmer is your HarbourCats projected starter. You can watch the game HERE or on the Edmonton Riverhawks YouTube channel.

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

Source