Summer Collegiate

Kamloops takes two of three from Bellingham

Published

2 years ago

August 3, 2024

Dugout Wire Service

Photo Credits – Allen Douglas Photography

KAMLOOPS — Thompson Rivers University WolfPack pitcher Kolby Lukinchuk is officially the all-time leader in innings pitched for the Kamloops NorthPaws, and the righty showcased his skills on Thursday night, pitching 8.1IP in a come from behind victory for Kamloops as they took the series off the Bellingham Bells.

“I know hitting is a hard game and I know that if I just throw strikes the guys behind me will make the plays and bail me out,” said Lukinchuk. “I had to do some begging in between innings (to get the 9th), he let me start it but we had to play a matchup and I fully understand that, And I totally respect (Jose Bautista) for it.”

“I always believe in (Kolby Lukinchuk), the first two years I was just teaching him how to pitch, he picked it up really well,” said Manager Jose Bautista. “He can pitch backwards, throw strikes and get people out.”

Lukinchuk, with ice on his throwing elbow, joked he’s willing to pitch every game of the last six. He’ll likely get one more start on the road next week in Yakima.

A newcomer helped lead the offense in the rubber match of the series and ensure Lukinchuk got the win, as Keegan Drinkle went 3-5 2-2B, 2RBI.

“It means everything, I wasn’t doing anything they asked me to come out and get some reps. Glad to help the team out,” said Drinkle. “We battle, battle hard, compete to the end.”

As the WCL season wraps up next week a number of Paws have left the team and returned to their college rosters including Tuesday’s star TJ Wachter and a number of pitchers.

“I don’t have any (players left). You see today we had to pitch Matt (MacDonald) in the 9th inning to work through it,” added Bautista. “Going to be tough, because right now we don’t have too much (in terms of pitchers available).”

The NorthPaws have two home games remaining in 2024, both this weekend on Friday and Sunday against the Interior rival Kelowna Falcons.

“Very excited. See how it goes, see the rivalry, never really be part of a rivalry before,” said Drinkle.

GAME 1

TJ Wachter put on a show in his final game with the NorthPaws in 2024. The Kamloops first-baseman led the offense in a dominant 13-4 victory in game one versus the Bells going 4-5 with 6 RBI at the dish and finishing a triple shy of the cycle.

Wachter got the game rolling in the first with a 2-out RBI double that brought home Anthony Manuel and the Paws would never look back.

The big inning for the Paws would be the 5th, with Kamloops sending 12 men to the plate as they would score 8 runs, highlighted by a Wachter 3-run homer to left.

Lucas Smith got the start for Kamloops pitching 4.0IP 3H 0ER and earning a no-decision. The win went to newcomer Owen Fernandes 2.0IP, 2H, 0ER.

Wachter would get a chance at the cycle in the seventh, hitting a 2 RBI double to the gap but would be tagged out after putting on the brakes around second.

Kamloops locals Matt MacDonald and Nolan Austin both toed the rubber in the contest with Austin pitching a clean ninth.

GAME 2

The Bells would return serve in the middle game of the set, shutting out the NorthPaws 7-0.

Layton Haywood got the start for Bellingham and pitched six dominant innings of 2 hit, no run baseball before being lifted despite throwing under 60 pitches. Jack Svinth and Nic Peterson would complete the shutout on the mound.

Cade Webber took the loss for Kamloops, giving up all seven runs over 5.0IP.

Nate Kirkpatrick was the offensive hero in the contest going 3-5 at the plate, including a 3-run homer in the first to get the Bells rolling.

GAME 3

The rubber match of the three game set was a perfect example of a game of two halves, with the contest split directly in between the top and bottom of the 5th.

It was the Bells starting out hot, and in the second straight game would smoke a homer to left in the 1st inning as Roman Martin would club a 2-run shot off Kamloops starter Kolby Lukinchuk. Bellingham would add on three more runs in the fifth, including another 2-run homer from Jacob Meija making the score 5-0.

After 13.2 innings of shutout ball, the NorthPaws would rally with two outs in the fifth to show some life, newcomer Keegan Drinkle had the biggest hit of the inning a 2-RBI double. Jerry Nix would add an RBI on an infield single to make the contest 5-3 Bells.

Kamloops would claw one closer in the 7th thanks to a passed ball that allowed Kamloops’ Manny Recchi to score. In the 8th, Anthony Manuel would double home Jacob Schlesselman all the way from first to tie the contest at 5-5. Then with two outs in the inning, Madden Ocko legged out an infield single to bring across Manuel to give Kamloops a 6-5 lead.

After giving up 5ER in 5IP, Lukinchuk would find his groove, pitching 8.1IP before giving way to Matt MacDonald who recorded the final two outs for the save and a series win for Kamloops.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Friday, August 2, vs Kelowna, 6:35 first pitch (Fan appreciation night)
Saturday, August 3 @ Kelowna, 6:35 first pitch
Sunday, August 4 vs Kelowna, 2:05 first pitch (FINAL HOME GAME OF THE SEASON)
Monday, August 5 – Off-Day
Tuesday, August 6 vs Yakima Valley, 6:35 first pitch
Wednesday, August 7 vs Yakima Valley, 6:35 first pitch
Thursday, August 8 vs Yakima Valley, 7:05 first pitch (FINAL GAME OF THE SEASON)

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

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Clinch Series Win Against Lefties

Published

19 hours ago

July 30, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Jacob Silva was all over the bases in this one, earning three walks and stealing three bases. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats and Lefties faced off for the second of three games this week, with Victoria nailing down a 3-2 win to clinch the series.

Spencer Kratt (San Jose State) got off to a good start in this one with a strikeout to begin the game. Unfortunately, that was all the action the right-hander would get, as a comebacker hit him up high which necessitated his removal from the game. Davis Lee (Calgary) was activated to step in for his fallen comrade and picked up where he left off, striking out two Lefties to finish the first inning.

BOX SCORE

The HarbourCats got it in gear in the bottom of the second beginning with a leadoff walk earned by Jacob Silva (UTSA). Michael Rodda (Palomar) singled with two outs and took an extra base to move up to second before Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois) blooped a ball into right field. Both infielders came around to score and the Cats took a 2-0 lead.

Davis Lee’s excursion came to an end after nearly four full frames of shutout baseball. Lee suffocated the Lefties with six strikeouts in 3.2 innings before bowing out for Tristin Thomas (West Texas A&M) in the top of the fifth. Thomas hit the ground running and picked up two K’s in a quick three-up three-down inning.

Victoria picked up their pitching staff by extending the lead in the bottom of the fifth with a run manufactured by Cameron Chee-Aloy. The speedy centre fielder walked, stole second, stole third base, and came all the way home when the throw went way over the head of the third baseman. Heads-up baserunning from Chee-Aloy, and a 3-0- lead for the home team.

Tristin Thomas struck out five batters in just two innings. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Port Angeles responded in the sixth with a pair of singles to begin the inning, and later drove in their first run on a laser out to left field. Nonetheless, Thomas was able to shrug it off and finish the inning off with three strikeouts. The New Mexico native came back for the seventh, but two walks in a row to start the inning spelled the end of his night. Nathan Mueller (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) took his place with no outs and a couple of runners on and deftly found his way out of the jam with a strikeout and two groundouts.

Mueller mounted another daring escape in the eighth. A plunked batter and a double put runners on second and third with no outs, but Mueller locked in and secured three consecutive strikeouts to put up another scoreless inning. The Lefties had another comeback attempt in the ninth, but Victoria buckled down and clinched the series with a 3-2 victory.

WCL STANDINGS

There are only two home games remaining in the 2026 regular season including the finale of our mid-week set against the Port Angeles Lefties on Thursday night! 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.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Hold On in 6-5 Nail-Biter

Published

2 days ago

July 29, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Jeremiah Arnett was integral to getting the win in this tight Tuesday night ballgame. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The Cats hosted the Port Angeles Lefties for the first of the three game set and held on by the skin of their teeth to take a 6-5 win.

Victoria took an early advantage in this one, scoring in the second inning. After Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s) worked a walk out of a long at-bat to leadoff the frame, the catcher immediately stole second base and came home on a single by Aidan Rice (Portland) that bounced through the middle of the infield. Rice simply would not be contained, as he stole second and third back-to-back before coming in to score from third on a groundout.

BOX SCORE

Meanwhile, it was another episode of the Jeremiah Arnett show on the defensive side. The Rice University starter and WCL All-Star was unflappable in the first four innings, shutting down the Lefties lineup to keep the top half of the line score clean.

While Arnett was doing his thing, the Cats got back to work on offence in the bottom of the fourth. Rohne Klein (San Jose State) earned himself a leadoff walk and swiped second base, coming around to the plate on a single by Dillon Lopez. Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois) and Michael Rodda (Palomar) got in on the fun as well with an RBI single each, and the former crossed the plate on a groundout before the end of the frame to push the lead to six.

The defence held strong for eight scoreless innings behind Jeremiah Arnett’s start. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Jeremiah Arnett continued to rumble along through three more frames, finally taking a seat after seven gleaming innings. Arnett allowed five hits on his watch (all singles) and no runs while adding nine more tallies to his impressive strikeout total this summer. The right-hander handed the ball off to Leif Friedrich (Concordia-Nebraska) for the top of the eighth. Friedrich recovered smoothly from a leadoff single to make three quick outs and move on to the bottom of the inning.

Initial responsibility of the ninth was given to Hunter Daniels (Phoenix), but after he walked the bases loaded with nobody out, Houston Tomlinson (Arkansas State) was called from the bullpen to try and finish this one off. Tomlinson would continue to waver, with walks galore bringing Port Angeles all the way back within one. A strikeout finally ended the inning and secured a close 6-5 win for the Cats.

WCL STANDINGS

There are only three home games remaining in the 2026 regular season including a mid-week set against the Port Angeles Lefties this week! 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.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Paws Bounce Cats in Game Three

Published

4 days ago

July 26, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

The HarbourCats were inches away from scoring in the third inning on a close play at the plate. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Victoria, B.C. – The Victoria HarbourCats and Kamloops NorthPaws faced off in the decider of a three-game series on Sunday afternoon, with Kamloops battling their way to a 7-3 win.

It was somewhat of a rocky start in the early going for Shea Lake (West Texas A&M) on this rainy Sunday afternoon, hitting the first batter he faced and allowing a run in the opening inning to give Kamloops an early lead. Lake found his footing for a moment in the third inning with an efficient three-up three-down frame.

BOX SCORE

Victoria came close to evening the score in the bottom of the third with Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) on second base. Rohne Klein (San Jose State) hit a line-drive single into centre field, but Bradshaw was cut down at the plate to end the inning. The NorthPaws responded by hammering a three-run homer in their next turn on offence, growing their lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning.

The top of the fifth required the services of Northern Kentucky reliever Daniel Tovar, who let up a pair of singles but held Kamloops scoreless in his first inning of work. The going got tougher in the sixth, when the NorthPaws led off the inning with a bomb to left field, and add on another solo shot before the end of the frame.

Shea Lake exited the mound after a four inning start, in which he allowed four runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

The HarbourCats’ first run came at long last in the bottom of the sixth by way of a sacrifice fly off the bat of Rohne Klein. The home team was able to keep the line moving in inning number six, netting another run when Jacob Silva (UTSA) scored from third on a wild pitch.

Tristin Thomas (West Texas A&M) took over from Tovar for the top of the seventh. Thomas worked quickly, putting a zero on the board and getting the Cats back on the offensive. The bottom of the eighth saw another blow dealt by the Victoria offence, as Declan Brown (Ottawa University) laced a single into centre field to drive in a run and chip away at the lead.

The Cats gave it their all but ultimately came up short, coughing up the series to the NorthPaws with a 7-3 loss.

WCL STANDINGS

With the weekend series complete, the HarbourCats will return to action for a three-game set against Port Angeles this week, starting on Tuesday night at 6:35 pm.

There are only four home games remaining in the 2026 regular season including a mid-week set against the Port Angeles Lefties this 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.

Source