Summer Collegiate

Massive Comeback Gives NightOwls a Sweep of Dudes Series

Published

2 years ago

June 16, 2024

Dugout Wire Service

NANAIMO — When you’re playing a team called the Dudes on Father’s Day, something special is bound to happen.

That was the case Sunday afternoon at historic Serauxmen Stadium in Nanaimo, where, after morning rain threatened to dampen and even call off the day, the Nanaimo NightOwls battled back from an 8-0 deficit after the first half inning to walk off the Redmond Dudes 11-10, in front of a charged-up crowd of 1,382 — most on hand to celebrate the dads in their lives.

Heck, the sun even made an appearance and drenched the park with warmth in the later innings.

The Dudes used four hits and three walks to score eight — yes, eight — runs in the top of the first inning, and the special day seemed to be a dud in the making. But, as this NightOwls team has shown the ability to do all season, Nanaimo battled back and set up the theatrics in the eighth and ninth innings that gave the NightOwls a three-game sweep of the non-league series.

Riley Paulino had the big blast, a two-out, three-run shot over the right field monster in the eighth inning to tie the game 10-10. Nevan Noonan drove home the winning run through a drawn-in infield in the bottom of the ninth for the decisive run, scoring Ryder Florence, who had collected his first hit as a NightOwl earlier in the inning.

Hsu He-Chieh was 2-6 with three runs driven in, and Deshon Thomas was 2-5.

The NightOwls got effective innings from Joshua Torres, Willem Heilker, Sean FitzGerald and Cole Carmichael, with Li Sih-te earning the win with a spotless ninth inning.

The NightOwls now get Monday off and prepare for a massive rivalry series at home against the Victoria HarbourCats, games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings (6:35pm starts).

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Narrowly Defeated by Falcons in Game Two

Published

49 mins ago

July 5, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Kelowna, B.C. – The HarbourCats took to the field against Kelowna again on Saturday night, dropping the second game of the series by an all-too-familiar score of 3-2.

The Falcons swooped in to take an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, punishing Landon Marchetti (San Jose State) for allowing two walks with a 2-RBI double.

BOX SCORE

That score stood until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Kelowna gained enough ground to add on. A few baserunners and a sacrifice fly ended the outing for Landon Marchetti, who went 3.2 innings with three runs, three hits, and seven strikeouts. The new job opening was filled by Concordia-Nebraska right-hander Trent Schlim, who successfully cleaned up the runners left behind by Marchetti.

Schlim exited the game after loading the bases with nobody out in the fifth, and in came Taylor Franklin (George Fox) for his season debut. Franklin worked quickly to get a popout and a double play, miraculously escaping the jam with no runs across.

Landon Marchetti allowed Kelowna’s only runs in his three-inning start. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria found the beginnings of revenge in the top of the sixth, executing a double-steal perfectly for Marcus Nolen (Fresno State) to swipe home plate and score the Cats’ first run. David Krahn (UBC) came around to score on a single later in the frame, making it a one-run ballgame with three innings to go.

Franklin retired to the dugout after a couple of scoreless innings, replaced by Leif Friedrich (Concordia-Nebraska) for the eighth. Friedrich held strong for a quick one-two-three inning, swiftly getting the Cats back on offence. Victoria kept it close but were unable to break the threshold, taking their second 3-2 loss in a row.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats will attempt to salvage a win in the final game of the series tomorrow night, and will return to Victoria for a three-game set with the Bend Elks starting on Tuesday.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games 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.

GET YOUR ALL-STAR TICKETS BEFORE THEY ARE GONE! Tickets for the 2026 WCL All-Star Home Run Derby (featuring former Blue Jay Kevin Pillar) and the West Coast League All Star Game on July 14-15 are selling fast. Get yours today! Each event is now on sale separately, or grab the package deal for both and save a few bucks at http://harbourcats.com/tickets! Or call the office at 778-265-0327 to order by phone.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Comeback Out of Reach in Extra Innings Loss

Published

1 day ago

July 4, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

The HarbourCats’ offence struggled tonight, failing to pull together until the late stages of the game. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Kelowna, B.C. – The Cats’ comeback attempt fell short as Victoria endured a 3-2 extra-innings loss in game one of the Kelowna series.

A leadoff double in the bottom of the third inning paid off for Kelowna when a one-out single drove in the first run of the ballgame. After a strong couple of innings top open the game, Cats starter Easton Reimers (North Dakota State) struggled to find the zone in his third frame of work.

BOX SCORE

The HarbourCats turned to Spencer Kratt (San Jose State) to pitch the fourth inning, and the right-hander proved to be unsolvable for the Falcons. Kratt allowed no runs in his solid four innings in relief, allowing only two hits alongside a pair of strikeouts.

Victoria finally cobbled together an offensive threat in the top of the fifth, with Tristan Buehring (Whitman) making his way to third after a single and two groundouts. The Cats were unable to take advantage however, squandering their first opportunity to score.

Anson Stuckly (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) was called from the bullpen in the eighth, on the heels of an airtight outing from Kratt. Stuckly made things look easy in his brief appearance, tossing ten pitches for a quick scoreless frame.

Victoria struggled to find any traction over the course of the ballgame until Logan Shepherd (Mercer) uncorked a monster solo shot in the top of the ninth, his first homer of the season to tie the game at one. That kept the game going long enough for Stuckly to pitch a scoreless bottom of the ninth and force extra innings.

The Cats battled their way to a one-run lead in extras, courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) to give Victoria the advantage. Marcus Janovsky (UBC) was tagged in for extra innings duty, loading the bases and allowing two runs to score for a 3-2 Falcons win.

WCL STANDINGS

This Kelowna series continues this weekend, with the next game scheduled for 6:35 on Saturday night. Following the end of the series, the Cats will come home for a three-game set with the Bend Elks.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Battle to the End for 2-1 Victory

Published

2 days ago

July 3, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria, B.C. – A war of attrition ended in a win for the good guys on Thursday night, with the Cats clawing their way to the finish line to take a series win over the NightOwls.

The Cats weathered the lengthy rain delay and came to the plate ready tonight, striking first on a two-out single from Rohne Klein (San Jose State). Designated hitter Logan Shepherd (Mercer) got the wave around third and Victoria quickly took a 1-0 lead.

BOX SCORE

UCSD’s Quincey Brown added to a string of dominant starting pitchers for the Cats in this series. Brown’s nine strikeouts in his second start of the season are the second-most in a single game for Victoria this year, tied with Austin Lindsey in the previous game and just short of Jeremiah Arnett’s team-leading ten K’s on Tuesday.

In addition to a whole lot of swings and misses, Brown kept the NightOwls off the bases with just two hits across his five innings of work. Davis Lee (Calgary) came in on the heels of Brown’s start, opening up the sixth inning on the mound with a one-run lead. Lee got himself into some trouble, loading the bases with two consecutive walks and letting the game-tying run sneak by on a pitch straight to the backstop.

Will Zielinski held strong in his Cats debut, scoring important outs in the late innings. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Lee returned in the seventh for a much cleaner frame, striking out two for a scoreless inning. Will Zielinski made an impressive Cats debut in the top of the eighth. The local Victoria product secured a quick two strikeouts and a groundout to keep the score tied and bring the HarbourCats lineup back up to the dish.

Victoria rallied to finally break the tie in the bottom of the eighth, courtesy of a Marcus Nolen (Fresno State) special. The outfielder walked, stole a base, and came in to score on a throwing error from the Nanaimo shortstop to take a 2-1 lead for the Cats.

Zielinski was back for the top of the ninth, shutting it down and securing a close win for the Cats to take the series and tie up the Island Cup!

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats will now hit the road to Kelowna for a three-game weekend series against the Falcons.

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