Summer Collegiate

NorthPaws ‘pickled’ in home opener against Portland

Published

2 years ago

June 9, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

Author: Larry Read

KAMLOOPS BC—The Kamloops NorthPaws are still in search of their first victory of the young West Coast League season.

The NorthPaws hosted the Portland Pickles at Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium in a three-game series Tuesday through Thursday (June 6-8). Over 500 fans a night were treated to some entertaining baseball but went home a little disappointed as the Pickles swept Kamloops.

The scores were 11-4 Tuesday (June 6), 6-4 Wednesday and Thursday (June 7,8).

The results leave Portland with a 5-1 record while the NorthPaws dip to 0-6.

The NorthPaws will continue their homestand with the first ever appearance of the six time defending West Coast League champions, the Corvallis Knights to Kamloops. The Pickles will head down Highway 97 for a three-game set in Kelowna against the Falcons. Crovallis has a record of 5-1 after downing Yakima Valley 8-1. Wednesday night.

Portland and Kamloops will tangle once more this season when the NorthPaws visit the Pickles for three games beginning June 27th.

All West Coast League games are available via their website: https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/

SERIES RECAP:

Tuesday, June 6, 2023-Portland Pickles 11 Kamloops NorthPaws 4

Portland broke open a 1-1 tie scoring four runs in the third inning before adding two more in the fifth and three runs in the sixth. Kamloops scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to reduce the deficit to 10-3. New Zealander Maclain Roberts was tagged with the loss as he started the game and went three innings giving up four hits, four runs, had one walk and one strikeout.

Left fielder Andrew Stucky (Tuscon, AZ) and Right fielder Felix Chenier-Rondeau (Blainvile, QC) each had runs batted in.

The Pickles were led by Jackson Waller (San Marcos, CA) who was two for two and three runs batted in. Two of the runs coming in on a single in the sixth. Jack Metcho (Fairfield, CA) was one for two with three runs scored. Starter Aiden Garza (Ventura, CA) was the winning pitcher tossing a no hitter for three innings, giving up two runs, striking out two and walking three.

Portland moved to 3-1 on the year. The NorthPaws dropped their fourth in a row.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598675

Wednesday, June 7, 2023-Portland Pickles 4 Kamloops NorthPaws 4

All the scoring in this game occurred in the first three innings. Portland rallied from a 2-0 first inning deficit to tally three in both the second and third.

The NorthPaws were led offensively by first baseman Nolan Austin (Kamloops, BC). He was two for four at the dish with two runs batted in. Designated hitter Landon Clark was one for four with an R.B.I..

Matthew Romero started for Kamloops and was tagged with the loss going two and a third innings, giving up nine hits, six earned runs, with two walks and a strikeout.

Murphy Gienger (Castle Rock, CO), who came into the game after an inning and two thirds was the winner. He threw a three hitter with eight strikeouts. Morris Austin (Keller, TX) earned the save as he came on in the ninth inning and struck out the side.

Offensively, the Pickles had three R.B.I. from left fielder Xiage Lancaster (Hilo, HI). He was two for three with two runs scored. Jack Metcho was three for five with two runs scored and two runs batted in. Right fielder Nicky Markantanatos (Portland, OE) was three for five.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=601034

Thursday, June 8, 2023-Portland Pickles 6 Kamloops North Paws 4

The NorthPaws jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on the basis of a home run by Jude Hall (Chilliwack, BC). It was Kamloops’ first home run of the season.

The home team held a 4-1 lead until the sixth inning when the Pickles scored twice and then added three more in the seventh inning. They wound up with six runs on six hits and one error. Kamloops had four runs on seven hits and one error.

Kamloops was threatening in the bottom of the ninth. They had the bases loaded with two outs, but Felix Chenier-Rondeau (Blainville, QC) hit a long flyball which was caught in left field.

Sakemi Sato (La Quinta, CA) was the winning pitcher as he threw two innings of one hit ball with four strikeouts. Portland was led offensively by Jack Metcho. He was two for five with three runs batted in. Nicky Markantanatos was two for five with an RBI.

Joey Adge (Parker, CO) was three for four for Kamloops with an RBI. Hall was two for four with three runs batted in.

Christian Spitz (Overland Park, KS) was the losing pitcher. He went three and a third giving up four runs (3 earned), striking out three and walking three. Kamloops resident Tyrelle Chadwick had his second start of the year for the NorthPaws. He pitched three innings giving up two hits, four walks and one earned run.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598677

HEAD COACH KEITH FRANCIS:

“It is always the little things in baseball that come back to haunt you. We run the bases improperly. We don’t get the right hit at the right time. Can’t throw the strike when we need it the most. Those things add up. I am telling them we need to win inning by inning. This has been the underlying theme all season. There is just one inning where an error was started and the pitcher can’t come back from it. We aren’t hitting. We haven’t scored more than four runs in any game. That is tough. “

FIRST BASEMAN NOLAN AUSTIN (KAMLOOPS, BC):

“It is not the start we wanted to have. We were in the game again tonight. Just small little errors are keeping us from getting over that hump. Once we can get the first one we will start to figure it out we are going to start to cruise and get some more dubs.”

NEXT UP:

The NorthPaws will conclude their six game homestand with the Corvallis Knights. The Knights and NorthPaws will play a three-game series starting tomorrow (Friday June 7th). It is the first time that the two teams will have ever met in West Coast League play. As mentioned earlier in this release, the Knights have won the league title the last six years in a row. In 2022, they beat the Bellingham Bells in the final.

PLAYERS TO WATCH ON THE CORVALLIS KNIGHTS:

#5, Tyler Quinn, Inf./C, Pacific University, Oregon. He was the Knights MVP in 2022

# 7, Luke Thiele, Inf., Central Arizona College, he’s going to Purdue in the fall.

# 16, Blake Avila, Central Arizona, he’s going to Grand Canyon in the fall.

#17 Sean Wiese, LHP, Hawaii. A four-year Knight, he was the Knights top pitcher in 2022 as our closer.

# 20 Sam Stem, OF, Gonzaga. He hit over .300 for the Zags this spring as a freshman.

# 37, Neil Feist, RHP, Cal State-Northridge. A returnee and a key player from the 2022 champions.

If you can’t make the NorthPaws games, they are all webcast on https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/ . Some home games will also be shown on Shaw TV in Kamloops (Cable 10 or 105 with Blue Curve).

TAILGATE PARTY:

The Molson’s Tailgate Party is hoppin’ before every NorthPaws home game. It runs Tuesday through Saturday 5-630 PM. The Party runs Sundays noon-1 PM. Hotdogs and a Pilsner are sold for $ 12.00 plus tax.

For Everything NorthPaws – Go to the website : https://www.northpawsbaseball.ca/

Kamloops NorthPaws tickets: ticketing@northpawsbaseball.ca

West Coast League: westcoastleague.com.

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Summer Collegiate

Opportunistic Knights take first game

Published

10 hours ago

July 23, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

NANAIMO, B.C. — The Corvallis Knights got hits when it counted, the Nanaimo NightOwls did not.

In the first ever visit by the Knights to historic Serauxmen Stadium, Corvallis narrowly outhit the NightOwls 10-8 in a 10-3 victory on Tuesday night with the Island Savings Christmas in July promotion keeping fans entertained. Game 2 in the series hockey jersey night goes Wednesday night, with the final game billet appreciation night set for Thursday, both 6:35pm starts.

Ryder Florence was 2-4 and was robbed of extra bases with a spectacular diving catch with the bases loaded and two outs, or this game could’ve turned back to the home club.

Jacob Hayes gave Nanaimo a 2-1 lead in the first inning with a two-run blast to left, the all-star’s eighth homer of the year, giving him 30 runs batted in on the season.

https://baseball.pointstreak.com/standings.html?leagueid=145&seasonid=34070

Moosa Nonomiya was the notable pitching outing of the night, with 3.1 scoreless innings and just one hit allowed. Starter Blake Hager walked six and avoided bigger damage, while reliever Dylan Thompson came in and let the lead grow to the point it was tough to mount a comeback.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Fish Sticks pile on the runs, win 12-4

Published

10 hours ago

July 23, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

July 22, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Victoria HarbourCats welcomed the Dub Sea Fish Sticks to town for non-league action, and it was the visitors who came out on top, winning 12-4.

The Fish Sticks jumped out to an early lead, putting two runs on the board in the top of the first inning, including a Matt Churchill RBI double.

Jai Berezowski (Golden Tide) hit his fourth home run of the campaign in the bottom of the second, a two-run shot, to tie up the ballgame.

BOX SCORE

Declan Brown (Wenatchee Valley) made his first HarbourCats appearance of the season and drove in a pair with a double to cap off the big second inning, making it 4-2.

Churchill continued his strong night with a solo home run in the top of the third to cut the deficit in half.

Jake Butler showed his versatility tonight starting the game at first base (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

Clayton Broeder (Angelo State) started the game for the Cats and went three innings, giving up three runs on three hits while striking out three and walking four.

WATCH GAMES HERE

Jake Finkelstein (Georgia Gwinnett) replaced Broeder to start the fourth inning and found himself in a jam, walking the bases loaded. A pair of hits, including another Churchill double, mixed in with some poor defence allowed the Fish Sticks to plate four runs in the frame, giving the visitors a 7-4 lead.

Finkelstein pitched a scoreless fifth inning but surrendered five runs in the sixth, which gave Dub Sea a resounding 12-4 lead.

The Fish Sticks bullpen shut things down from there, shutting out the Cats for the final seven innings.

Marcus Janovsky (UBC) pitched the final three innings for Victoria, giving up no runs on one hit while striking out a pair.

WCL STANDINGS

The two teams are back in action tomorrow at 6:35 PM. Fun promotions are happening all week at the ballpark. Tomorrow is Winning Wednesday, where select Red Arrow products are just $6. Thursday, July 24, is Country Night! Get yourself gussied up in your country outfits and come on down to the ballpark for a night of all things country. Rob Curtis will be performing on the field when the gates open at 5:30 PM. Friday is the start of Peninsula Co-op’s Kids Free Weekend! Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s games are free for kids 12 and under.

Due to popular demand, we are expanding our $12 Tuesday seats. All remaining Premium Reserved seats (normally $22 per seat) for the July 29 game against Kamloops are now just $12. PLUS, WE NOW HAVE $12 THURSDAYS! All remaining Premium Reserved seats for our Thursday games on July 24 and July 31 are now just $12. Come watch the best baseball in town for the best price anywhere!

BUY TICKETS HERE

Tickets and merchandise can also be purchased in person at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street or by calling 778-265-0327.

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

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Tonight: Parent Information Session on U.S. College Baseball Pathways

Published

1 day ago

July 22, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

Monday, July 21, 2025 – 7:00 PM at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre

The Victoria HarbourCats are proud to host an important evening for parents of young ballplayers looking to better understand the journey to playing college baseball in the United States.

Tonight’s session will begin at 7:00 PM, hosted in the Wilson’s Lounge at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, with a live Zoom option available for those unable to attend in person. This interactive discussion is open to all parents interested in helping their child navigate the next steps in their baseball development.

The session will be chaired by HarbourCats Managing Partner Jim Swanson, and will feature a panel of experienced parents from programs such as the Victoria Eagles and Mariners. These panelists will share firsthand insight on what families can expect—from recruiting timelines to the realities of college baseball life.

Key topics will include:

Understanding the U.S. College Baseball System:
An overview of the different levels—NCAA, NAIA, Junior College (JuCo)—as well as Canadian alternatives like UBC and the Golden Tide.
Recruitment and Exposure:
How players get noticed, including tips on recruiting windows, highlight videos, email outreach, tournaments, and showcase events.
Financing College Baseball:
A look at athletic scholarships, academic awards, NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) opportunities, and other financial options.
What Life Is Really Like in a U.S. Baseball Program:
Honest discussion on the expectations, time commitments, and lifestyle student-athletes experience once they’re enrolled.

There will also be an open Q&A period, giving attendees a chance to ask specific questions and get practical advice directly from those who’ve been through it.

Event Details:

Wilson’s Lounge, Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
Monday, July 21 – 7:00 PM
Zoom Link: Click here to join the session

Whether your child is just starting high school ball or already drawing interest from scouts, this is a valuable opportunity to learn how to support their goals and plan ahead.

We look forward to seeing you there.

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