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

Victoria HarbourCats – Thank you, Coach Anderson!

Published

1 day ago

August 15, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

August 15, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – Using his signature phrase of “figure it out,” the Victoria HarbourCats would like to thank coach Scott Anderson for his years as Pitching Coach of the West Coast League team. He has, indeed, figured out that he is saying a fond good-bye to the organization.

Anderson, a veteran baseball guy and a veteran of the league, will turn 70 in October — a very young 70 for all who know him! He has been a tremendous asset on and off the field in guiding the pitching staff and working so closely with Head Coach Todd Haney for three seasons — the HarbourCats have enjoyed every moment, and Scott will always be a part of the family.

“Scott has been tremendous in the role, his pitchers loved working with him,” said Managing Partner Jim Swanson. “He was the perfect addition for us three years ago and gave us every bit of his energy. Such a classy baseball gentleman — even when suggesting an umpire should maybe return to school,” Swanson joked. (Well, kinda…)

The HarbourCats made the WCL Playoffs all three years Anderson was pitching coach, including the run to the Championship Final in 2023. The Cats had a combined regular-season record of 100-62 in three years with Anderson on the coaching staff.

Countless pitchers who have played in Victoria and worked under Anderson have seen major improvements in their game. Right-handed pitchers Carson Cormier and Tommy Bridges were named to the WCL All-Star Games in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Anderson has also played a part in the development of recent MLB draftees such as Ryan Magdic, Sean Heppner, and Carson Latimer, who all played for the Cats in 2023.

2026 SEASON TICKETS – Season ticket renewals and sales are now on for the 2026 season! 10-Game Flex Packs are also on sale! 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).

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats rally falls short, Hawks win series

Published

6 days 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).

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Palmer dominates as Cats force decider

Published

1 week 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).

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