Author: Larry Read
PORTLAND, ORE—The Portland Pickles successfully swept their 2023 West Coast League season series with the Kamloops NorthPaws. Playing three games at Walker Stadium, the host Pickles took the NorthPaws in straight contests. They won the season series 6-0.
The scores in this set were 4-2, 15-2 and 5-2.
Portland moves to 12-6 on the year and sit a game and a half out of first place in the WCL South Division while the NorthPaws remain in the basement of the WCL North Division at 5-19.
Kamloops winds up their longest road trip of the season tomorrow (June 30) when they play the Falcons at Elks Stadium in Kelowna. The Pickles open up a three-game set in Yakima Valley against the Pippins.
A reminder that all West Coast League games are available via their website: https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/
SERIES RECAP:
Tuesday, June 27,2023: Pickles 4 NorthPaws 2
The NorthPaws scored both their runs in the fourth inning while Portland had singles in the first, fourth, fifth and seventh.
Tyrelle Chadwick (Kamloops, BC) started on the hill for Kamloops and went five innings. He suffered his third loss of the season. Chadwick gave up six hits, three runs, walked two and struck out two.
Max Fraser (Camas, WA) was the second of five Portland pitchers and earned his first win. He went two and a thirds giving up two runs, a hit, three walks and struck out five. Morris Austin (Keller, TX) came on in the ninth and struck out two for his third save of the year.
Offensively, Kamloops had three players going 1-4: Cooper Neville (Glendale, AZ), Jude Hall (Chilliwack, BC) and Tommy Green (Courtenay, BC). Green and Neville had RBI. For Neville, he has 13 on the year. Hall’s performance at the dish raised his batting average to .269.
Armando Briserio (Fontana, CA) drove in two runs despite going 0-2. Jack Metcho (Fairfield, CA) was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored. His average moved to .328.
Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598543
Wednesday, June 28, 2023: Pickles 15 NorthPaws 2
One bad inning sunk the NorthPaws again. Kamloops scored both their runs in the sixth inning. At the time, they trailed in the game 4-0. The Pickles exploded for 10 runs in a sixth inning where they had four hits. Blake Hiraki (Mililani, HI) leading the way with a home run.
Xaige Lancaster (Hilo, HI) hit a three-run shot in the third inning and went 2-4 with five runs batted in. He also scored two runs to lead the Pickles attack. Metcho was 2-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. While Hiracki was 1-3, with three RBI and two runs scored.
Nathan Grey (Queen Park, AZ) and Hall were each 1-4 with a run scored. Neville and Green were both0-4 with a run batted in.
Jacob Bresnahan (Sumner, WA) went two and two thirds’ innings for his first win of the year for Portland. He gave up two hits, two runs, walked two and struck out two. Griffin Almond (Thornby, ON) saw his record fall to 2-2 as he went five innings. He surrendered four runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598544
Thursday, June 29, 2023-Pickles 5 NorthPaws 2
For the second straight night, their performance in a single inning cost Kamloops. This time it was the eighth inning. Kamloops led 2-1 until that point when the Pickles scored four runs which sent over 28 hundred fans home happy.
Three of those four runs came off the bat of right fielder Jessie Pierce (Las Vegas, NV). He blasted a home run to raise his batting average to .333 on the year. Pierce led Portland offensively going 2-3 with three runs batted in and two runs scored. Evan Cloyd (Bakersville, CA) was 1-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
For Kamloops, Hall, Grey and Green were all 2-4. Green scored a run as well. Landon Clark (Indianapolis, IN) was the big man at the plate for the NorthPaws going 1-4 with a run batted in. Neville was 1-4 with a run batted in and a run scored.
Max Jones (Whittier, CA) was the winning pitcher. He collected his first win of the year reliving starter Nathan Shinn (Pleasanton, CA). Shinn went five innings on a four hitter, with two strikeouts and a walk. Jones gave up two hits in a single inning of work.
Austin notched his second save of the season and fourth of the year as he worked an inning and struck out two.
David Jeon (Coppel, TX) saw his record fall to 0-2. He worked an inning and two thirds of relief and gave up two hits (including Pierce’s homer). He relieved starter Hayden Walker (Albuquerque, NM). He worked six innings of two hit ball, fanning seven and walking three.
Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598545
NEXT UP FOR THE NORTHPAWS:
The Paws have a three game series with their closest geographical rival, the Kelowna Falcons. The teams will play tomorrow (June 30) at Elks Stadium in Kelowna.
The two teams will then head north. In 2022, Kamloops won five of six meetings between themselves and Kelowna. The Falcons lone victory came June 18th in Kelowna, where they beat the NorthPaws 8-2. Tyrelle Chadwick (Kamloops, BC) was the losing pitcher. On that night, Chadwick pitched three innings, giving up five hits, surrendering four runs (two earned) with a strikeout and six walks.
Kamloops won twice in the Okanagan and swept the Falcons at Dearborn Ford Field . The sweep occurred August 2-4th and included an 18-7 win on the opening night. Felix Chenier-Rondeau (Blainville, ON) was two for five in that game with six runs batted in
Next home game for the NorthPaws will be Canada Day ( Saturday, July 1) against the Kelowna Falcons The same two teams will do battle on Sunday, July 2nd as well. Opening pitch Canada Day is 6:35 PM. Sunday’s tilt has a 2:05 PM start time. There will be Canada Day celebrations at Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium on Saturday. These include a Bouncy Castle, Canadian Food specials, a Molson Tailgate Party and the Dearborn Ford Maverick Contest.
Sunday’s game will be “Family Day” at the park. Family Day is a presentation of Save On Foods.
If you can’t make the games, they are all webcast on https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/ . Some NorthPaws 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 North Paws tickets: ticketing@northpawsbaseball.ca
West Coast League: westcoastleague.com.
Contact for Media for Player Interviews;
Adam Filmon
Assistant Coach afilmon@northpawsbaseball.ca cell phone (204) 955-3547
Source
Catcher Dillon Lopez (18), here celebrating after a walk-off hit in 2025, will return behind the dish for the 2026 season (Photo: Justin Morash).
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