KAMLOOPS — The Wenatchee AppleSox travelled to Kamloops and left with a North Division leading 12-3 record after a weekend sweep. The set also pushed the Kamloops NorthPaws losing streak to seven games.
Game 1 –
It was an old fashioned pitching duel to begin the three game set between the AppleSox and NorthPaws on Friday night, with the visitors pulling out a thrilling 2-1 win.
Wenatchee starter Evan Canfield went toe-to-toe with ‘Paws righty Josh Berenbaum all night, with both pitchers striking out eight batters along the way. Berenbaum went six strong giving up 2-runs, only 1-earned on just 3-hits, taking a tough-luck loss. He was outdone by Canfield who went 8.0 innings, giving up 5 hits, and 1-unearned run.
The AppleSox would strike first in the sixth inning, scoring the opening run of the ballgame without the benefit of a base hit thanks to a pair of Kamloops errors and a sacrifice bunt.
The NorthPaws would respond in the bottom half thanks to a Hayato Ikeda RBI single. The winning run would score in the seventh on a 2-out RBI single from Hunter Friedberg.
With the tying run standing on second base in the ninth with two outs, Jerry Nix would single up the middle but Dylan Dekker would be gunned at the plate by Max Hartman to end the ballgame and secure the Wenatchee win.
Tristian LaMaison earned his first save of the season thanks to the 8-2 putout.
Game 2 –
The offense in the series arrived in spades for the AppleSox in game two, as they would bully their way to a 13-2 victory.
Wenatchee would strike early with a first inning run, before exploding for six in the 4th inning and never looking back. Cannon Peery would lead the offense with a 3-5, 4 RBI night. Aidan Dougherty and Max Hartman both provide 2 RBI as well in the dominant win.
The two runs of the ballgame for Kamloops came in the 6th inning when Jacob Schlesselman brought home Jacob French and Tyler Glowacki with a single.
Derek Murphy would take the loss giving up 6ER over 3 innings. Casper Rammeloo allowed 4ER over 2 innings of relief.
Quincy Vassar earned the win for the AppleSox pitching 6 strong giving up 2ER on 6 hits. Braiden Boyd would earn the rare 3-inning save, walking just one and not allowing a base hit.
Game 3 –
The AppleSox would outdo their offensive performance in a North Division leading statement victory on Father’s Day. A pair of big innings would be the difference in a 15-5 win to complete the sweep for the visitors.
Kamloops held a pair of leads in the contest before Wenatchee took control, including thanks to a 2-run homer from catcher Jerry Nix that made the score 3-2 at the time.
It was a 2-out rally that led to the demise of Kamloops on Sunday. Wenatchee scored five 2-out runs in the 5th inning, including a grand-slam from Connor Peery who finished the contest 3-6 4RBI.
Kamloops leadoff hitter Madden Ocko went 3-5, as the ‘Paws reached the 10 hit plateau for the first time this year.
Cade Johnson was credited with the loss, 4.2 IP, 6ER, 6H, 2K.
Caleb Costa earned the win for Wenatchee who have won 5 straight. The loss pushed the Kamloops losing streak to seven games.
Reset for Bellingham
The ‘Paws will look to get back on track following an off-day Monday as they begin a mid-week set in Bellingham against the Bells. Kamloops has already beaten the 7-6 Bells twice.
“Hopefully the tables turn here and we start to get some W’s,” said Dylan Dekker. “Just stick to the gameplan, not trying to change to much, not get to-high, to-low.”
Dekker from Hinton, Alberta, now calls Kamloops home and is happy to be spending time in the Tournament capital for the summer.
“Nice to see everybody, see the parents, stay at home” added Dekker.
Along with Dekker, Kamloops’ Matt MacDonald also returned to the squad ahead of the Wenatchee series.
“Loving playing at home, playing in front of the fans. Hopefully I can turn it around, hopefully I can show out and do something cool this year,” said MacDonald. “All these guys, I grew up with them, I love playing with them. It’s sweet, it’s great for the team chemistry. Super enjoyable, I like being home for sure.”
Joining the team in the midst of the slide, MacDonald is looking to reset for Bellingham on Tuesday.
“We have to wipe the slate, definitely a couple of ugly games here but we will figure it out. We just have to get the energy up and forget about it,” said MacDonald.
Head Coach Jose Bautista, who spent 10 seasons in the majors has been a part of a few losing streaks over his long baseball career. His message to the boys after the contest was to keep moving forward.
“Just let the kids go up there and play. No superstitions, no nothing, just go up there and play,” said Bautista. “Hoping to add some more guys, and add a couple pitchers.”
Upcoming Schedule –
Monday, June 17 – Off-Day
Tuesday, June 18 @ Bellingham, first pitch 6:35
Wednesday, June 19 @ Bellingham, first pitch 6:35
Thursday, June 20 @ Bellingham, first pitch 6:35
Friday, June 21 vs Edmonton, first pitch 6:35 (Bark at the Park)
Victoria, BC – The Victoria HarbourCats are thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership with Showpass, a leading event ticketing platform, to provide fans with a seamless and enhanced ticketing experience for the upcoming season.
Showpass’s innovative technology will make purchasing tickets for HarbourCats games faster and more user-friendly than ever. Fans can now buy single-game tickets, season passes, flex passes and group tickets through the Showpass platform, which offers an intuitive interface and convenient features such as mobile ticketing, easy transfers, and quick scanning at the gate.
Also being implemented in Nanaimo with the NightOwls, the Showpass platform supports real-time updates and event notifications, keeping fans informed about game-day changes, promotions, and special events.
“We’re always looking for ways to enhance the fan experience,” said HarbourCats General Manager Christian Stewart. “Showpass provides a modern, efficient solution that makes attending a HarbourCats game more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.”
Season Tickets will be delivered to all members by e-mail (planned for April 1, 2025) with an option for printing classic paper tickets. Members can transfer tickets as needed through their accounts, and print their tickets via PDF or simply save into their mobile wallet on their phone.
Renewals are simple, with reminder emails coming from Showpass late in the season, or early fall, with details for the following season and secure, online renewal.
NOTE: Season Ticket holders who have not yet renewed their seats for 2025 should ensure they call or visit the office to do so as soon as possible so that all relevant details are updated in the new system and so their seats are locked in for 2025. Any seats not paid / renewed by April 1, 2025 will be released for sale to the public at that time.
10-Game and Season Ticket Flex Packs 10-game flex packs and our Season Ticket equivalent flex-packs (32 vouchers) are also now available to purchase and manage on-line in the Showpass system.
Once purchased, fans can skip coming to the office or box office and can easily exchange their vouchers / credits on-line for the games that they wish to attend. Once exchanged, fans can also e-mail those tickets to someone else, if they don’t plan to attend the game themselves.
Fans with existing 10-packs or season ticket packs purchased during the off-season can come into the office and get set up properly in the new system in order begin to exchanging vouchers on their own.
Single-Game Tickets Single game tickets are now available on-line and can be purchased at Harbourcats.com/tickets.
Scroll down the list to find the game of interest, including three “Showcase” games being held this season, click through to the seat map, select your seats and check-out with your tickets delivered to the e-mail used to set up your account.
Group Tickets Group tickets (10 people or more) can also now be purchased on-line in most of our seating areas and larger groups can be set up and ticket sales managed through a convenient Group Sales platform within Showpass.
The Showpass system also comes with a very easy to use Help system to guide users through the ticketing sales or exchange process and of course, fans can always come to the office or the box office on game days to order their tickets in person.
The HarbourCats begin the 2025 season with a six-game road trip starting May 30th in Kelowna and finishing in Edmonton June 5th. They return home for the Home Opener on Friday, June 6th at 6:35pm against the Port Angeles Lefties, with the first fireworks night of the season on Saturday June 7th at 6:35pm.
About Showpass Based in Calgary, Alberta, Showpass is a cutting-edge ticketing and event management platform trusted by organizations across North America. Known for its ease of use and robust features, Showpass empowers event organizers and attendees with a superior ticketing experience. In addition to Victoria and Nanaimo, Showpass is being used by the Bend Elks in the West Coast League, the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League, the Welland Jackfish Baseball Club in Ontario and has a large footprint in Victoria, being used by a number of smaller event venues such as Brewery and the Beast. Visit their website for more information at https://www.showpass.com/
Every pitch Gorm Heimueller threw in the major leagues, Rickey Henderson had his back, positioned in the outfield behind him.
When news broke Saturday of the far-too-soon passing of the greatest base stealer the game has ever known — and likely will ever know — Heimueller was stunned, and saddened.
“I heard from a friend of Rickey’s, who had heard from (former MLB pitcher) Dave Stewart — this is a big blow for the baseball world, like Pete Rose a few months ago,” said Heimueller, who will be pitching coach again for the NightOwls again in 2025, the only pitching staff leader the West Coast League team has known since debuting at historic Serauxmen Stadium in 2022. This season will mark 49 years in the game for Heimueller, one of the most-respected people in all of baseball.
“I loved Rickey — but I loved everyone, I was in the big leagues. I got to play with Rickey and Joe Morgan, two Hall of Famers, it’s hard to believe they are both gone. Rickey looked like he was doing well and healthy. Very sad news.”
Henderson, who would’ve turned 66 on Christmas Day, passed away Friday, a surprise to everyone as he had appeared to be in good health. Initial reports indicated a bout of pneumonia claimed the Hall of Famer, who played with nine teams over 25 years and stole 1,406 bases. Canadian baseball fans will recall his short time with the Blue Jays in 1993, helping Toronto win its second consecutive World Series.
“The best part of playing with him was knowing I didn’t have to face him,” said Heimueller.
“My first game, he made a catch up against the wall — really good catch. People think of the stolen bases but look at all the home runs he hit. He was also unique as not many guys are right-handed hitters and then throw left-handed, very rare in the game. He was one of the more confident players I ever played with — and Rickey talked about Rickey, he had his ways about him that you never forget, that was the way he talked.
“That first game, in Baltimore, he’s leading off — I’m thinking this is pretty cool, and I’m the starting pitcher. I knew I was in the big leagues right there.”
Five return and Cal Baptist pipeline provides another key player for 2025 (Above L to R: Josh Cunnigan, Connor Ross, Spencer Hatch, Cade Rusch, Garrett Villa, Connor Sims)
Dec. 17, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VICTORIA, B.C. — One thing is sure, collegiate baseball players love playing in Victoria.
The highly-competitive, pro-style environment fostered by the organization, and coaching staff led by veteran Todd Haney, has helped the Victoria HarbourCats bring back returning players year after year, creating a foundation for success. With today’s announcement of six players, the 2025 roster will have four more returning pitchers and a catcher who was with Victoria for much of the 2024 season.
“It helps with building the culture we have in Victoria, that starts at the top, and gives this team the best chance at being a contender every year,” said GM Christian Stewart. “Players want to play for Todd, and our coaching staff. Having guys who have been through the travel and pace of a West Coast League season helps in building the right atmosphere from the start of the season — and our seasons go by fast, it seems, so there’s no time to waste.”
C Josh Cunnigan, Seattle U, 6-0/195, Corona, California (returning player)
3B Connor Ross, Cal Baptist, 6-0/190, Fairfield, California
Villa was a workhorse who took on the end of game role for pitching coach Scott Anderson, pitching in 13 games and giving up just one run in his last 10 appearances, ending with four saves in 19.1 innings of work.
Hatch, a lefty from Vegas, made eight appearances and started four games, finishing 2-2 with 15 strikeouts. He went four innings twice in strong road starts in the middle of the season.
Rusch, the son of former Major League star pitcher Glendon Rusch, will be a workhorse at IUS this spring after working in five games for the HarbourCats last summer. Sims had a short but dominant stint in Victoria, striking out nine hitters and recording one save in 5.2 innings of work, giving up just two hits.
Before getting hurt, Cunnigan played in 12 games at hit .273 and struck out just twice while doing a good job behind the plate.
Ross is the lone non-returning player being announced today. He is a transfer to D-1 Cal Baptist from Solano JC, where he was conference player of the year as a sophomore, and freshman of the year the season prior to that. He can play third or short, and his spring numbers in 2024 are eye-popping — a .433 average, eight home runs, 58 driven in, in 40 games.
Season tickets and 10-Game Flex Packs are now on sale for the 2025 season at the HarbourCats office. Christmas sales are on as well with a wide range of merchandise available! And don’t miss our last minute sale special THIS SATURDAY, December 21st, from 10 am to 5 pm, with 50% off all regular priced merchandise at the store only.
Single game tickets and 10-Game Flex Pack exchanges are NOT YET AVAILABLE for the 2025 season as we are transitioning to a new ticketing system. Both will be available in January of 2025.
Holiday Hours at The Cat Shop
This week Monday to Friday 10am t0 5pm Saturday December 21, 10am to 5 pm (special 50% off sale!) Sunday December 22, 12 noon to 4pm Monday December 23, 10am to 5pm Tuesday December 24, 10am to 2pm CLOSED December 25 and 26th Friday December 27, 10 am to 4pm (Boxing Day 20% off sale!) CLOSED December 28 and 29th Monday December 30 10 am to 4pm (Boxing Day 20% off sale!) CLOSED December 31 to January 6 Office reopens January 7th 10am to 5pm
You must be logged in to post a comment Login