The Kamloops NorthPaws won the rubber match against the Edmonton Riverhawks 12-6, taking two of three on the weekend at Norbrock Stadium and moving to 9-6 on the season. The Riverhawks led 3-0 after the first, but Kamloops scored seven unanswered runs and hit two home runs, sending the dads home happy on Father’s Day.
NorthPaws righty Lucas Dykstra was on the mound to start and saw his infield turn a nifty 5-4-3 double play. The Riverhawks made him work for the third out, however, as they rattled off four straight hits, making it 3-0. Dykstra settled in and pitched back-to-back scoreless innings before being pulled after three innings.
“He competed today; he didn’t walk anybody and made them earn it. That first inning unravelled a bit for him, but he stayed in the fight,” said Pitching Coach Jack Slominski.
The NorthPaws got on the board in the bottom of the first with an opposite-field home run from shortstop Anthony Setticassi. Right fielder Jared Hall reached base via an error, bringing home Elijah Clayton and making it a one-run ballgame.
“Setti (Setticassi) is a gamer; he plays the game the right way, and it’s cool to see guys like that get their opportunities and succeed,” said Head Coach Reily Jepson.
Setticassi’s next at-bat was in the fourth, where he had the bases loaded and walked, tying the game. Left fielder Matthew MacDonald scored the go-ahead run as he scored on a wild pitch.
MacDonald kept the scoring going for the NorthPaws in the fifth, sending a double to left center field, scoring Connor Clark. Catcher Brendan Burke singled and drove in MacDonald to extend the lead. Kamloops made it 7-3 as Setticassi got his second RBI on a single to left field.
The NorthPaws kept it rolling in the sixth, capitalizing on Riverhawk’s errors. Clark scored via a throwing error from the catcher, and Joey Rico drove in Jared Hall on a sacrifice fly, capping off a four-inning stretch that saw Kamloops score nine unanswered runs.
In the bottom of the eighth, Joey Rico had a pair of runners on base and, got a hold of a pitch, and drilled it to deep right field for his first home run of the season, putting a season-high 12 runs on the board.
The Riverhawks scored three runs in the final two innings, but it was too little too late for them. Despite losing two of three in Kamloops, the Riverhawks outhit the NorthPaws in every game of the series.
After the Riverhawks scored 14 on Saturday night, the team and coaches knew a response was needed, and they provided that in front of their home fans.
“This was a gritty response from the boys. We talked after the game yesterday about how we didn’t like how things ended on Saturday, and we responded,” said Setticassi.
The weekend homestand marked the first time this season the team had played three consecutive games at Norbrock Stadium. Players and coaches have been pleased with the fan’s support and hope to keep the energy high as the summer goes on.
“It’s great to be able to compete in front of the fans and them showing up caring about the game and being loud; that was something we kinda missed last year, so hopefully we keep winning games, and they keep being loud,” said Jepson.
The next home game won’t be until next weekend, as the team starts the week on the road again, this time in Walla Walla for three games against the Sweets, who sit in second place in the South Division. When the team returns home next weekend to play against the Victoria Harbour Cats, it will begin a 12-game stretch, with 11 of those games to be played at Norbrock Stadium.
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