Summer Collegiate

NorthPaws take two of three in Edmonton

Published

3 years ago

June 16, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

Author: Larry Read

EDMONTON, AB—Saying his team matured a lot over three games, Kamloops NorthPaws manager Keith Francis saw his squad take two of three West Coast League contests against the host Edmonton RiverHawks.

Kamloops won the third game of midweek series with a 10-5 shellacking of the RiverHawks on Thursday (June 15th) at ReMAX Field.

This followed a 8-4 victory on Wednesday (June 14) and a 4-1 loss to the RiverHawks on Tuesday (June 13).

Kamloops improved it’s record to 4-8 while Edmonton drops to 3-9.

Kamloops had to take the long way to the Alberta capital for this series going through Calgary due to forest fires in Northwestern Alberta. The Paws had 23 players on the trip but had the number of available players dwindle to 21 due to illness.

Cooper Neville (Glendale, AZ) has moved atop of the batting average leaders for Kamloops. He is slugging .326 with six runs batted in and 14 hits. Hayden Walker (Albuquerque, NM) is tied for second in the West Coast league in Earned Run Average. He is at 0.75 with a record of 1-0 and 13 strikeouts in 12 innings of work.

The NorthPaws finished Thursday’s encounter and immediately got on the bus and headed back to the Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium to kick off a six game homestand. It begins tomorrow (Friday June 16th) as the Port Angeles Lefties pay a visit to Kamloops. The Lefties and the NorthPaws will play three in a row before a day off.

The RiverHawks stay at home to play three in a row against the Nanaimo Night Owls.

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

SERIES RECAP:

Tuesday, June 13, 2023-Edmonton RiverHawks 4 Kamloops NorthPaws 1

In a battle of two teams with identical records (2-7), the RiverHawks downed the NorthPaws. The attendance was tabbed as 3550. Kamloops led 1-0 after a half inning as Shortstop Cooper Neville singled and scored on an RBI double off the bat of Jude Hall (Chilliwack, BC). Neville was two for four on the night. Centerfielder Hall wound up one for four with an RBI.

The RiverHawks evened things up in the third and added single runs in the fifth, seventh and ninth innings. Halen Knoll (Edmonton, AB) was the winning pitcher as he went eight innings giving up five hits, striking out eight and walking two. He is now 1-1 on the year. Shaun Atamanchuk (Beaumont, AB) pitched the last inning earning the save. He had one strikeout. It was his first save of the campaign.

New Zealander Maclain Roberts took the loss. He pitched seven innings giving up three runs, five hits, walking three and striking out two. He is 0-2 on the year. Manny Recchi (Kamloops, BC) pitched the last inning, giving up two hits and an earned run.

Designated hitter Tommy Takayoshi (Spanaway, WA) was three for four with a run batted in.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598579

Wednesday, June 14, 2023-Kamloops NorthPaws 8 Edmonton NightHawks 4

Rebounding a few hours from the game one defeat, the two teams played a day game at Re-Max field. Kamloops chalked up their first road victory of the 2023 season. It was “School Day” in Edmonton and over 76 hundred people were on hand at Re-Max field.

It was the NightHawks who led 2-0 after the first inning and were up 3-2 until the sixth inning when Kamloops scored four runs on three hits.

Matthew Romero (Albuquerque, NM) pitched four innings of relief to garner his first win of the season. He surrendered five hits, one run, struck out two and walked one. He came on in relief of starter Tyrelle Chadwick (Kamloops, BC) who pitched five innings of four hit ball. He struck out three, gave up three runs and walked three.

The third of four Edmonton pitchers—Heath Hachkowski (Red Deer, AB) was tagged with the loss to fall to 1-2 on the year. Hachkowski went two thirds of an inning giving up three runs, two hits, walking one and striking out one.

Offensively, Kamloops was again led by Hall and Neville. Hall scored four runs and was two for three. Neville had a double in that eighth inning. He was three for four with two runs batted in and a run scored. Left fielder Landon Clark (Fortville, IN) went two for four with two runs batted in and a run scored. He had a single in that eighth.

For Edmonton, designated hitter Takayoshi was their main offensive weapons going two for four with two RBI.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598580

Thursday, June 15, 2023-Kamloops NorthPaws 10 Edmonton RiverHawks 5

Moss Adams Pitcher of the Week Griffin Almond (Thornbury, ON) recorded his second win of the WCL season pitching three and a third innings. He gave up three hits, two runs, walked four and struck out one before being relieved by Christian Spitz (Overland Park, KA).

Spitz tossed five and a third innings. He gave up three runs on six hits, struck out four and walked four. He was replaced by David Jeon (Coppell, TX) who went a third of an inning.

Offensively, Kamloops was led by Jared Sucro (Kamloops, BC), Neville and Hall. Sucro was two for five with two runs batted in and a run scored. Neville was three for five with two runs batted in and two runs scored. Hall was one for three with two runs batted in and a run scored.

Edmonton was led by catcher Takayoshi who was two for five. Will Gardner (St. Albert, AB) was two for four with a run scored and a run batted in. Daniel Calabrese (Hurst, TX) was one for three with an RBI and a run scored.

RiverHawk starter Chase Wheatley (Edmonton, AB) went three innings. He gave up four runs (three earned), walked four and struck out six. The loss was his first of the year.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598581

HEAD COACH KEITH FRANCIS:

On the series:

“We grew up a lot this weekend. There as all kinds of adversity beginning with the long trip here. We lost players due to sickness, there were times when we were down. But I couldn’t be prouder of these guys. After having only five hits against Corvallis, we rectified things in a hurry-especially in the last two games “(The NorthPaws had 18 hits in both victories over Edmonton).

Props for Sucro:

“He was definitely our unsung hero. He caught the last part of the opening games along with the next two games after Adge got sick. He told me he was up for the challenge and proved it with two hits today and two runs batted in.”

NEXT UP FOR THE NORTHPAWS:

The NorthPaws get on the bus and head back to the Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium to kick off a six game homestand. It begins tomorrow (Friday, June 16th)) as the Port Angeles Lefties pay a visit to Kamloops. The Lefties and the NorthPaws will play three in a row before Kamloops gets a day off. . Kamloops took four of six games against the Lefties last year including 6-5 and 7-4 at home. They were played June 24-25, 2022.

The RiverHawks stay at home to play three in a row against the Nanaimo Night Owls.

Edmonton will pay a visit to Kamloops for three games beginning July 11th.

PLAYERS TO WATCH ON PORT ANGELES:

BY Choi-SS/3B (South Korea) Dallas Baptist University

Roberto Nunez Infield (Salinas, CA) Embry-Riddle U. leads team in hitting .390 with16 hits and 9 RBI

Kander Koester Left Field (Chanute, KC) Neosho Country CC is second in hitting .345 with 4 RBI and two doubles

If you can’t make the 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 operating 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.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Stomp Owls to Sweep Series

Published

1 day ago

July 24, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Nanaimo, B.C. – The HarbourCats faced the Nanaimo NightOwls for the third game of the series and erupted for 18 runs, finishing off the sweep.

In a fascinating case of déjà vu, the HarbourCats dealt some serious damage to their up-island hosts in the very first inning. After two singles by Jacob Silva (UTSA) and Rohne Klein (San Jose State) helped to load the bases, a wild pitch, a walk, and a plunked batter brought home the first three Victoria runners on base. Michael Rodda (Palomar) laced a base hit up the middle to bring home two more, and a Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) single capped off the inning. Three outs, eleven batters, and six runs by the end of the top of the first.

BOX SCORE

Things went from bad to worse for the NightOwls and from good to better for the HarbourCats in the second inning! Once again, the bases found themselves full and, once again, Victoria put six runs on the board. Walks drawn by Aidan Rice (Portland) and Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois) pushed the first two to the plate. Then, with the pond full of ducks, Riley Kwak stepped up and hammered a baseball into the stratosphere for a grand slam, bringing the score to a nice even dozen.

The offence relented until the fifth, when a Rohne Klein solo homer added on further. Shortly after in the top of the sixth, the Cats loaded the bases and cashed in two runs by way of a Logan Shepherd (Mercer) double. A sacrifice fly provided the final word on inning number six, leaving Victoria holding a respectable 17-1 lead with three more innings to go.

With 18 runs in this ballgame, the Cats tied their 2026 season-high. (Photo by JPM Photography)

As he so often does, WCL All-Star Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) put together an excellent start. The Waco, Texas-born righty gave up a lone run in his six-inning outing, allowing four hits and earning three strikeouts. Carson Ackermann (Tacoma) was his successor, and he whipped his way through a clean seventh inning with two strikeouts and a popup.

The NightOwls made an effort in the bottom of the eighth, putting up four runs on Ackermann, and the right-hander continued to slip in the ninth. With the bases loaded and two outs, local catcher Jai Berezowski (Collegiate Cats) took the mound to finish it off, securing a flyout on three pitches to close out the series sweep on an 18-7 win.

WCL STANDINGS

There are only seven home games remaining in the 2026 regular season including our final weekend homestand of the year against Kamloops this Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then a mid-week set against the Port Angeles Lefties next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Then on August 3rd, we end the season with a bang! Our final fireworks show and Fan Appreciation Night! Don’t miss your chance to catch a game in 2026! Get your tickets now at http://Harbourcats.com/tickets.

ATTENTION VOUCHER HOLDERS: Just a reminder that all ticket vouchers must be exchanged for one of our remaining regular season games! They are not eligible for playoffs, nor can they be carried over to 2027.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Win Island Cup with Thorough 16-6 Victory

Published

2 days ago

July 23, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

An explosive first inning paved the way for Victoria to cruise to a win. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Nanaimo, B.C. – The HarbourCats showed up in a big way with a chance to lock down a series win on Wednesday night, thrashing the Nanaimo NightOwls 16-6.

With the victory on Tuesday, the HarbourCats were looking to hit the ground running in game two, and boy, did they ever. After Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) kicked off the game with a single to centre field, the Cats simply kept the line moving around and around the bases, scoring seven runs by the time the inning came to an end.

BOX SCORE

A hit by pitch and a walk followed the Bradshaw single, loading the bases with nobody out for Rohne Klein (San Jose State), who legged out an infield hit to score Bradshaw from third. A sacrifice fly by Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s) brought home Jacob Silva (UTSA), and Logan Shepherd (Mercer) scored from third soon after on a pitch in the dirt that got by the catcher. Michael Rodda (Palomar) got the next kick at the can and laced another single through the infield to bring in Klein. The NightOwls starter wasn’t doing himself any favours either, as a pickoff attempt that sailed over the head of the third baseman let another HarbourCat cross the plate, and a grounder back to the mound that was bafflingly thrown to third brought home run number seven. Nanaimo finally buckled down and secured the last two outs, but not before Victoria took a commanding lead with eight and a half innings still yet to come.

Though not quite at the intensity of the first inning, Victoria continued to put up runs throughout the middle innings. Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) had an RBI single in the third to drive in the eighth run of the game, and Logan Shepherd blasted a three-run bomb in the fifth, his fourth of the summer to make it an 11-0 lead.

Shepherd’s fifth-inning homer strengthened the lead. (Photo by JPM Photography)

While the offence was doing their thing, Cats pitcher Spencer Kratt (San Jose State) put together a solid outing of his own. Kratt allowed no runs on two hits across his four innings, striking out five NightOwls before giving way to Tate Collins (Arkansas State) in the fifth. The NightOwls rallied to score their first two runs of the ballgame off of Collins in the sixth inning, although with a nine-run deficit staring them down, they had just reached the base camp of a long climb.

Victoria continued to add on after Nanaimo’s resurgence, pushing the score to 13-2 on an error and a groundout before the NightOwls responded by knocking in another run on back-to-back doubles.

A fielder’s choice, an error, and a sacrifice fly led to three more runs in the top of the eighth to increase the HarbourCats’ buffer in the late stages, just in case of emergency. Hunter Daniels (Phoenix) appeared to pitch the bottom of the ninth, giving up three runs but ultimately closing out a 16-6 thrashing to win the 2026 Island Cup.

WCL STANDINGS

With the series win secured, the Cats will go for the sweep on Thursday night before returning to Victoria.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Smother NightOwls for 5-2 Win

Published

3 days ago

July 21, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Solid offence in the early stages of the game led to an important game one win. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Nanaimo, B.C. – The HarbourCats kicked off the Nanaimo series the right way with a 5-2 win over their hosts, the Nanaimo NightOwls.

BOX SCORE

It didn’t take long for the HarbourCats to put themselves in front, battling with two outs to take the lead in the top of the first. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with two away, and a couple of passed balls opened the door for both Logan Shepherd (Mercer) and Rohne Klein (San Jose State) to score. The Cats came back and tacked on another in the second inning with a Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) sac fly and would then load the bases up again in the third, scoring another run by way of a walk from Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois).

While the bats were heating up, starting pitcher Shea Lake (West Texas A&M) held up his end of the bargain and then some. In the four innings he oversaw, Lake notched seven strikeouts and denied Nanaimo any hits at all, putting up a zero in the run column. Houston Tomlinson of Arkansas State covered for Lake in the fifth and continued his legacy, striking out two in a clean inning on the mound.

Dillon Lopez was active on the scoresheet in this one, going 2/4 with a walk. (Photo by Christian J. Stewart)

Jacob Silva (UTSA) began the top of the sixth frame with a display of power, slinging a ball over the right field wall to extend the lead. The NightOwls had no answer in the home half of the inning, as Tomlinson continued to shut them down.

Nanaimo finally found their first hit of the ballgame in the top of the seventh inning, a double socked over the centre fielder Chee-Aloy to leadoff the bottom of the frame. Tomlinson got himself into a bit of a pickle with the bases loaded, which Nanaimo capitalized on to score their first two runs. Shea Lake’s West Texas A&M teammate Tristin Thomas was next out of the bullpen with the bases full. Unfazed by the pressure, Thomas struck out both batters he faced to preserve the lead.

Nathan Mueller (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) was summoned to finish the job in the ninth inning and did just that, locking in after a leadoff single and getting a double play and a strikeout to end the game.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats and NightOwls will gear up for a rematch on Wednesday night, with Victoria gunning for the series win.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games are now on sale at http:-//harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

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