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Summer Collegiate

Sixth inning does in NorthPaws against Falcons

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2 years ago

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Author: Larry Read

KAMLOOPS, BC—The Kelowna Falcons scored five times in the sixth inning and held onto beat the hometown Kamloops NorthPaws 5-4 in West Coast League baseball action Tuesday (Aug 1) at Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium.

Over 13 hundred fans were on hand for Stingray Radio night and saw their Paws team outhit Kelowna 9-3 in the contest.  Kelowna has now evened up the regular season series at two a piece.  The Falcons are now 13-9 in the second half of the season while Kamloops fell to 4-14.

The Paws took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth when Drew Giannini (Tracy, CA) stroked a RBI single scoring Robin Villeneuve (Gatineau, QC) who led off the inning with a single.  Giannini was 1-4 with an RBI on the night.  Villeneuve wound up 2-4.

Kelowna got to NorthPaw starter Maclain Roberts (Auckland, NZ) in the sixth when Jonas Salk (Fairfax, CA) scored on a wild pitch by Roberts.   Salk had doubled to kick off the inning. Roberts was lifted after pitching five and a third innings.  He left with two men aboard in favor of Matthew McDonald. 

McDonald—a Kamloops product—was making his NorthPaw debut after playing Academy ball in Calgary Alberta.  With him on the mound, the Falcons scored their other four runs.  Three of them charged to Roberts who was tagged with the loss.  He falls to 2-7 for the summer.

Kamloops cut the deficit to 5-3 in their half of the inning. Gage Mestas (Durango, CO) led it off with a single. He was followed by Cooper Neville (Glendale, AZ) who singled as well. Both scored on an error charged to Kelowna centerfielder Trey Duffield (Houston TX).  Mestas was 3-5 with a run scored.

The NorthPaws threatened in the bottom of the ninth.  They had the bases loaded but could only push one run across as Matthew Ward (Mississauga, ON) singled and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Anthony Manuel (Antioch, CA).   Ward was 2-3 with that scored run.   

Offensively for Kelowna: Salk was 1-4 with a run scored and a run batted in.  Griffin Palfey (West Vancouver, BC) started on the mound for the Falcons before switching to designated hitter. He was 1-3 at the dish with a run scored.. Pitching wise, he threw five innings of one run ball. He gave up five hits, struck out three and walked two. He was the winning pitcher moving to 1-2.

Thrasher Steed (Orange Beach, AL) came onto pitch the ninth inning for his fifth save of the year. He gave up a run, struck out two and walked two along with one hit as he made his 16th appearance of the summer.

The Falcons and NorthPaws will head to Kelowna now for games two and three of this series.  They go tomorrow (Aug 2) and Thursday (Aug 3) at Elks Stadium.

The Paws will close out the 2023 West Coast League regular season in Kamloops (August 4-6). Their opponents will be the Nanaimo Night Owls. 

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

Tuesday, August 1, 2023:

Link to Scoresheet:  http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598695

HEAD COACH KEITH FRANCIS ON THE FIVE RUN SIXTH INNING:

“We didn’t throw strikes. That was the name of the game. Four walks and they all scored.  We are very short on pitching. I had to throw the guys tonight.  I didn’t have any choice because we still have games to go and some of my starters have left (for university). We have to match up a little better. But that is no excuse. We still have to throw strikes.”

NORTHPAWS CENTERFIELDER GAGE MESTAS:

“It was a hard-fought game.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the job done. We fought to the end of it.  This has been the underlying theme.  Its unfortunate but we have spent the summer playing ball and making memories.”

NEXT UP FOR THE NORTHPAWS:

The NorthPaws and Falcons will duke it out in a pair of games at Elks Stadium in Kelowna tomorrow and Thursday.

They then will conclude the regular season at Dearborn Ford field at Norbrock Stadium against Nanaimo.   The August 5th contest against the Night Owls will be Fan Appreciation night followed the final game of the regular campaign which has been deemed “Family Day”.

If you can’t make the home 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  runs 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.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – KidSport celebrating notable anniversary with HarbourCats in 2025

Published

4 days ago

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March 18, 2025

By

March 18, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. — Count ’em, 25 years of helping youth enjoy sports.

KidSport Greater Victoria is teaming up with the Victoria HarbourCats to celebrate an amazing 25 years of assisting kids in the pursuit of both participation and excellence in local sports, with planned events this summer at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park.

And, not the least of which is the June 19 KidSport Greater Victoria School Spirit Game, a Thursday matchup starting at 11am featuring the HarbourCats and island rival Nanaimo NightOwls, with many schools all but emptying to take in the action and helping celebrate this tremendous achievement for KidSport Greater Victoria.

“We can’t think of a better community organization to have involved with this, the KidSport School Spirit game,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner of the HarbourCats.

“This will be a season-long theme of celebration, of reminding our fans of the great work they do and have done for so long in Victoria. Each and every game, people will have an opportunity to show their support for KidSport Greater Victoria, including a few special events outside this School Spirit Game.”

This will be the second Thursday game in a row in the HarbourCats home schedule in 2025 which will be dedicated to kids — on June 12, the Mayfair Optometric School Spirit Game will take place, also an 11am start featuring the HarbourCats and NightOwls. KidSport Greater Victoria and Mayfair Optometric Clinic are aligned with community values and supporting youth, making this an ideal match to welcome a combined total of more than 5,000 school kids to the park.

“We are so grateful for the past and ongoing support the HarbourCats have offered KidSport, and very excited about the various ways our organizations will work together this year,” said Jill Shaw, Executive Director of KidSport Greater Victoria. “Demand for our support is at an all-time high. We are seeing more families than ever coming to us in need of help so their children can access organized sport. The HarbourCats June 19th School Spirit Game is a great opportunity both to raise awareness about the work we do, and to offer local kids great access to another fun and rewarding local sport experience – we are very happy to be involved!”

KidSport Greater Victoria will also be front and centre on Harvey’s Birthday Game on July 11 at Wilson’s Group Stadium, and will be involved in other special games that are still to be announced.

Supporting KidSport will be a constant theme of the HarbourCats in this 2025 West Coast League season. The HarbourCats encourage all who can to contribute to this great cause, which you can action by clicking this link (https://www.kidsportvictoria25.ca/).

KidSport Greater Victoria has seen tremendous growth over the last 25 years, with demand for their support increasing very steeply starting in 2023 in particular. KidSport Greater Victoria exists to help ensure all kids have opportunity to play; annually they cover the registration fees for well over 1400 local kids living in financial need, enabling them to take part in seasons of sport of their choice – including baseball! As the largest KidSport chapter in the province, we know that on just about every sports team in the region, there are children playing who are able to take part thanks to KidSport and the supporters and donors who make their work possible.

To order tickets as a school group for the June 19 KidSport Greater Victoria School Spirit Game, or the June 12 Mayfair Optometric Clinic School Spirit Game, contact GM Christian Stewart, chris@harbourcats.com — some seats are left, but not many!

For fans looking for tickets for these exciting games, and any other HarbourCats game in 2025, visit the HarbourCats ticketing site HERE.

 

 

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Summer Collegiate

Star Vegas catcher, Hawaii Pacific players added to summer roster

Published

1 week ago

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March 12, 2025

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Unveiled today for Coach Andreychuk’s roster in 2025:

C Anthony Marnell IV, S/R, College of Southern Nevada (and Oregon State), 6-2/200, Las Vegas

RHP Zach Horwith, R/R, 6-1/200, Bellarmine University, Castle Rock, CO

RHP Brennan Kettle, R/R, 6-0/155, Hawaii Pacific, Houston, TX

SS Andrew Nykoluk, R/R, 5-10/165, Hawaii Pacific, Simi Valley, CA

RHP Jayden Gabrillo, L/R, Hawaii Pacific, 5-8/165, Ewa Beach, HI

OF Owen Wessel, R/R, 5-8/165, Hawaii Pacific, Huntington Beach, CA

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Peninsula Co-op partners to bring community events to HarbourCats games

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2 weeks ago

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March 6, 2025

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For Immediate Release

March 6, 2025 

VICTORIA, B.C. –– There are few groups more community-minded on Vancouver Island than Peninsula Co-op — their involvement with the Victoria HarbourCats and specific events confirms that yet again.

Thanks to Peninsula Co-op, athletes from Special Olympics and Challenger Baseball will take to the field at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park this summer, in what has become a pair of annual events that warm the hearts of fans and bring big smiles to the faces of all the competitors.

“This is something we have worked together with Peninsula Co-op on for more than a decade and these are special nights that have heart-warming moments you can’t manufacture,” said Jim Swanson of the HarbourCats.

“I think the Special Olympics athletes look forward more to this game with our HarbourCats guys than they do to provincials or major tournaments they attend. And with Challenger Baseball, this game shows all the fans how fun it is to be on the field, getting around the bases or swinging at that pitch down the middle.”

“Peninsula Co-op is excited to continue our long-standing partnership with the HarbourCats and to bring these community-inclusive and engaging events to life,” said Lindsay Gaudette, Director of Member and Community Engagement with Peninsula Co-op.

“The dedication, joy, and spirit of these athletes remind us of the power of community, teamwork, and inclusion. We look forward to another summer of unforgettable moments on the field.”

The big dates:

*Challenger Baseball, Tuesday, July 15, 5:30pm (before the 6:35pm HarbourCats game)

*Special Olympics, Wednesday, July 23, 5:30pm (before the 6:35pm HarbourCats game)

Peninsula Co-op members also get $2.00 discounts for HarbourCats tickets (at the office in advance, or at box-office on game days), and Peninsula Co-op also makes it possible for kids to come free for an entire series, the July 25-26-27 three-game set with the Wenatchee AppleSox in Victoria to play the HarbourCats.

For more information, see the HarbourCats website at harbourcats.com — tickets, promotions, partners, merchandise, and more.

 

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