Summer Collegiate

Sixth inning does in NorthPaws against Falcons

Published

3 years ago

August 2, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

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 – Cats Nail Down 5-3 Win in Nanaimo

Published

9 hours ago

June 24, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Marcus Nolen’s homer in the second inning gave an early advantage to the HarbourCats. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Nanaimo, B.C. – Victoria kicked off the Island Rivalry series the right way on Tuesday night, claiming a 5-3 win over the Nanaimo NightOwls

The Cats made it a loud second inning in this one, slamming two monster moonshots to get on the board first. Marcus Nolen (Fresno State) shelled the parking lot for his second of the season, followed up by a blast to right field from Max Bernal (Fresno Pacific) to make it a three-run inning for the Cats.

BOX SCORE

That run support backed up a scoreless start from Landon Marchetti (San Jose State), who pitched three innings, gave up zero hits, and struck out four batters. Davis Lee (Calgary) was summoned for the bottom of the fourth, surrendering the first Nanaimo run of the evening before stranding two runners to end the inning. Victoria responded with another run in their next turn at the plate, bringing in a run on a sacrifice fly to restore a three-run lead.

Davis Lee took a seat after a strong two innings of work, giving way to Asher Clark (Northern Colorado) in the sixth. The right-hander loaded the bases but buckled down, generated some weak contact, and stranded the runners to keep the HarbourCats’ lead intact.

David Krahn is tied for the second-most hits in the West Coast League, adding three more in tonight’s ballgame. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Clark ran the bases full once again with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, inducing a change of personnel for the HarbourCats. Marcus Janovsky (UBC) took to the field, hitting a batter but stranding three runners to escape the inning clutching a 4-3 lead.

Victoria answered back in the next frame, beginning with a well-earned walk from Kade Davis (UTSA), who later came around to score on a base hit by Dryden Fuoco (Hill College). 5-3 Cats after eight innings..

It was Carson Ackermann’s turn to get in on the action in the bottom of the eighth. The Tacoma College hurler locked down the frame with two strikeouts to keep the score frozen. Pierce Stone (Regis) appeared on the bump to close it out and didn’t disappoint, filling up the zone and securing a quick three outs to seal the deal.

WCL STANDINGS

The series continues tomorrow, with the HarbourCats hosting the NightOwls in Victoria for an Island Rivalry game at 6:35 pm!

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby 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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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Offence Erupts Early in 15-5 Win

Published

2 days ago

June 22, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

David Krahn’s two-homer ballgame led the way for an offensive clinic. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Port Angeles, WA – The HarbourCats closed out the Port Angeles series in style on a sunny Sunday afternoon, racking up 17 hits in a 15-5 victory.

David Krahn (UBC) took it upon himself to spark the offence early in this one, blasting a leadoff rocket to make it 1-0 Cats in the top of the first.

BOX SCORE

The Lefties responded quickly, dropping a perfectly placed line drive into left field to bring in the tying run in the bottom of the first. Port Angeles threatened with more runners in scoring position, but an unassisted double play by David Krahn kept the game even at one.

Cats outfielder Max Bernal (Fresno Pacific) knocked a double into the gap in the next inning to push Dryden Fuoco (Hill College) up to third base. David Krahn came in clutch once again in his second trip to the plate, driving in Fuoco to snatch the lead back for Victoria. The second-inning offence wouldn’t end there for the Cats, as Matt Westley (George Mason) and Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) both singled to widen the lead to 5-1 by the end of the frame.

Matt Westley was 2/4 this afternoon with a double and 3 RBI. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria didn’t let up after gaining the lead, putting some ducks on the pond in the top of the third inning for, you guessed it, David Krahn. The Langley, B.C. product pulverized his second homer of the game to further extend the lead to 8-1. The hits just kept coming in the third frame, and suddenly Victoria was up 12-1.

A bruised Lefties lineup managed to throw a counter-punch in the bottom of the third, uncorking two leadoff home runs to dead centre. A valiant effort, but the home side had a lot of work to do if they were to erase a 12-3 deficit.

The Cats kept their foot on the gas, loading the bases in the top of the fifth and bringing home a pair of runs on hits by Matt Westley and Brady Hewitt. Austin Lindsey (Hill College) came in to pitch for the bottom of the fifth, relieving Jeremiah Arnett (Rice) who allowed three runs on four hits over four innings.

Spencer Kratt (San Jose State) took over on the heels of two spotless no-hit innings from Lindsey, before Anson Stuckly (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) closed it out in the ninth with two strikeouts.

Port Angeles managed to scrape together a comeback attempt in the later innings, but Victoria’s mountainous lead stayed intact for a 15-5 win.

WCL STANDINGS

With the road trip complete, the Cats will come back to Victoria to take on the Nanaimo NightOwls at 6:30 pm on Tuesday night.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Lefties Take Game Two in Extra Innings

Published

4 days ago

June 20, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Port Angeles, WA – The Port Angeles Lefties eked out a win in an extra innings nail-biter, walking it off for an 8-7 victory,

It didn’t take long for the HarbourCats to follow up on last night’s win. Jacob Silva (UTSA) stepped into the box and crushed an RBI double to take an early lead in the top of the first.

BOX SCORE

The Lefties responded in a big way in the bottom of the second, taking advantage of hard contact and a HarbourCats error to set the stage for a three-run homer. This ended a short start for Bryson Toner (Hawaii), giving way to Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) to finish the second inning down 5-1.

Lightning struck twice in the fourth inning for the HarbourCats. Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) crushed his team-leading third homer of the year, followed up by Renton, Washington’s Rohne Klein (San Jose State) sending one well over the fence as well. With two home runs in just one inning, the Cats were suddenly right back in this game.

Brady Hewitt let one fly tonight for his third homer of the season. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Momentum continued for the Cats in their next trip to the plate. David Krahn (UBC) found a gap and hustled his way to a leadoff double before returning home on a Matt Westley (George Mason) base hit later in the inning. Kade Davis (UTSA) would eventually be the man to take back the lead for Victoria, as he came through with a 2-RBI double down the right field line to push the score to 6-5 in favour of the HarbourCats.

The home team was determined not to let this outburst slide, solving Daniel Tovar for the first time and tying the game at six. Tovar exited the game after a strong outing on the bump, going 3.1 innings with two hits, one run, and three strikeouts.

Jack Clark (CSU San Marcos) was rock-solid in a four-inning relief appearance in which he gave up only one hit. The score remained deadlocked all the way until extra innings, when Rohne Klein earned a sacrifice fly to take a narrow 7-6 lead in the top of the tenth frame. The Lefties struck back once again in the bottom of the inning, laying a bunt down to move the runners over and walking it off to force a rubber match on Sunday.

WCL STANDINGS

The third and final match of the series takes place on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 pm, after which the Cats will return to Victoria to face the Nanaimo NightOwls at 6:30 pm on Tuesday night.

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