VICTORIA, B.C. — The NightOwls leave empty-handed after a tough 10-3 loss to the Victoria HarbourCats in game three of the series. The NightOwls fell behind one to nothing in the first inning before the HarbourCats went off for eight runs in the bottom of the third inning. Nanaimo was able to put a couple on the board to make it respectable, but in the end, were swept by their Island rival.

Nanaimo had three runs on 10 hits with no errors. The Victoria HarbourCats had 10 runs on 16 hits with no errors on the day in front of 2576 fans.

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Brock Wirthgen had a 344-foot home run to left field in the top of the seventh inning to make it 10-2. Brock, from California Baptist University, went one for four on the afternoon with a home run and an RBI. Raoul Fabian Jr. was on base twice with a walk and was hit by a pitch. Drew Giannini also contributed on the day with a hit, going one for four.

Ricardo Villegas pitched three innings and started strong, but struggled in the third inning. He took the loss with a stat line of two and two-thirds innings, giving up six runs on six hits. The bullpen was able to stop the bleeding as Carter Chard-Hill and Ryder Florence both pitched scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth.

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Andrew Ivy had a strong game for the Nanaimo NightOwls. He went three for five at the plate with one hit and one RBI. Caden Petrey, Eli Watson, Andrew Nykoluk, and Alessandro Volpe each chipped in on the day with a single.

There was some definite base running errors, which I am sure Coach Cody Andreychuk will address going forward. The NightOwls were thrown out three times on the bases from fly ball or line drive double plays.

The Nanaimo NightOwls start a 10-game homestand with a weekend series against the Port Angeles Lefties. The series goes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 20th, 21st, and 22nd at Serauxemen Stadium. Then we welcome the Redmond Dudes on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 24th and 25th.

Make sure to get your tickets and follow the team on our website and social media when they are on the road for the latest information and updates. We have some great promotional days coming up, starting on Saturday with Worker Safety night with some free swag on the concourse, AND Bring A Friend night with a free gift at the Owl’s merch tent for you and your BFF.

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June 19, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. –  The Victoria HarbourCats completed the sweep of their island rival Nanaimo NightOwls with a 10-3 win Thursday afternoon. It was an early start for the second school spirit game of the season, which was presented by KidSport.

The Cats got on the board early through a fielder’s choice, which gave them a 1-0 lead after one inning.

Isaiah Afework (Tacoma CC) and Xander “Boogie” McAfee (Texas Arlington) hit back-to-back RBI singles in the third inning to increase their advantage to 3-0. The runs did not stop there as Connor Ross (Cal Baptist), Curtis McKay (Niagara), and Owen Clyne (George Mason) all hit two-RBI singles to cap off the eight-run frame and give the hosts a 9-0 lead.

BOX SCORE

Tanner Beltowski (Westmont) hit his first home run of the season in the fifth inning to make it 10-0.

Hudson Lance (Coastal Carolina) had his best outing of the year, pitching five shutout innings, giving up no runs on four hits and striking out two.

WCL STANDINGS 

Nanaimo got on the board in the sixth and seventh innings, scoring three runs against Ethan McNish-Heider (Niagara), making it 10-3. From there, Marcus Janovsky (UBC) and Wyatt McDonald (LCC) closed out the final three innings giving up no runs.

Eight HarbourCats recorded at least a hit with Ross, Clyne, and Beltowski having three-hit games.

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The Cats are back in action tomorrow in Kamloops to open up a three-game weekend series.

Season Tickets, 10 and 32-Game Flex Passes and Single Game Tickets are now on sale for all 33 home games and four “Showcase” events through the HarbourCats’ new and one-and-only ticketing partner SHOWPASS at harbourcats.com/tickets.

Tickets and merchandise can also be purchased in person at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street or by calling 778-265-0327.

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The Kamloops NorthPaws lost 5-4 to the Walla Walla Sweets in game two of the series, moving to 10-7 on the season. The game went back and forth, featuring clutch hitting and great outings on the mound, but a ninth-inning controversy led to the Sweets walking it off with a single in the bottom of the ninth.

After a scoreless top half, the Sweets looked to jump on Kamloops starter JM Harduval. The righty gave up a solo home run to begin the bottom of the first. He would later walk a batter and have him score on a double, making it 2-0.

Kamloops responded in the top of the second with first baseman Keegan Drinkle hitting a two-out triple. Third baseman Joey Marino was up next and brought him home with a single, cutting the lead in half.

In the second inning, Harduval walked the leadoff man and gave up a single. A wild pitch advanced the runners, and then Handuval hit a batter, loading the bases and ending his outing. Lefty Tyler Straily was first out of the bullpen and faced a loaded, none-out situation. Miraculously, a strikeout, infield fly, and a ground out got Straily out of the jam as the Sweets couldn’t capitalize.

Kamloops would continue to chip away as second baseman Tanner Hornback singled and right fielder Joey Rico doubled, putting them at second and third. Hornback scored the tying off a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Brendan Burke. The Sweets wasted no time in the bottom of the third, beginning the inning with two walks and a single, making it 3-2.

The NorthPaws once again had a response with runners on the corners and one out in the top of the fourth. Kamloops center fielder Ethan Kodama sent a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Drinkle. Left fielder Cade Palkowski scored the go-ahead run a few pitches later on a past ball.

In the bottom half, despite turning a 5-4-3 double play, the Sweets rallied. Back-to-back singles and a wild pitch is how the Sweets tied things up, and it would be the final inning for Straily. Righty Nolan Austin was next up and was brilliant, going three scoreless innings and giving up only three hits. Righty Daxton Vanderkooi came on in the eighth and threw a scoreless inning.

Both teams went into the ninth deadlocked at four. The NorthPaws went down scoreless in the top half, bringing righty Julio Garcia out to try and pitch a shutdown ninth. Garcia gave up a leadoff single but would strike the next batter out. Kamloops then decided to intentionally walk Nate Stiveson, who already had two hits on the night.

Nikhil Beasley was next for the Sweets and hit a grounder to first base for out number two, but here’s where things get weird. Stivenson started jogging back to first after the out was recorded, so the NorthPaws tagged him for what they thought was an inning-ending double play.

Stivenson was confused because he thought he heard the umpire call time. The base umpire called him out but was overruled by the plate umpire. This ruling had both managers confused as Kamloops never heard time being called.

The Play resulted in both runners advancing 90 feet, and two pitches later, Johnny Backus sent a line drive to left field that touched outfield grass, securing the Sweet’s third walk-off win of the season.

The NorthPaws will play the rubber match tomorrow night at 6:35. You can find the game on West Coast League TV.

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