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.

Source

The Kamloops NorthPaws lost game two of their weekend series against the Edmonton Riverhawks 14-8. The NorthPaws got off to a 6-0 lead, but Edmonton scored 14 unanswered runs, stunning the home crowd. On the mound, the Riverhawks were able to pitch seven straight scoreless innings, shutting down the NorthPaw bats.

“I think we went into cruise control today and took our foot off the gas, and it hurt us tonight,” said Assistant Coach Trey Newman.

Kamloops got the lead first with second baseman Elijah Clayton walking and advancing to third on a throwing error. Center fielder Jared Hall drove him in on a sacrifice fly.

In the second inning, the NorthPaws had the bases loaded with no one out, as Clayton doubled, scoring two more runs. Hall would follow suit, doubling to make it four in the inning and a 5-0 ballgame. Brendan Burke singled, scoring the sixth run for the NorthPaws as they took control of the game.

Things would take a sharp turn, however, as Edmonton’s offence came to life. Two doubles, a single, a triple, two wild pitches and two walks lead to six Riverhawk runs, tying the game. In the top of the sixth, the Riverhawks delivered more fatal blows, batting around and scoring five more runs, making it 11 unanswered to that point. The NorthPaws didn’t know what hit them, but in two innings, the game was flipped on its head.

Five Riverhawks had multiple hits, including Trent Lenihan and Shiryu Sato, who combined for seven RBIs. The offensive outburst, mixed with quality pitching, was a duo the NorthPaws couldn’t overcome on Saturday night.

“This team can prove a lot to us coaches and themselves about how they respond in these situations. We’re in a good spot in the first half so far, but we need to win a series at home, so tomorrow’s going to be a big identity game for this group,” said Newman.

The NorthPaws and Riverhawks will wrap up the three-game set on Sunday afternoon. It will be a fun one at the ballpark, especially since it’s Father’s Day. Tickets are being offered at a discounted price. The first pitch is set for 12:05.

Source

KELOWNA, B.C. — A late rally from the Kelowna Falcons saw the Nanaimo NightOwls fall 2-1 on Saturday night from Elks Stadium. A two-run rally from the home side was enough to tie up the series in the 8th inning.

It wasn’t the pitching that hurt the NightOwls on the night, as starter Richtter Castillo threw four innings of two-hit ball while striking out six batters. Not to be outdone, Teague Van Dyke had three scoreless innings not giving up a hit and adding another 4 strikeouts to the NightOwls total.

Trey Langan is the picture of record for Nanaimo despite only giving up two hits and two runs. It is safe to say that pitching could not be blamed on the evening, as the three pitchers combined for just two runs on four hits and 11 strikeouts. The NightOwls couldn’t deal with the Kelowna starting pitcher.

Joel Hogan went all nine innings for the Falcons and had to face just 31 batters in the process. He only walked two and got 3 strikeouts, so he wasn’t carving up the Nanaimo batters; they were just hitting them right at people, and sometimes you have a game like that.

At the plate for the Nanaimo NightOwls there were still a couple of bright spots as Owen Wessel went one for three with a double, run, and a walk. Jacob Hayes continued to keep his hitting streak alive as he went one for four with a single. That moves the streak now to 10 games for the 6’5 first basemen from Azusa Pacific University.

Nathan Davis, Raoul Fabian Jr., and Brady Morse all added in with one hit on the evening. I spoke with Brady after the game,

“Yeah, it was a hard-fought game, and we just didn’t have some hard-hit balls fall our way. Baseball is a weird game like that, sometime where even if you play great, you can still lose. Their pitcher threw really well and attacked the zone. With wood bats, sometimes that’s enough to get the job done.” He finished it off perfectly for the NightOwls, “All we can do is get back tomorrow and bring some intensity.”

It was a hard night to come by hits and runs as the NightOwls had just one run on 5 hits with an error, while the Kelowna Falcons had two runs on four hits, but they didn’t come until late in the game. The series is on the line Sunday, and like Brady said, all we can do is get back tomorrow and bring some intensity!

The Nanaimo NightOwls finish their road trip in Kelowna against the Falcons on Sunday, June 15th. Nanaimo heads back to Victoria for a three-game stint before returning home on June 20th against the Port Angeles Lefties for a weekend series. Make sure to get your tickets and follow the team on our website and social media when they are out on the road for the latest information and updates!

Source