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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Bells take series with 8-2 rout

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Jack Johnson has reached base in every game he’s played this season (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

June 15, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – More than 2000 fans were packed into Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park on this Father’s Day matinee, where the Bellingham Bells won the rubber match, defeating the Victoria HarbourCats 8-2.

For the seventh game in a row, the Cats scored in the first inning. Today, it was through a Cayden Munster (Fresno State) sacrifice fly, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead.

BOX SCORE

Julian Orozco (Cal Baptist) started his second game of the season after an impressive outing last week against Port Angeles, where he threw four shutout innings. This afternoon, he looked just as good through two innings but ran into trouble in the third. A softly hit Brock Sell single tied the game at one before Nico Azpilcueta crushed a double to the gap, scoring two more, giving the visitors a 3-1 lead.

Orozco’s day finished after three innings, giving up three runs on three hits while striking out six.

Julian Orozco leads the HarbourCats with 15 strikeouts this season (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

WCL STANDINGS

Andrew Carter (TCU) was first out of the bullpen for Victoria but could not find the strike zone and the Bells took advantage. Two bases loaded walks surrendered by Carter increased Bellingham’s advantage to 5-1. Carter struck out two in his inning of work and both runs against him were unearned due to an error to start the frame.

Curtis McKay (Niagara) put another run on the board for the Cats with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, cutting the lead to 5-2. Victoria was threatening in the inning by loading the bases, but Tanner Beltowski (Westmont College) grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the threat.

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After another bases-loaded walk scored a run for the Bells in the seventh, Andrew Lamb hit his third home run of the series with a solo shot in the eighth, increasing his team’s lead to 7-2.

Alex Fernandes drove in an eighth Bells run in the ninth with a single to right field.

Logan Shepherd increased his hitting streak to nine games with a single in the first inning (Photo: Justin P. Morash) 

Cade Rusch (IUS) pitched 2-1/3 innings, giving up one run on one hit, walking two and striking out one batter. Dillon Dibrell (Central Oklahoma) gave up one run on one hit over 1-2/3 innings of work. Austin Lindsey (Hill College) finished the game, pitching the ninth inning, giving up a run on a pair of hits.

WATCH GAMES HERE

The Cats have a day off on Monday, then open a series against the Nanaimo NightOwls on Tuesday, June 17th at 6:35 PM. Game one is $12 Tuesday, where all premium reserved and general admission tickets are on sale for $12. Wednesday, June 18th at 6:35 PM is Winning Wednesday, where all Red Arrow Products are discounted. Thursday, June 19th is the second School Spirit Game of the season with a special start time of 11:00 AM. Don’t miss all the action as the two island rivals face off once again. Buy tickets at harbourcats.com/tickets.

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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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Shepherd steers Cats to victory

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With two hits tonight, Logan Shepherd increased his batting average to .356, which is third best in the WCL (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

July 29, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – With Logan Shepherd leading the charge, the Victoria HarbourCats cruised to a 9-3 win over the Kamloops NorthPaws to open the series.

For the third game in a row, the Cats gave up a run in the top of the first inning. A walk and single to start the game was followed up by a Kason Siguenza RBI single to give the NorthPaws the early lead.

The hosts wasted no time answering back in the bottom half when Shepherd (Mercer U) crushed a breaking ball off the scoreboard beyond the left field fence for a three-run home run to make it 3-1. It was his third straight game going yard and his eighth home run of the season. That ties him for the HarbourCats single-season home run record with Gabe Clark, Hunter Vansau, and Colton Moore, who all hit eight long balls in 2014, 2017, and 2022, respectively.

BOX SCORE

Tanner Beltowski had three hits and scored three runs (Photo: Justin P. Morash) 

Kamloops starter Mason Chien struggled facing the lineup the second time through the order in the third inning, giving up a pair of hits, walking three, and a wild pitch. Victoria took advantage of his lack of control, scoring runs on a bases-loaded walk, RBI groundout, and wild pitch to give starter Ryne Palmer (Cal Baptist) a solid cushion to work with. Another bases-loaded walk in the fourth inning, this time drawn by Garrett Brooks (St. Mary’s), gave the Cats a 7-1 lead.

Palmer made his fourth appearance of the campaign and first start. He pitched five innings, giving up one earned run on two hits, striking out six and walking two. In 2024, the right-hander from Peoria, Arizona, led the Cats with seven starts and 27-1/3 innings pitched.

WCL STANDINGS

The NorthPaws added a pair of runs in the middle innings, but the HarbourCats cancelled out those runs in the eighth through back-to-back RBI singles from Jack Johnson (Tulane U) and Shepherd to restore their six-run lead, making it 9-3.

Ryne Palmer has 12 strikeouts in 9-2/3 innings pitched this season (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

Ben Hewitt replaced Palmer and threw a season-high four innings to close out the game for the hosts. The big right-hander struck out four while surrendering just one run on one hit.

WATCH GAMES HERE

With tonight’s win, the HarbourCats maintain their one-game lead at the top of the North Division’s second-half standings. The Edmonton Riverhawks, who sit in second, beat the Nanaimo NightOwls 5-1 Tuesday night.

The two teams are back in action tomorrow at 6:35 PM. Tyler Patrick (Fresno State) is your projected starter for Victoria.

VOUCHER REMINDER: The Victoria HarbourCats only have 5 home games remaining this season, so don’t forget to redeem your vouchers. You can do so at harbourcats.com/tickets, and if you have any questions or need help exchanging your vouchers, call the HarbourCats office at (778) 265 0327.

10 Game Flex Passes and Single Game Tickets are on sale for all home games and “Showcase” events through the HarbourCats’ 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.

For more updates, be sure to follow @HarbourCats on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

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Hard-working NightOwls win Game 2 in Kamloops

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KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Nanaimo, be proud of your blue-collar NightOwls.

A hard-work effort brought a hard-work style win on Saturday in Kamloops, where the NightOwls were full marks for an 11-8 win over the host NorthPaws. A dozen hits, no errors, and scored in bunches to be in position to win the series with a victory on Sunday, a noon road start at Norbrock Stadium.

The NightOwls will not let their playoff chances fade away — this team battles. Nanaimo is 7-9 in the second half and 19-24 overall, with wins over Kamloops a must to keep that late drive alive.

What a third inning — the NightOwls plated seven runs, only to have Kamloops reply with six in the bottom half. Nanaimo added singles in the fourth and sixth innings, and put some insurance on the board with two runs in the ninth — that should have been more, but an apparent home run by catcher Brock Wirthgen was ruled a foul ball.

It was by far the roughest outing of the season for NightOwls starter Teague Van Dyke, who had been nearly unhittable until that third inning. He finished with seven hits allowed, six earned runs against, and three strikeouts. Moosa Nonomiya went three innings with just one run, from three hits and two walks allowed. Vinny Bruno went two innings, surrendering a solo home run, while Cole Carmichael got the save with a hitless ninth inning.

The lineup produced a lot of base runners. Wirthgen had three runs driven in to pace the offence, with Spencer Sullivan and Jacob Hayes both having two hits, Hayes walking three times on top of it for a total of five times reaching base. Shortstop Andrew Nykoluk was 3-5 with two runs, while Ryder Florence scored three times. Owen Wessel had two runs driven in.

The team will venture home on Sunday after the noon start, then on Tuesday head to Edmonton to face the Riverhawks for games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

There are just three more regular season home games for the NightOwls in 2025, a weekend series against Kamloops that starts a week from Friday (August 1-2-3), with the Friday and Saturday games at 6:35pm and the Sunday capper at 1pm. The NightOwls complete their fourth WCL regular season with a road series in Bellingham, August 4-5-6.

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Victoria HarbourCats – Explosive offence powers Cats to series win

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Today is the 12th time this season the HarbourCats have scored 10 or more runs (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

July 27, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Victoria HarbourCats clinched an important series win against the Wenatchee AppleSox with a 13-8 victory in front of more than 2000 fans on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

It wasn’t going to plan early for the hosts, as for the second game in a row, the AppleSox jumped out to an early two-run lead. Izzy Madariaga and Jehee Lee hit back-to-back RBI doubles to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the second, Connor Ross (Cal Baptist) crushed a 100 MPH double to the gap after Garrett Brooks (St. Mary’s) drew a walk after battling through a 10-pitch at bat. That put runners on second and third for Jai Berezowski (Golden Tide), who hit a clutch two-out single to plate both runners, making it 2-2.

BOX SCORE

Including non-league action, Jai Berezowski is on a five-game hit streak producing eight hits and nine RBIs (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

Berezowski got things started in the fifth with a double down the left field line for his second hit of the game. The Victoria native reached base four times this afternoon. Tanner Beltowski (Westmont College) brought him home, hitting a single up the middle, giving Victoria their first lead of the afternoon. The shortstop came around to score later in the inning on a wild pitch to give the Cats a 4-2 lead. Kamana Nahaku (Hawaii) blew the game wide open for the second time this weekend, crushing a three-run home run to push the Cats’ advantage to 7-2.

The HarbourCats did not let up in the sixth inning, scoring six more runs in the sixth inning after the big five-run fifth. A pair of wild pitches allowed two runs to score before Logan Shepherd (Mercer U) crushed his seventh home run of the season, a three-run blast, to extend the lead to 12-2. Ross drove in his first run of the game with an opposite-field single later in the frame, which pushed the score to 13-2.

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Logan Rumberg (George Mason) started for Victoria, and after his shaky first inning, he produced one of the most dominant displays the West Coast League has seen this season. The flame-throwing right-hander struck out eight over seven innings of work, walking zero batters. After surrendering a second-inning single, the Okotoks, Alberta native retired 16 batters in a row to complete his outing.

Logan Rumberg’s 35 strikeouts this season rank eighth in the West Coast League (Photo: Christian J. Stewart) 

Garrett Villa (Angelo State) pitched the final two innings for the Cats and, due to some poor defence all around the infield, gave up four runs in the eighth inning. The Sox scored two more in the ninth inning through a Madariaga two-run single to cut the lead to 13-8, but that was all they could produce as Villa got Jehee Lee to ground out to wrap up the win.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats entered Sunday tied for the second-half North Division lead alongside the Edmonton Riverhawks. This win puts them half a game up on the Hawks for the time being, as they are in action later tonight against the Kelowna Falcons.

After an off-day on Monday, Victoria plays host to the Kamloops NorthPaws for three games on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. All games are at 6:35 PM. Get tickets at harbourCats.com/tickets.

VOUCHER REMINDER: The Victoria HarbourCats only have 6 home games remaining this season, so don’t forget to redeem your vouchers. You can do so at harbourcats.com/tickets, and if you have any questions or need help exchanging your vouchers, call the HarbourCats office at (778) 265 0327.

10 Game Flex Passes and Single Game Tickets are on sale for all home games and “Showcase” events through the HarbourCats’ 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.

For more updates, be sure to follow @HarbourCats on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

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