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Victoria HarbourCats – Big seventh inning leads Cats to fourth straight win

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Gunner Antillon extended his on-base streak to 21 games (Photo: Justin P. Morash) 

July 26, 2024

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Victoria HarbourCats came from behind to win the series opener against the Kamloops NorthPaws 11-6, their fourth win in a row.

NorthPaws lefty Shane Brinham made his WCL debut for Kamloops and was lights out. The Vancouver native threw five no-hit innings while striking out five batters. He walked six but consistently pitched his way out of trouble.

BOX SCORE

Michelle Artzberger’s two hits increased his batting average to .413 on the season (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

The HarbourCats had a southpaw of their own on the mound with Spencer Hatch (Tarleton State) starting his third game of the season. The NorthPaws hitters were seeing the ball well scoring two runs in the second and three runs in the third. Hatch went 2-1/3 innings giving up five runs on six hits while striking out four.

Thanks to Brinham’s strong outing, Kamloops had a 5-0 lead after five innings. The NorthPaws turned to Noah Del Rosario in the sixth but he struggled with his control, walking four batters, including two with the bases loaded which gave the Cats their first two runs of the ballgame. A Michael Crossland (UC San Diego) sacrifice fly followed to make it a 5-3 game.

WCL STANDINGS

Jake Finkelstein (Montana State) was excellent out of the bullpen for Victoria, pitching 2-2/3 of scoreless ball, and striking out the last five batters he faced.

The NorthPaws increased their lead to 6-3 through an error by HarbourCats catcher Jake Vrlak (Miami University) in the top of the seventh.

Cam Schneider reached base three times including a double in the seventh inning (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

The HarbourCats only had one hit through six innings but the offence finally exploded in the seventh. The Cats loaded the bases with zero outs to lead off the inning and Tyrus Hall (Bossier Parish) extended his hit streak to seven games with an RBI single, making it 6-4 Kamloops. That was followed by Vrlak’s first RBI of the season as he hit a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to one. Later in the inning, Crossland hit a clutch two-out single with the bases loaded to score two runs and give his team their first lead of the game. After Gunner Antillon (Bowling Green) was hit by a pitch to load the bases once again, Michelle Artzbeger (ULM) cleared the bases with a double to give the Cats a 10-6 lead, capping off the seven-run frame.

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In the eighth inning, Kamana Hakanu (University of Hawaii) made his HarbourCats debut pinch-hitting for Vrlak and hit the third pitch he saw over the Wilson’s Group Stadium sign in left field giving Victoria an 11-6 lead.

Willem Heilker (Everett CC) and Jack Finn (Illinois State) pitched two innings each to close out the win for the HarbourCats.

The HarbourCats hit season highs in walks drawn with 14, and stolen bases with nine. Victoria leads the WCL in steals with 138.

Tomorrow at 6:35 PM is game two of Kids Free Weekend, thanks to Peninsula Co-op. You can get tickets at the HarbourCats office or at the gate on game day. The kid’s free offer is not available online.

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REMINDER: If you have HarbourCats ticket vouchers of any kind, 10-game flex packs, or season ticket equivalent vouchers, all vouchers must be used for any of our remaining eight home games. Should we make playoffs, vouchers are not eligible for any games no matter where they are played. You can exchange your vouchers in advance for game tickets at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

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Summer Collegiate

Despite out hitting the Bells the NorthPaws could only manufacture one run

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The Kamloops NorthPaws have lost their first series at home this season following a 9-1 defeat against the Bellingham Bells. Despite out-hitting Bellingham, the NorthPaws couldn’t come up with a big inning.

The Bells got off to another quick start, scoring two in the top of the first. Bellingham’s first run came from two walks, a past ball, and a sacrifice ground ball. A base hit would score the second run.

The NorthPaws got off to another slow start at the plate, registering their first hit in the third inning. The Bells took advantage in the top of the fourth when they had two runners on with two outs. A double that turned into a triple via an error put two more runs on the board. The next Bells hitter sent a two-run home run over the wall in left field, making it 6-0.

In the bottom half, Drew Schmidt and Tanner Hornback hit back-to-back singles and would later advance 90 feet on a balk call. Left fielder Joey Rico sent a ball to center field that was deep enough to score Schmidt. Fans felt optimistic, given last night’s comeback effort, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning.

That would be the first and only run scored for the NorthPaws as they left five runners on base through the following five innings. Kamloops couldn’t get a rally going despite having runners on and getting hits.

“We had hits pretty much every inning and had guys on, but just no follow-up,” said first baseman Jared Hall.

The NorthPaws couldn’t string together a big inning on Saturday night. The Bells staff walked just three batters, while the NorthPaws issued seven walks. The Bells hitters took advantage and gave Kamloops no hope of a comeback effort.

“We just have to flush tonight and put together a full team effort tomorrow and save the series,” said Hall.

The NorthPaws will conclude the series on Sunday afternoon for a matinée game beginning at 12:05.

 

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NightOwls Command The Skies Against The RiverHawks In Game Two

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NANAIMO, B.C. — The Nanaimo NightOwls took the second game of the series against the Edmonton RiverHawks 2-0 in game two and moved closer to an even record on the season at 11-12.  The pitching was stellar on the day as the NightOwls combined for a six-hit shutout on Saturday at Serauxemen Stadium.

The bats weren’t there all the time for Nanaimo, but they were there at the right time in the Bottom of the sixth inning. A two-run double was all the scoring the NightOwls needed as their pitchers were all throwing fire. Nanaimo finished with two runs on seven hits and one error, while the Edmonton Riverhawks had no runs on six hits and no errors. That brings the winning streak to three games for the NightOwls as they seem to be getting in mid-season form.

https://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=621647

The four pitchers for the NightOwls combined for a seven-hit shutout, walking only 3 and striking out 7. The bulk of those stats go to starting pitcher Aidan Boice. Aidan, from Holladay, Utah, went five innings, giving up just 3 hits and one walk while striking out five of the twenty batters he faced on the night. He left with a no decision, but I spoke to him after the game about his start.

I asked what he thought of his performance on the mound tonight for the NightOwls, “You know I thought it was good, I came back from some behind counts and got some big outs with runners, I’m pretty happy with it.” He would also speak about the play of the team behind him and how it makes it easier to pitch knowing they have his back defensively, “Yeah the defense has been amazing these past few weeks, especially the outfield and they’ve been giving me a lot of help so it’s been awesome.”

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Other pitchers for the NightOwls on the night were Cody “Cowboy” Carmichael, who pitched one inning, giving up zero hits and one walk. Cody got the win for Nanaimo and moves to 1-1 on the season in six appearances. Brady Morse also pitched a great inning before Brennan Kettle came on for the six-out save. The Junior from Hawaii Pacific University went two innings and gave up just one hit and walked one.

The NightOwls didn’t generate much offence on Saturday night, but they got it at the perfect time. Spencer Sullivan was once again at the forefront of things and hit a two RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning. On the night, Spencer went one for three with two RBI and a walk. first baseman Jacob Hayes went two for four on the night with two singles and a run scored. It looks like he wants to start another hit streak as that is back to back games for Hayes.

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We have one more game in the series against the Edmonton Riverhawks on Sunday June 29th. It’s Family Fun Day at the ball park so we have a 1:05 pm first pitch. It’s also our mascot, Ney-Te The NightOwls Birthday so come out and help celebrate his big day as the Nanaimo Bars look to bring the brooms out of the janitors closet and sweep the series.

Monday the NightOwls have an exhibition game on June 30th against the Nanaimo Selects before our big Canada Day festivities against Island rivals, the Victoria HarbourCats. Make sure to get out early for that one as we are going to be packed. We have fireworks presented by the Kwumut Lelum Foundation.

General manager of the NightOwls said this about the night,  “This fireworks game is becoming a must-see tradition in Nanaimo, with more than 3,100 at last year’s game,” said GM Tina Cornett. “The Kwumut Lelum Foundation is all about community and doing great things in the Nanaimo region.” For more information check out this link here and we hope to see you out at the ballpark on Tuesday! #IlluminateTheDark

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Victoria HarbourCats – Sox rally late to steal win from Cats

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June 28, 2025

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WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Victoria HarbourCats held a three-run lead late, but the Wenatchee AppleSox battled back to walk it off in the ninth, winning game two of the series 5-4.

The HarbourCats got going early, taking a 1-0 lead in no time through a JC Allen (UC San Diego) RBI single that scored Hudson Shupe (Gonzaga) in the first inning.

The AppleSox answered back immediately when Jake Sanko drove in a run with a single of his own. The scoring stopped until the top of the fourth when Isaiah Afework (Tacoma CC) hit a triple to the wall and was then brought home on a sacrifice fly by Connor Ross (Cal Baptist) to restore their one-run advantage.

BOX SCORE

Thomas Bridges (Northwestern U) has been Victoria’s ace this year and started the game Saturday night. After a relatively shaky opening to the game by his high standards, he settled down and completed four innings, giving up one run on six hits, while striking out five. He walked no one, and has still only walked one batter in 20 innings of work this season.

The Cats extended their lead in the seventh when Shupe singled to centre, scoring Tanner Beltowski (Westmont College). The shortstop came home two batters later when Logan Shepherd (Mercer U) hit an RBI double, making it 4-1 Victoria.

WCL STANDINGS

Carson Burks (Hill College) was first out of the bullpen for Todd Haney’s team and was dominant the first time through the order. The lefty from Buna, Texas, retired the first 10 batters he faced before Jehee Lee hit a home run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 4-2. Later in the inning, a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly did the job for the hosts, tying up the game at four heading into the ninth.

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Marcus Janovsky (UBC), who came in to pitch in the eighth, was out for the ninth inning and gave up a single and hit a batter, which allowed the AppleSox to walk it off through a Kyle Panganiban sacrifice fly, giving Wenatchee a 5-4 win.

The HarbourCats will look to salvage something from this series tomorrow at 5:35 PM. After that, they return home on Monday, June 30, for the second fireworks night of the season! There is no better way to celebrate the long weekend. 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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