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Victoria HarbourCats – ‘Cats bounce back against Bells

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Sky Collins had a three-hit night and an RBI to lead the ‘Cats to a 10-3 win over the Bells Saturday night (File Photo)

August 3, 2024

Bellingham, WA – Payton Hawkinson went five strong innings and the Victoria HarbourCats offense pounded out 10 hits and took advantage of some sloppy Bellingham defence, to emerge with a 10-3 win over the Bells in West Coast League action Saturday night at Joe Martin Field in Bellingham.

FULL BOX SCORE

The win moves the HarbourCats second-half record to 14-9 and keeps them in the hunt for first place, just one game behind the Wenatchee AppleSox who lost to Nanaimo 10-1. They are also 28-22 overall and hold a three game lead over Nanaimo for the final Wild Card spot.

STANDINGS

The Bells would open the scoring off Hawkinson in the bottom of the fourth, on a balk with a runner on third, essentially the only mistake Hawkinson would make in his five innings of work, giving up three hits and one walk while striking out three.

Victoria would finally respond in the top of the sixth, as their small ball strategy would force the Bells into a throwing error on a bunt attempt, allowing two runs to cross the plate. Another run scored on a double steal and the Cats suddenly had a 3-1 lead.

They would not look back after that, scoring three more in the seventh, two in the eighth and three more in the ninth to put the game away.

Outfielder Sky Collins led the offence with three hits, including an RBI double, while Michael Crossland had a ninth inning home run and two RBI on the night. Crossland, Cam Schneider and Kamana Nahaku also scored two runs each.

Hawkinson was followed in relief by Logan MacNiel who was solid through two innings of work, but then got into bases loaded trouble in the eighth, giving up a pair of runs.  Brett Harvey then came in to shut down that rally and then pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close out the game.

The Bells and HarbourCats will now play the crucial rubber match in this series Sunday afternoon at 1:35 pm with Trey Langan getting the probable start for Victoria.  With a win, the HarbourCats will win the season series with the Bells, which could prove important in deciding a possible playoff position when all is said and done.

The HarbourCats then head home to close out the season in perhaps the highlight series of the year as the seven-time defending Corvallis Knights come to town for games Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  The HarbourCats will not only be looking to lock down a playoff spot in that series, but they will also be looking for some retribution against the Knights following Victoria’s loss in the 2023 Championship game.

BC Day Monday is the final Fireworks game of the year, while Tuesday is Jersey Off Our Backs night and Wednesday is Fan Appreciation Night.  Tickets for the biggest and best series of the year and the final games at Wilson’s Group Stadium this season can be bought on-line at http://harbourcats.com/tickets.

NOTE:  All 10-game flex pack vouchers must be exchanged for any of our remaining three games.  Vouchers can be exchanged at the HarbourCats office, which will be open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9am to 4:30 pm or at the Box Office at the park starting at 5:00 Monday and 5:30 on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Summer Collegiate

A wild first inning proves to be enough as the NorthPaws avoid the sweep in Bellingham

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The Kamloops NorthPaws avoided the sweep in Bellingham and defeated the Bells 6-2 on Thursday night. The NorthPaws scored all six of their runs in the first inning and held the fort down, shutting down the Bell’s offence and only giving up five hits.

Bellingham would turn to highly touted South Dakota right-handed pitcher Jackson Dial, who will be attending Washington State in the fall. The first NorthPaw he faced was center fielder Ethan Kodama, who saw three straight balls before getting hit by the next pitch. Dial would strikeout left fielder Cade Palkowski, walk third baseman Kieran Gaffney, strikeout right fielder Kalen Applefield and hit catcher Brendan Burke, loading the bases with two outs.

With first baseman Joe Gagnon at the plate, Dial would throw a wild pitch, allowing Kodama to score the first run of the game. Gagnon would later draw a walk, reloading the bases. Second baseman Joey Marino was next up, and Dial would plunk him, bringing in another run.

The nightmare wasn’t over yet for Dial as he issued his third walk of the inning to shortstop Anthony Setticassi. Designated hitter Dylan Dekker was making his debut at the plate and sent a line drive down the first base line, driving in two runs and making it 5-0.

Dial was pulled after only two-thirds of an inning. Kodama was back at bat with Dekker on first and Setticassi on third. Before Kodama saw a pitch, Dekker took off for second while Setticassi ran home. Dekker sacrificed himself, ending the inning but allowing the sixth run to score.

Kamloops sent out righty Owen Fernandes on the mound to make his second start of the season. The Bells would get a run back via a sacrifice fly at the bottom of the first. In the third, a leadoff triple set up the Bells to capitalize on yet another sacrifice fly to make it a four-run ballgame.

Fernandes would throw four strong innings, giving up only one earned run while striking out two batters. Righty Jayson Tamayo was the first call out of the bullpen and walked the first to hitters he faced. A flyout and an infield hit loaded the bases with one out as the Bells were all of a sudden within striking distance. Tamayo got a clutch strikeout and a groundout to leave the bases loaded and preserve the four-run lead.

“If they convert there, it’s a different game. He made big pitches when he had to, and that definitely helped us lock up the game,” said Pitching Coach Jack Slominski.

Rightys Daxton Vanderkooi, Lukas Dykstra and Cade Webber each came into the game and pitched clean innings giving up three combined hits all while not walking a single batter. Webber struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth, securing the win.

In game two, the NorthPaws scored first, but mistakes on the mound cost them; tonight, the NorthPaws flipped the script on the Bells.

“The last two nights, we were behind the eight ball for most of the game, so it was nice to get a big lead early; I think it helped everyone settle down,” said Head Coach Reily Jepson.

The six-game road trip is over, and with the win, the NorthPaws head back to Kamloops with a 4-2 record.

“It’s been a tough stretch playing six games on the road in two separate trips, but it will be nice to get back home and play in front of our fans,” said Jepson.

Next up for the NorthPaws, a weekend home-and-home series against the Kelowna Falcons, with games at Norbrock Stadium on Friday night and Sunday afternoon.

 

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Victoria HarbourCats – Riverhawks complete sweep of Cats with 7-1 win

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June 5, 2025

For immediate release

EDMONTON, A.B. – The Edmonton Riverhawks remain perfect on the season, winning their third straight and sweeping the HarbourCats with a 7-1 win Thursday night.

Robert Sanford (Paris JC) started for the Cats and was solid early until he ran into trouble in the third inning. A pair of two-out walks and a single loaded the bases, signalling the end of the sophomore’s night. Dustin Davidson (Brookhaven) was given the task of getting out of the jam but failed to do so, throwing a wild pitch allowing a run to score, then surrendering a three-run home run to Jason Green to give the hosts a 4-0 lead.

BOX SCORE

Oliver Mabee (Nebraska Omaha) made his Cats debut pitching the fifth, however, it was not a debut to remember as he gave up a towering two-run double to the returning Trent Lenihan to extend the Hawks’ advantage to 6-0.

The visitors had a chance to cut into the deficit in the seventh inning by loading the bases, however, they could only tack on one run through a Bobby Filler Jr. (Niagara) bases-loaded walk.

WCL STANDINGS

Dillon Dibrell (Central Oklahoma) pitched a scoreless sixth inning, striking out one batter, and Ethan McNish-Heider (Niagara) completed the final two innings, giving up one run on zero hits, walking four, and striking out three. 

Victoria was held to just three hits tonight and was outscored 29-5 in total over the three-game series. They will need to hit their stride quickly as they welcome the Port Angeles Lefties to Victoria for a three-game set.

BUY TICKETS HERE

Tomorrow is the HarbourCats’ home opener! First pitch is at 6:35 PM against the Port Angeles Lefties. Saturday, June 7th, is our first of four FIREWORKS nights of the season! Don’t miss out! Grab tickets at harbourcats.com/tickets.

WATCH HOME GAMES HERE

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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Walks turned into runs: NorthPaws drop game two in Bellingham

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The Kamloops NorthPaws lost game two in Bellingham on Wednesday night 8-2 as the Bells have won back-to-back series to start their season. The NorthPaws scored the first run of the game, but the Bells hitters stayed patient as the NorthPaw pitchers walked 11 batters en route to the loss.

Kamloops would get back to their aggressive ways following a flyout and a strikeout. The NorthPaws had runners on the corners when catcher Kalen Applefield took off for second base and reached safely. While Applefield was on his way to second, his UC Berkley teammate second baseman Elijah Clayton made a mad dash for home and beat the throw, scoring the team’s first run of the game.

In the bottom half, the NorthPaws turned to JM Harduval, a righty from UC Berkley, to make his first start in almost two years. Harduval red-shirted during his freshman season at CAL and was rehabbing an injury in the spring, making Wednesdays start a night that had been many days in the making. Unfortunately for the righty, he struggled with command. Three walks in his first four batters faced loaded the bases for the Bells. A pair of flyouts gave Harduval some hope, but he couldn’t find the strike zone, throwing 12 straight balls and walking in three runs.

Lefty Kaden Douglas-Pluff came in and walked the first batter he faced, adding a fourth run on the board for the Bells. In the second inning back to back-to-back walks and a single loaded the bases when a wild pitch made it 5-1 Bells. Bellingham scored all five of the runs without recording an RBI.

In the fifth, Bellingham would pad their lead with a hit by pitch and two singles to score run number six, while a fielder’s choice in the next at-bat made it 7-1. Kamloops would respond in the top of the sixth when left fielder Cade Palkowski hit the only extra-base hit for the NorthPaws. Centerfielder Ethan Kodama drove him in with a base hit to left field.

That would be all the NorthPaws could muster offensively as the Bells added one more run in the bottom of the eighth. A bright spot at the plate for Kamloops was Cade Palkowski, who had a pair of singles and a double after starting the season with just one hit in his first ten at-bats.

The rest of the offence will look to find themselves again in game three when the Bells and NorthPaws conclude their series in Bellingham at 6:35 on Thursday night. You can find the game on West Coast League TV or listen on the NorthPaws Mixlr.

 

 

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