Connect with us

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – ‘Cats SWEEP Riverhawks to win second-half North Division title!

Published

on

Playoffs to begin in Wenatchee Tuesday, with Games 2 and 3 (if needed) at home Wednesday and Thursday

Story and Photos by Christian J. Stewart

August 6, 2023

Edmonton, AB – HarbourCats Player of the Year Tyler Davis had a clutch two-out RBI in the top of the eighth, and Jack Johnson had an RBI double in the top of the ninth, to give the HarbourCats all they runs they needed, in an eventual 3-0 win over the Edmonton Riverhawks Sunday afternoon in the final game of the West Coast League regular season at Re-Max Field in Edmonton.

The win gave the HarbourCats the sweep over the Riverhawks, but more importantly, secured first place in the second-half North Division standings and the second seed in the playoffs, with the home field advantage that comes along with that.

What this means then is that the HarbourCats will open the North Divisional Playoffs Tuesday, August 8th IN Wenatchee against the AppleSox and then come home for Game 2 of the series on Wednesday and Game 3 (if needed) on Thursday.

North Divisional Playoffs
IN WENATCHEE
GAME 1 – Tuesday August 8th, HarbourCats @ Wenatchee, 6:35pm

AT WILSON’S GROUP STADIUM at ROYAL ATHLETIC PARK
GAME 2 – Wednesday, August 9th, Wenatchee @ HarbourCats, 6:35pm

GAME 3 (if needed) – Thursday, August 10th, Wenatchee @ HarbourCats, 6:35pm

Tickets for Wednesday’s playoff game can be ordered on-line at https://harbourcats.com/tickets.  Fans should be sure to order PLAYOFF GAME #1 for the Wednesday game and fan’s already holding tickets for Playoff Game #1 should be sure to use this ticket on Wednesday evening.

Fans can also come into the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver street to get their tickets. The office WILL BE OPEN on BC DAY Monday from 10 am to 5pm for this purpose, as well as all day Tuesday from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm and Wednesday pre-game from 9:30 am to 5pm.  Tickets will also be available at the gate at Wilson’s Group Stadium on Wednesday beginning at 5:30 pm.

Fans already holding tickets for Playoff Game #2, will use this ticket EITHER Thursday night (if the series goes three games), or else for the North Division final which we would host on Saturday, August 12th, should we win the Wenatchee series in two games.

Should the HarbourCats advance to the WCL Championship final, this potentially could be played at Wilson’s Group Stadium on Monday, August 14th, if anyone BUT the Corvallis Knights advance from the South.  By virtue of their 3-0 win over Ridgefield Sunday, the Knights secured the best record overall in the league (by one win over Victoria) and would host the final should they advance.

On Sunday in Edmonton, it was a classic pitcher’s duel, as the ‘Cats could not figure out Edmonton starter Halen Knoll until the eighth inning when Davis laced his RBI single, just the ‘Cats fourth hit of the game, to give the ‘Cats the 1-0 lead.

Meanwhile HarbourCats starter Sam Jordan, and relievers Jake Finkelstein and Ryan Magdic were also doing their best, limiting the ‘Hawks to just three hits through seven innings of work to keep the game scoreless.

After the Cats broke the tie in the eighth, they then added some insurance in the ninth, as Russell Young singled and was driven home on Johnson’s double, with Johnson then coming home on a Michael Crossland RBI single to extend the lead to 3-0.

Reliever Brett Harvey would shut the ‘Hawks down on just a single hit through the eighth and ninth innings to preserve the lead and get the save.

NOTES:  The win gives the HarbourCats an overall record of 38-15 (25-2 at home) on the year with one game cancelled as a result of a rainout in Kamloops.  Hudson Shupe, who came into the game just .001 percentage point behind in the batting race, was o for 5 on the day Sunday and will lose the title to either Walla Walla’s Ben Parker (who is no longer on the Sweet’s roster) or Wenatchee’s Frankie Carney who will play later tonight.

Source

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Take Home Series Win on School Spirit Day

Published

on

Local schools packed the park for game three of the homestand!

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats sent the School Spirit Day crowd home happy on Thursday afternoon, defeating the Edmonton Riverhawks 6-2 to clinch the series win.

The Cats got on the board early in this one thanks to a sizzling long ball off the bat of Matt Westley (George Mason) to lead off the second inning.

BOX SCORE

Right-hander Erik Rico (Fresno State) was utterly dominant through a four-inning start, allowing just one hit and racking up a septet of strikeouts over that span. Austin Lindsey (Hill College) took up the torch in the fifth inning, securing a quick three outs to preserve a 1-0 lead for Victoria.

The Cats put on a show in front of a crowd of 3,128 at Royal Athletic Park.

Victoria found another chance to score in the bottom of the sixth, with infielder Jax Heid (Southeast Oklahoma State) putting pressure on the Edmonton defence and bringing home a run to make it 2-0 for the HarbourCats. Dryden Fuoco (Hill College) wasted no time following up, rocking a line drive to left field and driving in two more.

The very next inning, Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) kicked the score and the energy up a couple notches. The Cats infielder utterly obliterated a baseball, ensuring same-day delivery to Pembroke Street on his second homer in as many days.

Hunter Daniels (Phoenix College) made a relief appearance in the eighth inning for the HarbourCats. The Arizona native allowed two runs, but a shutdown ninth inning from Asher Clark (Northern Colorado) cemented a 6-2 victory for the home team.

WCL STANDINGS

With a series win under their belts, the HarbourCats will take on the Kelowna Falcons for a weekend series, beginning Friday, June 5 at 6:35 pm.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

Source

Continue Reading

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Comeback Bid Unsuccessful in Loss to Riverhawks

Published

on

The Cats were unable to claw their way back in game two of the homestand. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats hit the field for a skirmish with the Edmonton Riverhawks Wednesday evening, coming up short in a 13-11 loss.

HarbourCats starter Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) wrestled with command issues early on, hitting a batter and issuing two free passes to load the bases in the top of the first inning. Edmonton took advantage, driving a pair of doubles to take a 4-0 lead before Houston Tomlinson (Arkansas State) entered the game from the bullpen to get the final out of the opening frame.

BOX SCORE

The Riverhawks stayed on the attack in the second inning, driving in two more runs on a screamer down the left field line to extend their lead to 6-0.

Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) showed up ready to slug. The shortstop notched two leadoff hits; a triple and a homer. (Photo by JPM Photography)

A second-inning leadoff triple from shortstop Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) sparked a Victoria comeback attempt. After Hewitt scored on an errant throw by the Riverhawks catcher, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Rohne Klein (San Jose State) would bring in another run for the Cats, closing the gap to 6-2 in favour of Edmonton.

Edmonton answered right back in the top of the third, driving home a run that ended Houston Tomlinson’s outing. Tomlinson, an Arkansas State sophomore from Spring, Texas, pitched 1.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with two strikeouts. Summoned from the pen was Landon Marchetti (San Jose State), who quickly secured two outs to head back to the dugout down 7-2.

Marchetti found himself in the midst of a tough spot in the top of the fourth, and a barely fair ball down the line in right field gave the Riverhawks a 9-2 lead.

Outfielder Kade Davis (UTSA) earned three walks in the loss. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The Cats struck back in the bottom of the fourth. Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) blasted a solo homer well beyond the left field wall, followed up by two more runs when the Edmonton infield decided to engage in a snowball fight. The inning came to an end with a sizeable dent in the Riverhawks’ lead, bringing the score to 9-5.

HarbourCats hurler Spencer Kratt (San Jose State) assumed control of the mound to begin the fifth inning, deftly tossing a much-needed zero on the board. Kratt returned for the sixth, surrendering a run to push the Hawks to double digits.

Victoria made things interesting two more runs in the seventh inning and three in the eighth, but Edmonton’s three-run shot in the top of the eighth inning kept them in front for a 13-11 win.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats take the field at 11:05 am tomorrow for the first School Spirit Game of the season, and will host the Kelowna Falcons for a three-game series this weekend.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

Source

Continue Reading

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Home Opener Heroics Earn Cats 6-3 Win Over Riverhawks

Published

on

The Cats got hot in the middle innings to take a commanding lead. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats faced off against the visiting Edmonton Riverhawks tonight, claiming a decisive 6-3 victory in the first home game of the season.

The Riverhawks were the first to get on the board, scoring on a bases-loaded walk in the top of the second. Edmonton would strand three runners with a groundout to the shortstop shortly after, but not without claiming an early 1-0 lead.

BOX SCORE

The lead stood until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Marcus Nolen (Fresno State) brought in a pair of runs on a clutch two-out single to left field, pushing the home team in front by a score of 2-1.

David Krahn (UBC) was a mainstay on the bases tonight, going 3/5 with a pair of stolen bases and an RBI. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Cats starter Hudson Lance (Coastal Carolina) was relieved after four innings of work, in which he surrendered just one run on four hits. Easton Reimers (North Dakota State) took over from the bullpen and shut down the Riverhawks in a clean fifth inning.

Victoria added on to their lucrative fourth inning with three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Kade Davis (UTSA) drove in a run on a single, followed up by a 2-RBI knock from Dryden Fuoco (Hill College). The fun didn’t stop there, as Marcus Nolen stole two bases and came in to score on the third hit of the ballgame for David Krahn (UBC), giving the Cats a 6-1 lead.

Hudson Lance (Coastal Carolina) made an immediate impact in his first start of 2026, giving up just a single run. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Pierce Stone (Regis) opened up the seventh inning on the mound for the HarbourCats. The Austin, TX native gave up two runs before handing the ball over to Garen Geoghegan (Whitman), who left the bases loaded to escape the frame with a 6-3 lead. Geoghegan would return to start the eighth inning, swapping out for Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) from the bullpen. The Levin, New Zealand product tallied three quick outs in the eighth and powered through the ninth to nail down a 6-3 victory for the HarbourCats in the home opener.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats are back in action against the Riverhawks tomorrow at 6:35 pm and Thursday at 11:05 am, before hosting the Kelowna Falcons for a three-game series this weekend.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

 

Source

Continue Reading

Trending