Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats – Golden Tide Fall to Eagles, Will Play Saskatchewan in Downey Semi-Finals
Story and Photos by Christian J. Stewart
September 11, 2021, Victoria, BC – The Victoria Eagles used a four-run fifth inning and some solid pitching to defeat the Victoria Golden Tide 7-2 Saturday morning in the final round robin game for both teams at the Zack Downey Memorial Tournament at Layritz Park in Victoria.
The win gives the Eagles the number one seed for the playoffs and they will now take on the Parksville Royals at 12:30 pm Sunday in the semi-finals.
The Eagles Drew Abercrombie (right) puts the tag on the Tide’s Myles Wall during a rundown Saturday (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
The Royals, despite losing a heartbreaker to Saskatchewan Saturday, 6-2 in extra innings, snuck into the fourth seed spot by virtue of the Victoria Mariners and Nanaimo Pirates essentially playing to a 4-4 tie in the final round-robin game of the day Saturday.
Tide starter Haldon Craig looked good for the Eagles early Saturday (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
The Mariners could have advanced into the forth seed with a shut-out win over the Pirates, but Mid-Island scored two runs in the very first inning of that game, to put that mathematical possibility to rest.
The Eagles Derek Peterson was masterful over four innings, allowing the Golden Tide just two hits (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
The Golden Tide will now have a re-match with the Saskatchewan Grizzlies in the other semi-final Sunday, starting at 10:00 am. In their game with Parksville Saturday, the Grizzlies broke open a 1-1 tie by scoring five runs in the top of the eighth inning to secure the win.
The Championship game at the Zack Downey Tournament is scheduled for 3:00 pm Sunday.
For the Eagles, hard throwing Derek Peterson got the start and he was brilliant, limiting the Tide to just two hits and no runs in his four innings of work.
The Eagles Jack Swinton slides safely into third before the tag by Golden Tide third baseman Brandon Green (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
Peterson got offensive support from the Eagles with a run in the third, thanks to an RBI single from Jai Berezowski that scored Jack Swinton and another in the fourth, thanks to an RBI single from Jacob Wayman that scored Owen Taylor.
The Eagles Drew Abercrombie heads to first with a single Saturday (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
In the Eagles four-run fifth inning, they took advantage of Tide pitcher Jackson Belanger who had a debut he would rather forget, giving up a single, two walks and two hit batters, before being replaced by Braden Perozny.
Golde Tide shortstop Myles Wall makes a nice play against the Eagles Saturday (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
The Tide would see a glimmer of hope when they scored a pair of two-out runs in the fifth inning off Eagles reliever Brandon Cain, but Cain would get out of the inning with no further damage.
The Eagles would then score another insurance run in the top of the sixth and then Josh Gladstone would shut the door, retiring the side in the bottom of the sixth to close out the 7-2 win.
Jack Swinton had a single, double and two runs scored against the Tide on Saturday (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
For the Eagles offensively, Jack Swinton, brother of Golden Tide player Parker Swinton, would lead the way with a single, double and two runs scored. Josh Burrows, with a single and two walks, would also score twice.
The Tide’s Alex McLauclan bangs out one of the Tide’s 5 hits against the Eagles Saturday (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
For the Tide, Brendan Morrison had a hit and an RBI, while Tyler Burton had a single, walk and run scored. Alex McLauclan, Colton O’Brien and Tristian Bolger had the other hits for the Tide in the losing effort.
Eagles catcher Jai Berezowski congratulates Josh Gladstone after the Eagles win over the Golden Tide Saturday (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
Haldon Craig got the start for the Tide, allowing just a hit in his two innings of work, with relief from Wyatt Mohr-Royer, Belanger and Perozny.
The Golden Tide will have an interesting day on Sunday, as in addition to the semi-final and possible final at the Zack Downey Tournament, they are also scheduled to play a double-header in Nanaimo against Vancouver Island University. Head Coach Curtis Pelletier will split his large squad accordingly to accommodate all games.
Parksville second baseman Tyler Newby prepares to tag Saskatchewan’s Brady Bye during a rundown in their game Saturday. The Grizzlies would ultimately beat the Royals 6-2 and will now play the Golden Tide in Sunday’s semi-final (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
ZACK DOWNEY TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE, LAYRITZ PARK, SAANICH
Sunday September 12, 10:00 AM Golden Tide vs Saskatchewan Grizzlies – SEMI-FINAL
Sunday September 12, 12:30 AM Victoria Eagles vs Parksville Royals – SEMI-FINAL
Sunday September 13, 3:00 PM – FINAL
GOLDEN TIDE FALL HOME SCHEDULE
SEP. 17, 6PM – TRU WOLFPACK
SEP. 19, 1PM – VAN.ISLE UNIV. (DH*)
SEP. 25, 1PM – FRASER VALLEY (DH)
SEP. 26, 3PM – MID-ISLE PIRATES (DH)
OCT. 2, 6PM – VICTORIA MARINERS
OCT. 16, 1PM – VAN. ISLE PREP (DH)
OCT. 17, 1PM – UBC (DH)
OCT. 23, 1PM – TBA (DH)
OCT. 24, 1PM – PARKSVILLE ROYALS (DH)
OCT. 26-31 INTERSQUAD WORLD SERIES
*DH = Double Header
The Golden Tide begin their fall exhibition season on September 17, with 11 home games, plus inter-squad games at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria. The fall home opener is on Friday, September 17th at 6:00 pm against Thompson Rivers University.
Tickets are $10 for Grandstand seating (Section 10) and $5 everywhere else (all rush seating) and are available at the gate or in advance at the HarbourCats office (101-1814 Vancouver Street) or by calling 778-265-0327.
BECOME A TIDE BOOSTER!
Fans who wish to enjoy priority seating in the Diamond Club or Campbell Club seating areas for all games may now join the Golden Tide Booster Club, where a $200 fee secures a spot, gets one a Golden Tide hat and t-shirt and access to other Booster Club perks and benefits. E-mail chris@harbourcats.com or call the office at 778-265-0327 for details.
Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats – Fall 2026 Indoor Training Clinics Now Open for Registration
Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats – Zach Swanson Returning as Pitching Coach for HarbourCats in 2027
September 2, 2026
For immediate release
VICTORIA, B.C. – After a successful debut season in the West Coast League, Zach Swanson will be back as Pitching Coach for the Victoria HarbourCats.
Head Coach Todd Haney is pleased to be putting together the key pieces of his staff already for the 2027 season, and that includes Swanson, the Victoria product and former college pitcher, after setting notable records in 2026. Swanson is a Lambrick Park graduate who played for the Victoria Eagles and Mariners, and pitched collegiately at San Diego Christian and Park University-Gilbert, earning an MBA in the process.
The records and notables of the 2026 HarbourCats:
- Most team strikeouts (536) in team history in a season, two short of a WCL record (and notably, the HarbourCats would have played two more games, but they were cancelled due to smoky conditions in Washington State)
- Highest K/9 rate in WCL history (10.48)
- Second in batting average against (.235)
- Fourth in league ERA (4.48)
- Right-handers Jeremiah Arnett (66) and Erik Rico (64) now sit first and second in HarbourCats history in strikeouts in a season, and both were named all-stars – on top of it, Arnett was named the WCL Pitcher of the Year
- HarbourCats reliever Nathan Mueller was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers and pitcher Will Zielinski was a 20th round pick of the Detroit Tigers
Swanson is the Pitching Coach at Hawaii Pacific University (NCAA Division 2) in Honolulu, entering his second year – in his first season, Swanson had three all-conference pitchers and the team ERA improved by more than a run per game.
“I’m incredibly excited to welcome Zach back as our pitching coach for the 2027 season. He built tremendous trust with our pitchers and has a great understanding of what it takes to develop players,” said Haney, who earlier this week added former MLB infielder Jeff Frye to the coaching staff for 2027.
“Our pitching staff responded to Zach’s leadership every single day, and we saw real growth both on and off the mound. Zach brings an exceptional work ethic, passion and competitive edge to our staff. Our pitchers are fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him now, as it’s only a matter of time before Zach is an MLB pitching coach.”
Swanson is excited to return to a team he knows well, holding many roles – batboy, to player, to play-by-play voice in 2022. Swanson was Victoria’s starting pitcher for Game 1 of the WCL final in 2019 against the Corvallis Knights in a game played at Wilson’s Group Stadium at RAP.
“It’s a joy and a privilege to be returning to Victoria in 2027,” said Swanson, son of Managing Partner Jim Swanson.
“After a 2026 season full of development, my wife Madeline and I are looking forward to coming back to this great city. I can’t wait to help write another chapter – both in the lives of these athletes and in the history books of this organization.”
The HarbourCats have started the recruiting process for 2027 already, and Season Ticket Memberships are now available for purchase or renewal. New members may order their seats on-line if desired at harbourcats.com/tickets (click the Membership tab), or by calling the office at 778-265-0327.
Renew or purchase your seats by September 30th to be eligible to win a round trip airfare on Harbour Air to Vancouver.
The HarbourCats 2027 schedule is expected to be announced in late October 2026, with single-game tickets expected to be available by December 1, 2026.
Plenty of weekend action in 2027 NightOwls schedule
Victoria HarbourCats – Fall 2026 Indoor Training Clinics Now Open for Registration
Victoria HarbourCats – Zach Swanson Returning as Pitching Coach for HarbourCats in 2027
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