Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats draw first blood with series opening win over AppleSox
HarbourCats starting pitcher Jack Seward delivers a pitch Friday night in the ‘Cats 8-4 win over Wenatchee (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
Story and Photos by Christian J. Stewart
June 14, 2023
Victoria, BC – Tripp Clark’s 3-run homer in the bottom of the 5th inning helped the HarbourCats overcome a 4-0 deficit and move on to an 8-4 win over the Wenatchee AppleSox in West Coast League action at Wilson’s Group Stadium on Friday.
The win improved the ‘Cats second half-record to 7-3 (26-11 overall) and was their 18th win at home against just one loss. It also gave them the first salvo in what is a key North Division series, handing the AppleSox their first loss of the second half of the season and ending their six-game win streak.
The AppleSox looked to be in control of the game after scoring four runs in the top of the 5th inning, keyed by RBI singles from Mason Strong and Reeve Brown. However they gave two of those back in the bottom of the inning following RBI singles from Hudson Shupe and Tyler Davis.
That set the stage for Davis, who launched the first pitch he saw from Wenatchee starter Ryan Martinez 379 feet over the left field scoreboard to put the ‘Cats into a 5-4 lead.
Tyler Davis had a pair of hits an RBI and a run scored in the win over Wenatchee Friday (Photo: Christian J, Stewart)
Victoria would add some insurance with a run in the 7th and two more in the 8th and then the rest was up to reliever Carson Latimer who shut Wenatchee down over the last three innings to secure the win.
Also having a big night for Victoria was second baseman Marco Pirruccello who had three hits, including an RBI-double, while Tyler Davis and Michael Crossland added two hits to the winning effort.
The HarbourCats will look to win the series on Saturday night, when they send Levi Abbot to the mound for the 6:35pm start. It is Harvey the HarbourCats’ Birthday so it will be a fun evening of mascot fun at the park. The series then concludes on Sunday with a 1:05 pm matinee on the annual Bark in the Park Day.
Tickets are available for all games, as always at https://harbourcats.com/tickets