Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Sweep Wenatchee! Advance to North Division Final

Published

3 years ago

August 10, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria to host the Bellingham Bells in North Division Final at Wilson’s Group Stadium, Saturday night at 6:35pm

Story and Photos by Christian J. Stewart

August 10, 2023

Victoria, BC – A sixth inning triple from Marco Pirruccello, double from Hudson Shupe and two-run homer from Tripp Clark, were the HarbourCats first three hits of the game Wednesday night, leading to a 3-0 HarbourCats lead that they then rode to an eventual 4-2 win over the Wenatchee AppleSox in West Coast League playoff action at Wilson’s Group Stadium in Victoria.

FULL BOX SCORE

The win gives the HarbourCats a two-game sweep over the AppleSox in the best of three Divisional Series and now pits them against the Bellingham Bells – who also swept their series over Kelowna – in the ONE-GAME knockout North Division Final that will be held at Wilson’s Group Stadium at 6:35 pm on Saturday evening.

The winner of that game will advance to Monday’s WCL Championship game, also a one-game win or die affair, that still potentially could be played here in Victoria.

For that to happen, the HarbourCats obviously must win, but then hope that either Portland (who swept their two game Divisional Series over Ridgefield) or Cowlitz (who play a deciding game three against Corvallis in the Divisional series) emerge as the South Division Champions. If Corvallis should emerge, then the HarbourCats would travel south for that game Monday.

Tickets for Saturday’s North Division Final are now on sale and going fast. They can be purchased on-line HERE!

Note: Fans who have pre-purchased tickets for this game prior to teams and dates being decided, ad season ticket holders who were e-mailed their tickets vis mobile, should use HOME PLAYOFF GAME #2 for their ticket.

Tickets are also on sale for the potential West Coast League Championship game on Monday evening. These can also be purchased via Select Your Tickets HERE. If the HarbourCats should not advance, or if this game ends up being played in Corvallis, fans will have their accounts credited accordingly.

Tickets are also on sale in advance at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street. The office will be open all day Friday from 10AM to 5:30 PM, as well as Saturday 10AM to 5PM for this purpose. Tickets will also be on sale at the gate Saturday starting at 5:30 PM.

On Wednesday night, things were looking down for the HarbourCats as Wenatchee starter Andrew Monson held Victoria hitless through the first five innings of the game. He did start to tire a bit in the fifth and the decision was made to pull him and go to reliever Evan Canfield, who was greeted out of the pen by a lead-off triple from Pirruccello. Shupe then followed with an RBI-Double and after a circus catch off the bat of Tyler Davis by AppleSox left fielder Frankie Carney, Clark deposited a 1-0 pitch over the left-field fence to put the ‘Cats up 3-0.

Meanwhile, the AppleSox were also having early trouble scoring as starter Davis Franklin was almost as good as Monson, holding the Sox to just three hits through the first five innings of play. Jake Finkelstein came on in relief in the sixth and was brilliant, throwing a three-up, three-down inning and then doing the same in the top of the seventh.

Davis Franklin delivers a pitch Wednesday night.

The ‘Cats would add an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh thanks to an RBI single from Piruccello and that would be all the scoring until the AppleSox mounted a bit of the rally in the top of the ninth against HarbourCats reliever Skyler Manelski. That did not last long, as Brett Harvey came out of the pen to record the final two outs and get the save.

This will mark the first time the HarbourCats are advancing to a ONE GAME North Division Final. They have been in the best-of-three North Division finals three times previous to this, losing to Bellingham in 2016, defeating Kelowna in 2017 and defeating Wenatchee in 2019. In their only other playoff appearance, Victoria lost to Bellingham last season in the Divisional Playoffs.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Team Effort Leads to Series Win in Kamloops

Published

9 hours ago

July 12, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Kamloops B.C. – The HarbourCats brought the house down in a 12-run victory over the Kamloops Northpaws, putting up a dozen runs for the second time in a row and taking the series for themselves.

WCL All-Star Erik Rico (Fresno State) was back on the bump for another successful start on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The California native powered through a three-inning stalemate in which both sides were held scoreless, allowing just two hits and picking up six strikeouts.

BOX SCORE

Though held hitless in the first third of the ballgame, the HarbourCats found their stride in the top of the fourth inning. San Jose State slugger Rohne Klein delivered the first blow in the form of an RBI double, before he and teammate Logan Shepherd (Mercer) bounded home on a triple by the speedy Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s).

Victoria took advantage of the Northpaws’ lack of a counterattack with another swift strike in the fifth. Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) hit his second single of the game to drive in Cameron Chee-Aloy (Illinois), followed by RBI knocks from both Logan Shepherd and Jacob Silva (UTSA).

Bryan Bradshaw has been a strong all-around contributor for the Cats since arriving from UCSD, and notched three hits in today’s win. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Spencer Kratt (San Jose State) took up the torch from Rico in the fourth, holding off Kamloops until the lower half of inning six when a solo homer provided the first run for the Northpaws. Unfazed by this minor blemish in the face of a strong Victoria advantage, Kratt secured three groundouts in a row to end the inning.

The Cats, in retaliation to the home crew’s sting in the sixth, roared back with the power of teamwork. A few patient walks set the stage for a pair of singles from Michael Rodda (Palomar) and Cameron Chee-Aloy, who swiftly turned a 6-1 lead into a 9-1 lead with three frames left to be played.

When the Northpaws conceded another scoreless attempt at the plate, Victoria returned hungry for more. A plethora of baserunners confounded the Kamloops pitching staff, and another three runs crossed the plate before inning’s end. After all, why not make it an even dozen?

Tate Collins (Arkansas State) ran into some trouble in the bottom of the eighth when a walk and a single amplified the ensuing home run into a three-bagger. Nathan Mueller (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) was summoned to finish off the inning, and ended up holding on through the ninth to bring the game to a triumphant close.

WCL STANDINGS

With this series win under their belts, the HarbourCats will return to Vancouver Island to enjoy the Showpass 2026 West Coast League All-Star Festival presented by Canadian Club. You should too!

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games 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.

GET YOUR ALL-STAR TICKETS BEFORE THEY ARE GONE! Tickets for the 2026 WCL All-Star Home Run Derby (featuring former Blue Jay Kevin Pillar) and the West Coast League All Star Game on July 14-15 are selling fast. Get yours today! Each event is now on sale separately, or grab the package deal for both and save a few bucks at http://harbourcats.com/tickets! Or call the office at 778-265-0327 to order by phone.

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Cats Shake Down Northpaws for 13 Runs to Tie Series

Published

1 day ago

July 11, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Victoria, B.C. – Victoria bounced back hard to stomp the Kamloops Northpaws 13-3 tonight, knotting the series up at 1-1.

The HarbourCats were off to the races early in this one! Victoria hitters patiently drew three walks in the top of the second, and singles from Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) and Jacob Silva (UTSA) drove in three runs for the Cats. A quick start, and a much-needed buffer for a visiting team looking to rebound from last night’s loss.

BOX SCORE

Kamloops swung back in the home half of the third with an RBI single, but the HarbourCats brought the hammer back down immediately. Riley Kwak made it to third on a double-steal, creating an opportunity to dash home on a groundout before Logan Shepherd (Mercer) bashed a homer to widen the lead.

Logan Shepherd’s homer in the fourth put the Cats well in front. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The visiting team’s onslaught would proceed throughout the middle innings. Riley Kwak and Logan Shepherd continued their dazzling individual performances with an RBI single each in the fifth frame, and Kwak came back for a monstrous three-run homer in the sixth. A trio of consecutive three-run innings gave the Cats a robust 11-run lead to work with after the first two thirds of the game.

The Northpaws strung some singles together to score twice in the bottom of the sixth, only to suffer through a long seventh frame where Logan Shepherd scored on a wild pitch. The scoring quieted down after that thirteenth run, and the HarbourCats sauntered off the diamond with a 13-3 win in game two of the series.

Riley Kwak (left) had a gem of a game tonight. The Abbotsford, B.C. product went 4/5 with five RBI and four runs scored. (Photo by JPM Photography)

As for the pitching side of things, returning arm Shea Lake (West Texas A&M) tossed a strong three-inning start in which he allowed one run on two hits. Trent Schlim (Concordia-Nebraska) toed the slab for two smooth scoreless innings and handed the ball off to Tate Collins (Arkansas State). Collins allowed two runs on four hits over the span of innings six, seven, and eight. Carter Germain (Allen CC) made his HarbourCats debut in the bottom of the ninth, nailing down a relatively easy inning to close out the win.

WCL STANDINGS

With the series now tied, the HarbourCats and Northpaws will battle for the win in the rubber match tomorrow afternoon.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Stifled by Northpaws in 4-2 Loss

Published

2 days ago

July 11, 2026

Dugout Wire Service

Kamloops, B.C. – The series opener didn’t go how the HarbourCats hoped, with the Kamloops Northpaws taking a 4-2 win over the visiting Cats.

The Northpaws got a jolt to their offence early on, rocking a solo homer in the second inning to take the upper hand. Kamloops continued their production in the next frame, capitalizing on two consecutive walks from HarbourCats starting pitcher Landon Marchetti (San Jose State). A couple of stolen bases and a double, and a wild pitch later, and the visiting Cats suddenly find themselves in a four-run deficit.

BOX SCORE

Victoria made up some ground in the second half of the ballgame when infielder Riley Kwak (Bossier Parish) legged out a leadoff triple. A single from the reliable Bryan Bradshaw (UCSD) brought home Kwak for the HarbourCats’ first run.

Rohne Klein (San Jose State) made a rare start at third base tonight and picked up an RBI. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Merchetti’s night was done after the opening third of the game, over which he allowed four runs on three hits and struck out five Kamloops batters. Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) appeared from the bullpen and delivered the best outing you could really ask for from a reliever. His four innings featured just two hits, no walks, and a grand total of zero runs scored.

The HarbourCats mustered another run in the top of the eighth, a sacrifice fly by Rohne Klein (San Jose State). An important step, but still a ways to go if the visiting squad were to catch up. Leif Friedrich (Concordia-Nebraska) sliced through an efficient frame in the bottom of the eight inning, retiring the side on just eight pitches, but Victoria were held off by the Northpaws in a 4-2 loss.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats will look to rebound and tie the series in Kamloops tomorrow night, before coming back to Victoria for the long-awaited Showpass 2026 West Coast League All-Star Festival presented by Canadian Club!

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