Summer Collegiate
Victoria HarbourCats – NightOwls take advantage of HarbourCats errors, win 7-4
Manny and Juliana Ramirez threw out the ceremonial first pitch to their sons Manny Jr. and Lucas (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
For immediate release
VICTORIA, B.C. – The Nanaimo NightOwls win the first of nine games this season against the Victoria HarbourCats, coming from behind to win 7-4.
The HarbourCats jumped on NightOwls starter Nathan Buchan early, loading the bases in the second inning. It was a dropped third strike with two outs that brought the first run of the game home for the Cats.
After loading the bases again in the third inning, designated hitter Aric Anderson (Rice University) hit a rocket off the glove of the NightOwls first baseman to drive in two runs, making it 3-0.
HarbourCats pitcher Ryne Palmer joins the pregame challenger baseball action (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
HarbourCats right-hander Shea Lake (Hawaii Pacific) was in control early. He retired the first 10 batters to start the game before getting into trouble in the fourth. Four straight hits followed and it was a tie ballgame 3-3. It was a similar story for Lake in his first outing of the season in Kelowna, where he pitched three scoreless innings before giving up three runs in the fourth. The native of Temecula, California finished today’s contest giving up three runs in four innings, striking out four.
Second-year HarbourCat Jake Finkelstein (Montana State) pitched two scoreless innings in relief, striking out three and escaping a bases-loaded jam in the sixth.
Brooks Brewster (Panola College) gave up a home run to the first batter he faced in the seventh, centre fielder Deshon Thomas, to give the Owls their first lead. Brewster bounced back to get out of the inning, striking out two.
The lead did not last long as Camden Sos (TCU) extended his hit streak to six games with an RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh, tying up the game 4-4.
The NightOwls took advantage of a costly Tyrus Hall (Bossier Parrish) error to break the game wide open in the eighth inning. With two outs, what should have been an inning-ending play, Hall threw wide of his first baseman and allowed a run to score. The next pitch was a two-run single and the score was 7-4 Owls just like that.
Shea Lake started his second game of the season (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)
HarbourCats 2023 Pitcher-of-the-Year Logan MacNiel made his season debut, striking out one batter. Kade Douglas (CSU Pueblo) pitched a scoreless ninth inning, striking out two.
Ryan Inouye closed out the game for the NightOwls in the ninth to give his team the victory.
The series continues tomorrow night in Nanaimo before returning to Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park on Thursday, June 13. Thursday is Mayfair Optometric’s annual School Spirit Day which will see over 3000 students from over 20 local schools attend the game. The first pitch is at 11:00 AM. This game is sold out other than standing-room general admission tickets, which can still be purchased.
The Victoria HarbourCats are proud to announce direct links to a DOWNLOADABLE SCHEDULE that will work on your iPhone or tablet, your Google calendar, or your Android device. Click HERE to access the calendars! Contact zach@harbourcats.com if you have any problems downloading the calendar to your device.
NightOwls go California Dreaming — more arms for Coach Gorm
– Pitching coach Gorm Heimueller, going into his 50th year in the game, will have a lot to work with for mound duties this season.
The Nanaimo NightOwls are pleased to announce the signing of some top-end pitching for the 2026 WCL campaign, and all of those locked in on paperwork today hail from the State of California — which happens to be where Gorm is originally from.
To help Heimueller have a memorable 50th year in baseball, the NightOwls are proud to add these pitchers to his 2026 meeting room:
RHP Jacob Badillo, Cal State-LA, 6-0/180, Lancaster CA
RHP Anthony Cosme, Cal Poly-Pomona, 6-0/208, Inglewood CA
RHP Jacob Alvarez, Orange Coast College, 61-/215, Bellflower CA
RHP Chase Cummins, Cerra Coso CC, 6-0/168, Santa Maria CA
Badillo comes from the same school that provided 2025 starter Lino Zepeda, an effective starter for Heimueller’s staff. As a freshman, Badillo has made five appearances including three starts for Cal State LA so far this spring, posting his first collegiate win.
Cosme has spent time as the Friday Night Starter for Cal Poly, a physical pitcher who runs his fastball up to 93. He was the opening game starter for Cal Poly as a freshman, and went on to make 11 starts and was named the school’s freshman male athlete of the year, walking only 17 batters in nearly 60 innings pitched.
Alvarez is at junior college powerhouse program Orange Coast College, on the same team as recent signee Alan Choo (1B/DH, son of former MLB all-star Shin-Soo Choo). Alvarez already has six appearances this spring, including a start, an innings-eater for Orange Coast with nearly a strikeout per inning.
Cummins is a submariner, a whippy arm and a useful bullpen tool to mix things up — a sophomore who has given up just one hit in his last two outings and is striking out a batter per inning. He had 24 innings of work last summer for Swift Current in the WCBL, so this will be his second summer spent north of the border.
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