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WCL Victoria HabourCats

HarbourCats' Bats Lead Team Back to .500, Playoff Push Heats Up

July 29, 2015 - West Coast League (WCL)
Victoria HabourCats News Release


VICTORIA, B.C. -- The Victoria HarbourCats are back at the .500 mark, and now the work begins to put that mark in the rear-view mirror if the West Coast League's wildcard berth is to be reached.

The HarbourCats unloaded with four home runs, two of them by Griffin Andreychuk (Seattle U) -- nice night, Griff, 3-3 with four runs and six driven in -- and the team banged out 15 hits en route to a 15-4 win over the Cowlitz Black Bears. It was Columbia Fuels/FEEL THE HEAT NIGHT, with 500 fans let in free thanks to the official fuel supplier of the HarbourCats -- and the heat, it was real, and felt by the 1,960 in attendance.

Included in that attendance figure -- Don Pries, who managed the Victoria Tyees in the 1950s, and the legendary scout is the grandfather of current HarbourCats outfielder Jake Pries (UCLA).

The HarbourCats are now 21-21, the latest point in the season in the three year history of the team to have a .500 record, and within 2.5 games of the final playoff spot. The HarbourCats are on a three-game winning streak and have won four of their last five games.

Cowlitz remains in town for games Wednesday night (6:35pm, Westshore U-Lock Mini-Storage Game Night, and Thursday afternoon (1pm), before heading off to Wenatchee for a three-game set on Friday-Saturday-Sunday.

Besides Andreychuk, the list of players who had strong nights is rather long. Kevin Collard (USD) -- 2-4, two runs, RBI, and a triple. Jackson Thoreson (St. Mary's) -- 1-3, two runs, including a three-run home run early to set the tone. PJ Floyd (Sacramento State) -- 2-4, a run, and three driven in, including a home run and a double. Chase Lambert (Pepperdine) -- 3-5, with two runs.

Andreychuk is now hitting .364 on the season.

Almost lost in it all was a stellar pitching performance by Fresno State RHP Dominic Topoozian, who fanned five and allowed four hits and three runs, two earned, in seven innings. Mikey Wright (Delta College) and Brett Irvine, a Victoria Mariners product making his WCL debut, each pitched an inning to close it.

The HarbourCats scored four times in the first inning, then twice in each of the second and third innings and made it a 9-2 lead after four innings. Three more runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings cemented the victory -- leaving the three Victoria errors with little negative effect.

After this series, the HarbourCats have their next home games on Aug 3-4-5, including fireworks on August 3, Harvey's birthday on August 4, and Fan Appreciation Day on August 5.

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West Coast League Stories from July 29, 2015


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