WCL Victoria HabourCats

Six in a Row for Playoff-Seeking HarbourCats

August 5, 2015 - West Coast League (WCL)
Victoria HabourCats News Release


VICTORIA, B.C. -- The Victoria HarbourCats continue to put up runs in bunches, and get quality innings. No surprise, that combination is leading to runs.

It's also helping the HarbourCats stay right in the thick of the West Coast League playoff picture -- the wild card, but don't forget the division.

The HarbourCats secured a series win over the Yakima Valley Pippins on Tuesday in front of 2,069 fans, recording a 10-3 win at Sports Traders Diamond at RAP. Matt Blais (UC-Davis) went eight innings with seven hits, three runs (two earned), five punch-outs and a pair of walks.

The HarbourCats are on a six-game winning streak and the hottest team in the league at 9-1 in their last 10. Corvallis is next at 8-2 over their last 10 outings.

It was the second-last regular season home game for the HarbourCats, who can sweep the final series on Wednesday with RHP Henry Omana (Cal State-Fullerton) scheduled to pitch. It's Fan Appreciation Night with Flight Centres' special Spring Training offer, and with player presentations before the game, as well as Ocean 98.5 FM on location.

The HarbourCats have a chance to draw 50,000 in the regular season, currently with 47,679 coming through the turnstiles in 2015. A crowd of 2,321 on Wednesday would accomplish that organizational goal. The team is averaging 1,907, tops in the West Coast League.

On Tuesday, Kevin Collard continued to crush the baseball, going 3-5 with a solo home run, two runs and an RBI. Victoria's 13 hits were spread evenly throughout the lineup as AJ Alcantara was 2-2 with two runs and two walks, Austin Guibor was 2-5 with two runs and an RBI, and Alex DeGoti had a two-run home run in going 1-3 with a run and three RBIs. Scott Jarvis chipped in with a 1-3 game with two driven in.

DeGoti's home run was key -- his first of the year, smashed to left field, and the two-run shot gave Victoria all the momentum.

The HarbourCats are 27-22 on the season and assured of a .500-or-better record for the first time in franchise history. Victoria is 19-6 (.760) since the squad bottomed out at 8-16 in July. Previous seasons under previous coaching and management saw 22 and 24 wins, respectively.

The HarbourCats have pushed Yakima to 3.5 games out of the wild card spot, all but mathematically eliminated from the post season. The HarbourCats remain two games back of the Corvallis Knights for the wild card berth, with Corvallis winning for the fifth-straight time, this time on the road in Kelowna.

Victoria is not out of the picture for the West Division crown -- don't turn that page yet. The HarbourCats are three games behind the Bellingham Bells for that spot, and Bellingham has a game in Cowlitz on Wednesday before returning home to face, guess who?, the HarbourCats for a three game series -- Friday-Saturday-Sunday. If the HarbourCats go into that series down two games, they can claim the West with a road sweep, something the team has accomplished three times already this season.



West Coast League Stories from August 5, 2015


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