Falcons host Gresham this weekend, starting with doubleheader tonight
Okanagan baseball fans are in for a treat tonight, with the Kelowna Falcons hosting a doubleheader at Elks Stadium, beginning at 5 p.m.
The visiting Gresham GreyWolves had bus issues and weren’t able to arrive in time for Thursday’s scheduled opener of a three-game set, which was postponed until today.
The Falcons are offering both games for the price of one in terms of admission. The second game will follow the 5 p.m. start. As an added bonus, it’s also $5 Friday, so fans can also enjoy a hamburger and pop for just $5.
Both of tonight’s games will be seven innings, with the nine-inning series finale slated for Saturday, 6:35 p.m. at Elks.
The Falcons (4-2) will enter the weekend on a three-game winning streak after sweeping the back of their home-and-home series with the expansion Port Angeles Lefties.
Kelowna won all three games below the border in Washington, prevailing 8-7 on both Monday and Tuesday, then 9-6 on Wednesday.
The Falcons previously won their home opener last Friday, 5-1 over the visiting Lefties, but dropped 5-3 and 5-2 decisions to Port Angeles at Elks last weekend.
Entering Thursday’s action, the Falcons were tied atop the West Coast League’s North Division standings with the Walla Walla Sweets (also 4-2).
Gresham was tied for second place in the North with the Yakima Valley Pippins, both with 3-3 records through Wednesday.
Fans that had purchased tickets online for Thursday’s game will be allowed to use their tickets for any other regular-season home game this summer (club seats excluded).
FALCONS 9, LEFTIES 6
At Port Angeles on Wednesday, Kelowna’s bats exploded in the final two innings to score five runs in a comeback win to complete the sweep.
Down by a pair heading into the eighth inning, the visiting Falcons showed character in getting RBI hits from Taylor Wright, Davis Todsichuk and Bo Meiklejohn to take the lead.
After Jake Roes made his Falcons debut out of the bullpen and shut down the Lefties, the offence went back to work — tacking on two more runs in the top of the ninth.
Chris Arpan knocked in Jake Malone before Wright scored on a Connor Gurnik fielder’s choice.
The nine runs scored was an offensive high for the Falcons this season. Malone tallied three hits and drove in two runs, while Meiklejohn also had two RBIs on two hits.
Kelowna’s starting pitcher Niall Windeler threw seven innings — giving up six runs on nine hits while striking out three.
Roes earned the win thanks to throwing two innings of shutout baseball in relief, and Braydon Price locked down the game with a save.