HarbourCats edge past Lefties
VICTORIA 6 PORT ANGELES 5
The Victoria HarbourCats are victims of their own recruiting success.
Four key players — two from Oregon State and two from Mississippi State — are missing because they are still playing in the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
But in the West Coast League, you make do with what you have, when you have it. That’s what the HarbourCats (6-5) did Saturday night in rallying for a 6-5 victory in the cross-Strait derby against the Port Angeles Lefties (7-7).
The HarbourCats rebounded from a 5-1 deficit with a five-run sixth inning that was aided by two costly Port Angeles errors.
The key hit in the sixth, an RBI triple, was delivered by Seattle Mariners draft-pick Jack Smith from the NCAA Pac-12 Washington State Cougars.
“I’m so proud of the guys. Everybody fought to the end,” said Smith, who finished with two hits, an RBI and a run scored.
There is no quicker way of getting to the point in baseball than by using the long ball. The Lefties used it to advantage on a sunny evening, before 2,231 fans at Wilson’s Group Stadium, at Royal Athletic Park, by cranking a trey of home runs by Ronnie Rust, Kyle Schimpf and Austin Earl to build their 5-1 lead.
“Those were some [towering] homers that Port Angeles hit. But we were fired up after that,” said Smith.
HarbourCats head coach Brian McRae concurred. “I knew there was lots of time left, as long as we put up zeroes defensively,” Mc Rae said.
“We don’t have the home-run hitting of Port Angeles, but we put the ball in play and caused them to make unforced errors, and made things happen.”
The Lefties won on Friday night, with the rubber match a Father’s Day matinée today at 1 p.m.
“We are going for our third straight series win [today],” said 10-season major-leaguer McRae.
“If you keep winning series 2-1 in baseball, you are going to be in good shape.”
And then there’s the cavalry from Omaha.