Visiting HCats halt Bells’ win streak
Outfielder Joe Casey and infielder Ryan Ober can be excused for arriving late to the 2018 Victoria HarbourCats dance. They were busy helping lead the Oregon State Beavers to the 2018 NCAA College World Series title last week in Omaha, Nebraska.
Depending on travel, they could join the HarbourCats in Bellingham this week for the set against the Bells. More likely, they will join the Victoria club in Corvallis, Oregon, for the start of the second half of the West Coast League season on Saturday against the Knights.
“The fact [Oregon State head coach] Pat Casey is placing his son, Joe, with us for summer ball shows we are doing something right within our organization,” said HarbourCats GM Brad Norris-Jones.
Also arriving for the second half of the HarbourCats season will be slugging-infielder Rowdey Jordan and returning outfield standout Hunter Vansau, who both played for Mississippi State in the 2018 College World Series.
“Those four guys change our lineup and are incredible additions that will put us at the next level,” said Norris-Jones. And not a moment too soon. The Bellingham Bells (17-7) have clinched the first-half championship of the WCL North Division, and playoff berth that goes with it, which renders the threegame set this week against the HarbourCats (12-13) largely moot.
It began Monday night as visiting Victoria halted Bellingham’s winning streak at four games with a 4-3 victory at Joe Martin Field, where the likes of Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez played SingleA minor-pro ball on their way up to greatness with the Seattle Mariners.
Now, the Bells are intent on adding their own chapter in the lore of Joe Martin Field, with an alumni list of its own in the summer-collegiate WCL that includes World Series champion Marc Rzepczynski and B.C. MLB pitching product Jeff Francis.
Not only were six former Bells selected last month in the 2018 MLB draft, but this year’s lineup isn’t too shabby, either, despite Monday night’s setback as Dustin Demeter led the Victoria offence with four RBIs on two hits as the HCats squeezed out a victory with two runs in the top of the ninth inning.
The Bells-HarbourCats series continues tonight and concludes Wednesday with a U.S. holiday July 4 fireworks display.
The games aren’t entirely meaningless. If the Bells also win the second-half North Division title, then the second playoff berth in the division goes to the team with the next-best overall record.
“So even though the first-half race is settled, these three games in Bellingham could end up counting for us, if it comes down to a tiebreaker for the second playoff spot if the Bells also win the second half,” said Norris-Jones.
It begins to matter more directly for Victoria when the second-half of the season begins Saturday in Corvallis in a reprise of the 2017 WCL league final between the HarbourCats and the Knights.
If Victoria needs any inspiration for the second half, it only need be reminded that last year’s HarbourCats team won the second-half North Division title after Kelowna had won the first-half championship. Victoria went on to defeat Kelowna in the North Division playoff final before losing 2-1 in the WCL final to the South Division-champion Knights.