VICTORIA 12 KELOWNA 2
The Victoria HarbourCats took another big step toward a berth in the West Coast League playoffs on Saturday, finishing off the Kelowna Falcons with a bang.
On the final firworks night at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park, the HarbourCats got a solid performance on the hill from Daniel Gonzalez and big nights at the plate from Ryan Magdic and Jesse Brown to defeat the Falcons 12-2.
The victory allowed the HarbourCats to keep pace with the Wenatchee AppleSox in the race for the North Division second half title and the automatic playoff berth that goes with it.
Victoria (13-6) remains a game and half back of Wenatchee (15-5) in that race, but the HarbourCats are also very much alive in the North Division wild-card race. Two playoff spots are available for the teams with the next best overall records and the HarbourCats, at 32-14 overall, currently hold down one of the wild card spots, along with the Falcons (25-22). The Bellingham Bells have already clinched a postseason berth thanks to winning the first-half title.
On Saturday, Gonzalez, who’s headed to the NCAA and the University of Louisiana-Monroe in the fall, didn’t allow a hit until the top of the fifth when Griffin Palfrey hit a home run to get Kelowna on the board. Gonzalez went 4 1/3 innings, allowing the one hit and striking out eight.
Magdic went 2 for 4 with a pair of RBIs, while Brown hit a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning to blow the game open and send the HarbourCats on their way.
The HarbourCats can make it a series sweep with a win over the Falcons today at Royal Athletic Park. Victoria then gets an off-day Monday before beginning their final home series of the regular season when they host the Nanaimo NightOwls on Tuesday night. After three with the NightOwls, the the HarbourCats wrap up the regular season with a trip to Edmonton for a three-game set with the Riverhawks beginning Friday night.
EXTRA BASES: In Nanaimo, the NightOwls beat the Kamloops NorthPaws 5-4 to move to 10-10 in the second half and 24-23 overall. The two teams meet again today.
