Falcons Drop Opener
- Updated: June 3, 2016
The stands were packed Friday night for the Kelowna Falcons’ 2016 season opener against the Bellingham Bells. However the Falcons faithful didn’t get the result they had hoped for, after the home side fell in their first game of the season by a score of 5-2. It was the sixth season opener in the past seven seasons that the Falcons have come up short.
Pitching was the story tonight, starter Leif Strom went 7 1/3 strong innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits and allowing just a single walk, while fanning 5 batters along the way. Coach Bryan Donohue credited Strom for keeping things close: “I thought Leif gave us a shot to win it. He really grinded it out and got better. I mean he really started to look good in the third, fourth, sixth inning.”
Although Strom did give up a solo jack to the Bells’ Elijah Skipps in the top of the 8th, Donohue didn’t hold it over the righty’s head. “It’s baseball. Unlucky break on the ball that made it over the fence. Didn’t think the swing looked like it was going to get out, might have caught a little bit of wind.”
The towering 6’6 Strom’s solid outing kept the Falcons from going to the bullpen too early, a much-needed quick evening for the shorthanded pitching staff. Coach Donohue is expecting to add another arm tomorrow, giving the Falcons a little bit more bend in their approach in games 2 and 3 of this series.
Both offences made solid contact at the plate only to be kept off the score sheet by stellar defensive plays. It was a tight 3-2 game in the late innings before things got away from the Falcons in the top half of the ninth where the Bells tacked on two more insurance runs and put the game out of reach.
Tomorrow is a different story, with lefty Jordon Ragan getting the start for the Falcons. The 6’2 freshman hails from Medford, OR and has his eyes set on putting his club in the win column at home.
Tonight’s crowd easily exceed the 1,600 mark, a boost the Falcons will hope to get again tomorrow and Sunday when they try to close out the Bells. Saturday will be a 6:35 PM start and the weather looks to be perfect for more Falcons baseball.
Matt Inglis – Falcons Media
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