Kelowna Falcons

Falcons Break Harbourcats Streak

It was a tale of two games for the Kelowna Falcons as they took on the rival Victoria Harbourcats for a doubleheader. Game number one was a bit of a rough affair for the Falcons, who kept it close until the bottom of the fifth inning. The score was only 2-0 at the time, a very manageable number for a potential comeback. The game started to go sideways when the Falcons found themselves in a spot of trouble with the bases loaded.

Ben Polshuk, the Victoria first baseman, then stepped up to bat and hammered a shot out to left field. It was a grand slam that put the game out of reach very quickly. The final score was 7-0 in favour of the North Division first half champions.

Game number two was played about a half hour later. The reason for the two games was that when these teams first met in early June, two of the three days were rained out. Game two served as a makeup contest. The Falcons players had to have incredibly short memories because before they knew it, they were back on the diamond. The Harbourcats started well and scored first, courtesy of a run by Matt Lautz.

The Falcons evened up the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the third when Chandler Robertson hit a single that put him on first. He was advanced to second by the sacrifice bunt by Brendt Citta and then came home to score courtesy of an RBI double being hit AJ Sawyer.

The birds would add some insurance in the bottom of the sixth when Tevin Mitchell, the recently acquired infielder out of UC Santa Barbara, was walked on a 3-1 count. A few batters later, an RBI single from Citta brought Mitchell home from third to score the go ahead run. Heading to the top of the seventh, the Harbourcats had one last chance to extend their streak. In their path was Jared Morton, the clutch closer hailing from UC Riverside.

He struck out Jarron Silva on three straight pitches before allowing a double to Cody Snider. He was then able to get Brad Plushkell to fly out to centre field for the second out. It all came down to Ben Polshuk, the first baseman who had already hit two home runs off the Falcons during the series. He worked his way into a 2-2 count before Morton ripped the final strike in to secure the victory and his fourth save of the season. Jordon Ragan, the lefty out of Western Nevada, is credited as the winning pitcher for the Falcons.

The Falcons were able to do something no team in the WCL has been able to do for 19 games. It was a great win for the Kelowna boys, who were extremely excited to break the Harbourcats streak.

The two teams will meet once more Saturday night for the series finale. The Falcons will then travel to Wenatchee to play the AppleSox for a three game set to conclude the first half of the season.

Story courtesy of: Anthony Fusco, Falcons Play by Play

 

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