VICTORIA 15
COWLITZ 4
The stats are right there in black and white.
In six games in which Griffin Andreychuk has recorded multiple-hit games, the Victoria HarbourCats have won all six.
So it鈥檚 all eyes on the former Nanaimo Pirate, who played his last year of junior with the Langley Blaze, before ending up at Seattle University where he will be in his third year starting in September.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know that stat, but sure, why not,鈥� the just turned 20-year-old said of his success. 鈥淢aybe we can get those wins and get back in the playoff hunt.鈥�
There is no time like the present as the HarbourCats attempt to stay in the race for the West Coast League wild-card spot.
The locals beat up on the Cowlitz Black Bears 15-4, handing the visitors their sixth straight loss, this time in the opener of a three-game series at Royal Athletic Park.
Andreychuk, a second baseman, was a solid 3-for-3 with two home runs, four runs scored and six runs batted in during the victory.
The Nanaimo product leads the team with a .364 batting average, but does not show up among the league leaders because he doesn鈥檛 meet the minimum 2.7 plate appearances per game. In 20 games and 66 at-bats, Andreychuk has 24 hits, including two doubles and now three home runs. He now has 16 RBIs.
The stats are being propped up after a sluggish start as he had to win over the new coaching staff, despite coming back for his second season with the HarbourCats.
鈥淏aseball is a game of patience. You have to put the work in to get the results, so you have to keep working hard, day-in and day-out,鈥� said Andreychuk. 鈥淏aseball is a rhythm game, once you get going and tack up a bunch of multi-hit games you can get going. But if you鈥檙e in the lineup one game and sit four days, it鈥檚 tough on you mentally.
鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 getting into that groove. It鈥檚 getting to that point where it鈥檚 the grind of the season, coming off school and coming down to the home stretch.鈥�
It started poorly for the HarbourCats on Tuesday.
Ryan Aguilar led off with a home run to centre as he took Victoria starter Dominic Topoozian deep on just his second pitch of the game. But the Black Bears gave it right back.
Jackson Thoreson tagged starter Callahan Neely for a three-run shot to right and P.J. Floyd collected an RBI off a double in the first for a 4-1 lead. Floyd added two more RBIs in the third with a two-run shot to left and the rout was well on.
Thoreson and Floyd all finished with three RBIs each.
Sean Sutton added a homer for the Bears as there were six home runs on the night. Victoria made three errors in the first two innings, but Topoozian tossed a four-hitter over seven innings for the win.
EXTRA INNINGS: With pitchers Jonathan Buckley, Josh Mitchell and Alex Rogers now gone, the HarbourCats have added Brett Irvine, Jason Willow and Nick Seginowich of the Victoria Mariners and are soon to add Calvin Christiansen (Glendale College) and Shawn Anderson (Burnaby Collegiate). Irvine pitched the ninth inning on Tuesday.
