Will it be a lucky 13 or just more rotten luck for the Victoria HarbourCats?
With just the baker鈥檚 dozen to go in regular-season games, the local West Coast League team starts a pivotal series tonight at Sports Traders Diamond at Royal Athletic Park.
The Cowlitz Black Bears 鈥� currently hibernating in a five-game losing skid 鈥� wander into Victoria for three games.
After Sunday鈥檚 rainout between the HarbourCats and Walla Walla, Victoria finds itself 61脷2 games out of the West Division lead (prior to last night鈥檚 play), currently held by Bellingham. The H-Cats were also 21脷2 in arrears to the Corvallis Knights in the hunt for the wild-card spot.
Yakima was 11脷2 back of that mark and Walla Walla was tied with Victoria with identical 20-21 logs, meaning a logjam of four teams on the hunt. And you can make that six, with Medford and Wenatchee both at 19-23 heading into Monday play.
The HarbourCats鈥� three games against the weaker Black Bears (17-25 and in last place in the West) will be followed by a series in Yakima. Then they鈥檙e back home to Wenatchee and wrap up in Bellingham. The Sunday rainout might have to be made up if required in the playoff race.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a tight race and it鈥檚 the end of summer so, as you know, some guys will start leaving [to go back to school]. So it gets interesting,鈥� said 20-year-old HarbourCats relief pitcher Eric Hegadoren, who recently joined the team.
鈥淲e鈥檒l see how it pieces together, but we鈥檙e playing well right now. We鈥檙e not going to win our division, but we鈥檙e close to that wild card. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e pushing for,鈥� added Hegadoren, a former Victoria Eagle who stands 6-foot-11, but is coming back from an elbow injury.
鈥淭his is a big series. They鈥檙e in our division. They鈥檙e below us and we should beat them. Two wins would be good; three is better and what we鈥檙e shooting for.鈥�
Victoria starts its series tonight at 6:35, plays Game 2 at the same time on Wednesday and will cap it with a Thursday matin茅e at 1 p.m.
Thanks to a series win against Walla Walla (the locals had won the first two before Sunday鈥檚 rainout), the HarbourCats are now 5-8 in three-game sets through the year, with just three of those at home.
The team is looking for its first playoff berth in three seasons. 鈥淚t鈥檚 that time of the year. Some guys are going through injuries and some guys have been throwing since October,鈥� said HarbourCats assistant coach Jerry Pena.
Pitcher Jonathan Buckley already has gone home and fellow right-handers Henry Omana and Nick Wojtysiak might be shut down due to injuries.
Twitter/tc_vicsports
