VICTORIA 2
KITSAP 1
The importance of the moment wasn鈥檛 lost on Austin Guibor, so he seized upon it.
鈥淚t was a big at-bat and I just planned to make hard contact,鈥� the Victoria HarbourCats fielder said. 鈥淚t came through.鈥�
Guibor鈥檚 single screeched high over second base and scored Chris Fougner from third for the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning of Victoria鈥檚 2-1 West Coast League baseball victory over the Kitsap BlueJackets on Tuesday.
It was a taut, well-played game that swung on that swing to give Victoria its second victory over Kitsap in as many nights.
鈥淲e鈥檙e nearly halfway through our season [10-16) and it鈥檚 time to change things around and help our pitchers,鈥� Guibor said of a HarbourCats team that came into the game hitting .227, better only than Klamath Falls in the 12-team WCL.
鈥淭onight, we got pitching and key hitting,鈥� added Guibor, one of three Fresno State Bulldogs on the HarbourCats roster.
The BlueJackets pushed one across in the third inning by catcher Jack Veasey from San Jose State and then loaded the bases.
But Jonathan Buckley, making his first start for Victoria, avoided any further damage.
The six-foot-three righty finished with a credible five-hitter over six complete innings with one run, six strikeouts and three walks. Reliever Shawn Kennedy II took the win for his shutout inning of work. Victoria closer Josh Mitchell, from Pitt, came in to close the door over the final two shutout innings with three strikeouts.
Kitsap starter Jake Brewer gave up six hits and one run over six innings.
Chase Lambert from Pepperdine had two hits, a walk and an RBI for Victoria while Kevin Collard added two hits.
The BlueJackets, who have lost six consecutive games in falling to 10-16, and the HarbourCats close out their three-game set tonight at RAP before Victoria embarks on a six-game road swing through farthest Oregon beginning Friday in Klamath Falls and continuing in Medford.
The next home date after tonight for the HCats is July 16 against the Bellingham Bells.
