VICTORIA聽 10
KELOWNA聽 4
Instead of the ceremonial first pitch, fans tossed out their rendition of Happy Birthday for Victoria HarbourCats鈥� head coach Graig Merritt at Royal Athletic Park on Saturday night.
Merritt鈥檚 team then slathered the icing on the cake by way of a 10-4 victory over the visiting Kelowna Falcons before a crowd of 1,647.
The HarbourCats improve to 20-4 after having their 19-game win streak halted in the back end of a sa国际传媒 Day doubleheader on Friday. The Falcons fall to 12-12 on the West Coast League season.
Victoria opened up a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Cody Snider collected a run batted in with a two-out single. Kelowna scraped a pair of runs out in the top of the third as HarbourCats starting pitcher Josh Mitchell got into a jam.
Shortstop Tommy Jew鈥檚 throwing error led to the tying run before Tevin Mitchell recorded an RBI on a ground ball with one away as the Falcons grabbed the 2-1 advantage.
Jew led off the bottom of the third with a double to left-centre. A pair of two-out walks loaded the bases and Snider cleared them with a three-RBI triple to right-centre and he scored on a throwing error as the HarbourCats racked up four runs.
Snider finished 2-for-5 at the plate with four RBIs.
鈥淚 was fortunate enough to drive in some runners in scoring position. It was nice to be that guy,鈥� Snider said.
Victoria piled on five more runs in a sloppy sixth for Kelowna, which included three walks, a hit batsman and an error. Catcher Joe Prior did collect a pair of RBIs in the inning.
鈥淭hat's the biggest difference between us and other teams. We minimize our mistakes and take advantage of them when they make them,鈥� Snider said.
Josh Mitchell went eight innings on the mound for Victoria, striking out seven and allowing just four hits to improve to 3-0. Blake Hannah mopped up in the ninth and allowed two runs on four hits and a walk.
Kelowna, meanwhile, went through six pitchers, walking a total of eight. Victoria ventures to Longview, Washington, on Wednesday to face the Cowlitz Black Bears in a three-game set that will officially mark the end of the first half of the season.
The HarbourCats will play an exhibition game today against the Nanaimo Pirates in Nanaimo.
Twitter/tc_vicsports
