And Friday night in Cowlitz, they played like it.
The HarbourCats struck early against the Black Bears and never trailed the rest of the way, picking up a 6-3 victory at Story Field. The win allows Victoria (12-8) to move 11脷2 games in front of the Bells, who were beaten 7-5 in Kelowna on Friday night, and the AppleSox, who lost 5-4 to Walla Walla. Victoria has seven games remaining in the regular season.
Centre-fielder Andrew Shaps, out of the NCAA鈥檚 Chico State, and first baseman Harrison Bragg, a product of Mississippi State, got things started for the HarbourCats, with RBI singles in the first inning to give starter Wyatt Boone a lead before he took the hill.
RBI doubles by Harry Shipley and Hunter Vansau in the second inning extended the lead to 4-1 and sent the HarbourCats on their way. Noah Prewett added a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning. Catcher Shane McGuire, who will begin his freshman season at the University of San Diego in September, finished the game 4-for-4 with an RBI.
Boone, headed to Seattle University in the fall, picked up his first win of the season in his second start. He went six innings, giving up five hits and allowing three runs, but just one of them was earned. Newcomer Garrison Ritter, from NCAA Div. 2 St. Martin鈥檚 University in Washington, went the final three innings without giving up a hit to earn the save for Victoria.
Lefty Nico Tellache (0-3), out of the University of Oregon, started for Cowlitz and went six innings, giving up eight hits and five earned runs.
The Black Bears (12-7) lead the second-half race in the South Division, by a half-game over the Corvallis Knights.
The two teams will play the second game of the three-game series tonight, with Blake Hannah (0-2) of UC-Davis starting on the mound for the HarbourCats. The series finale goes Sunday at 5 p.m.
EXTRA BASES: HarbourCats manager Brian McRae sat out the last of his six-game suspension Friday so he鈥檒l return to the bench tonight. . . . Following the three-game set with Cowlitz, Victoria returns home to face Bellingham in a crucial three-game series beginning Monday at Royal Athletic Park.
