BEND 5
VICTORIA 1
As far as losses go, at least this one was respectable.
The Victoria HarbourCats dropped a 5-1 West Coast League baseball decision to the Bend Elks on Saturday night in central Oregon. That followed Friday night鈥檚 eyebrow-raiser in which the Elks raked the HarbourCats 24-5.
鈥淲e were right in it and this was a great effort after Friday鈥檚 game,鈥� Victoria head coach Graig Merritt said.
At 7-1 in the standings, the Elks appear the early class of the league, while the HarbourCats fell to 3-5.
Not even the addition of Gabe Clark to the line-up, making his season debut at first base on Saturday after being selected in the 26th round of the 2015 MLB draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, could lift Victoria. The Oregon State Beavers Pac-12 infielder 鈥� who hit .291 with eight homers and 34 RBIs in 40 games for Victoria last year 鈥� went 0-4 on Saturday.
But that was deceptive, Merritt said. 鈥淸Clark] brought leadership and presence. And he just missed two home runs 鈥� one was a deep ball to the warning track and the other a big-league fly ball that stayed in the air about eight seconds.鈥� the Victoria dugout boss said. 鈥淕abe also made two gold-glove plays in the field.鈥�
Brady Rogers had two hits and a stolen base and Kevin Collard a double and RBI to lead the Victoria offence. Fresno State outfielder Austin Guibor also doubled for the HarbourCats.
Feisty Victoria starter Shawn Kennedy II dropped to 0-2 on the season by allowing 10 hits and four runs but he struck out seven Bend batters over six innings. 鈥淪hawn gave us a great effort tonight,鈥� Merritt said. 鈥淚t was a couple of mental errors that cost us.鈥�
Bend starter Aaron Leasher took the win with a two-hitter, one run allowed with eight strikeouts over five innings.
The HarbourCats conclude the three-game set in Bend with a matin茅e today.
Then another key returnee, popular shortstop Alex DeGoti from Long Beach State, a WCL all-star during both his previous two seasons in Victoria and a fan favourite, will join the club Monday in southern Washington state as Victoria begins a three-game set against the Cowlitz Black Bears (1-4).
A fluid fielder, DeGoti can also lace the ball and hit .296 with four home runs, 34 RBIs and 11 stolen bases last year for the HCats.
The HarbourCats will get their fill of Black Bear, as they return home Friday to begin a three-game set at Royal Athletic Park against Cowlitz.
