The wider story sometimes takes precedence over the final result.
The West Coast League history book will read the following scoreline for the first female pitcher to start a game in league history: Claire Eccles, Victoria HarbourCats, went two complete innings with six hits and four runs, two earned, allowed with one strikeout and two walks against 14 batters faced. She was tagged with a no decision as Victoria took a wild 13-10 victory over the Yakima Valley Pippins on Wednesday night.
Eccles fared no more poorly than many of the other pitchers, six from Victoria and three from the Pippins, who took to the mound before 1,623 fans on an offensive-themed scorefest evening at Royal Athletic Park.
That was a fact not lost on HarbourCats general manager Brad Norris-Jones.
鈥淲hen people first questioned me about signing Claire to play, I knew she could compete and get outs,鈥� he said, of the Canadian women鈥檚 national team player, who has silver medals from the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and 2016 World Cup in South Korea.
鈥淭onight, she competed against [NCAA] Division 1 players, and competed hard and got outs. This is no circus. This is the real deal.鈥�
Noah Prewett took the win in relief, while Travis Kuhn finished the ninth for his league-leading seventh save.
The HarbourCats are 20-16 overall and 6-3 in the second half of the season. The Pippins, who will host the 2017 WCL all-star game next Tuesday, are 15-17 and 2-3.
鈥淚 felt good at the start but I got tired in the third inning [when she got the hook],鈥� said Eccles, a 19-year-old from White Rock.
鈥淥ur offence kept going and that was the difference in the game."
Lucas Denney slammed two home runs, the second over deepest centre, for the Pippins. It crossed the border and they are still looking for it down in Yakima Valley, or maybe even on Denny Way in Seattle. The Seattle University slugger reached in all five trips to the plate with four hits and a walk.
Andrew Shaps of Chico State returned the favour for Victoria, lifting the ball over the fence in the bottom of the eighth inning. The versatile Shaps had just come off the mound in a key relief pitching situation to keep the Pippins, particularly Denney, at bay in the top of the eighth.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even know I was going to pitch tonight, but [Victoria coach Brian McRae] told me to be ready to go midway through the game, and I was brought in to face the lefty [Denney],鈥� said Shaps.
Shaps walked Denney but then got the next Pippins batter to end the inning. Then came his jack as he solo homered.
鈥淚 was tired and out of breath for that at-bat [after pitching], but I got my bearings and calmed down.鈥�
Did he ever.
鈥淚t was a crazy night,鈥� said Shaps.
It was also a gaffe-filled one with each team committing four errors.
Harry Shipley hit the ball off the fence on a two-hit, three-RBI night for the HarbourCats.
The Pippins, winners of the first game 12-6 on Tuesday, and HarbourCats close out their three-game set tonight with the rubber match at Royal Athletic Park.
