Hockey has the Battle of Alberta, reprised this year in the Stanley Cup playoffs after a 31-year absence. The Battle of the Island in baseball has just begun, at least the regular season version. And it looks to be a good one.
The Victoria HarbourCats won the inaugural West Coast League meeting between the HarbourCats and expansion Nanaimo NightOwls on Tuesday night at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park by rallying for a dramatic 7-6 victory after trailing 6-2.
“I would love to have these teams meet in the playoffs, although that could only happen in the first round,” said Jim Swanson, managing partner of the group that owns both Island clubs.
The NightOwls are off to a 3-4 start under assistant coach Gorman Heimueller, in charge until head coach Greg Frady arrives Thursday from his daughter’s wedding in Bulgaria.
Heimueller has no shortage of stories to tell his young charges. His first strikeout as a major leaguer was against Cal Ripkin Jr. and first home-run allowed was by Eddie Murray. The last home run he allowed was against Jim Rice at Fenway Park. That provides plenty of imparted knowledge for NightOwls pitchers to mull over and learn from. Six-foot-four Nanaimo starter Kyle Rosenfeld, out of the NCAA Western Illinois University Fighting Leathernecks, went four complete innings Tuesday with two runs allowed on three hits with five strikeouts.
The starters pretty much mirrored each other. Hometown Victoria-product Nick Lee went four full innings for the HabourCats (3-4) and gave up two runs on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Reliever Russell Hicks was credited with the win.
Designated-hitter Clark Henry from the University of Texas-San Antonio, with his parents in the stands visiting from Texas, led the HarbourCats offence with two hits, runs runs scored and two RBIs. Landon Frei led the NightOwls offensively with two hits and two runs scored.
The teams meet again tonight and Thursday night at Royal Athletic Park with Nanaimo Bars to be sold at the concession in the latter game, a feature of NightOwls games, even on the road. The club will also be wearing their alternate Nanaimo Bar jerseys that night.
