The six Victoria HarbourCats in the 2019 West Coast League all-star game Tuesday night in Bend, Oregon, made an impact and showed why they belonged there in leading the North Division to a commanding 14-1 victory over the South Division.
Parker Bramlett of the HarbourCats had quite an opportune evening, in a game heavily attended by MLB scouts, with four hits, an RBI and run scored.
Victoria teammate Jason Willow, a 2017 draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles out of Lambrick Park Secondary who will re-enter the draft next spring, had a double with three RBIs and a run scored.
Fellow HarbourCats slugger Frankie Niemann from Tulane had a hit, walk and two runs scored in the all-star tilt.
The 2018 Victoria team MVP Nick Plaia talked before the all-star game about learning this season not to concentrate on batting average but more on how to get on base in any way. The NCAA Cal-Baptist player was as good as his word, striking out twice but also scratching out two runs on no hits in four at-bats 鈥� by reaching base with a walk and a South Division infielding error.
鈥淭his is my third season in the league and the first time I鈥檝e been selected to play in the all-star game, so I鈥檓 super-excited,鈥� said Plaia, before the contest.
Also on the North team from the HarbourCats was catcher Tyson Hays from Illinois State, who went 2-for-2.
Jack Hyde of the HarbourCats was the North Division starter and the University of San Diego hurler pitched the complete first inning with a hit but no runs allowed against the four South batters he faced. Among them was Brooks Lee, ranked 37th overall by MLB.com for the 2019 MLB draft, but who instead has opted to play in the NCAA for his dad at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo before re-entering the draft in his junior season. Hyde got Lee to hit into a put-out at first base in the first of Lee鈥檚 hitless four at-bats on the night.
DIAMOND DUST: The rest of the 鈥機ats (9-4 in the second half and 27-13 overall) will meet up with their all-star six Thursday and Friday in Ridgefield, Washington, for a pair of games against the Raptors (4-6 and 17-20).
