When it comes to big-league athletes produced by Kelowna sports teams, people usually think about the Western Hockey League鈥檚 Rockets and NHLers Josh Gorges, Shea Weber Duncan Keith, Leon Draisaitl and Island-products Jamie Benn and Tyson Barrie. Or even Okanagan Sun junior football alumni in the CFL.
They don鈥檛 often mention the baseball Kelowna Falcons of the West Coast League, a rather surprising franchise whose alumni list includes players who advanced to the MLB such as James Paxton, Tyler Wagner Jason Bay, Chris Davis, Jess Todd, Nyjer Morgan, Aaron Harang and David Riske.
The Victoria HarbourCats were in the Okanagan on Wednesday night to take on the Falcons, and for the second straight night, picked up a victory, this one by a 10-5 score in 11 innings.
The road to the WCL championship goes through the Okanagan as the Falcons (17-10 first half and 0-2 second half) clinched the North Division first-half title this week.
The North Division playoffs will consist of the winner of the first half of the season, Kelowna, playing the winner of the second half of the season. If Kelowna also prevails as second-half champions, then the divisional second-place finisher will advance to the post-season.
The HarbourCats beat the Falcons 14-1 on Tuesday to open the three-game set at Elks Stadium.
Victoria is now 17-13 overall and 3-0 in the second half of the season.
The HarbourCats also pushed their win streak to seven games on Wednesday, but needed a couple of clutch hits in the top of the 11th inning to pull away from the Falcons. Hunter Vansau and Riley Zayicek both hit two-RBI triples to help Victoria plate five runs in the inning.
Luke Boyd (2-2), a six-foot-two righty from Baylor University, started for Victoria and went four innings, giving up five runs. Blake Hannah and Indigo Diaz each pitched a pair of scoreless innings, while Travis Kuhn pitched a scoreless ninth and 10th inning to collect the win. Jack Taggert shut down the Falcons in the bottom of the 11th.
Starting for Victoria tonight in the series curtain-dropper in Kelowna is Jack Owen (2-0, 0.98 ERA), the incoming SEC Auburn Tigers freshman who was named WCL pitcher of the week by the league for his last start, which was seven innings of shutout pitching June 28 in a 5-0 HarbourCats win in Corvallis.
鈥淸Owen] started the season in relief for us,鈥� said Victoria head coach Brian McRae, noting what a pleasant surprise the recent Grade 12 graduate has been.
Asked what he considers a satisfactory base-line performance by his starters in WCL games, McRae said: 鈥淔ive quality innings.鈥�
Before Wednesday鈥檚 game, McRae said he felt his offence is finding its cadence: 鈥淲e are capable of hitting. Lately, we have been more consistent in doing so with runners in scoring position.鈥�
The Victoria-Kelowna series is being conducted in the midst of a usual hot and dry summer.
鈥淥ur players need to take care of ourselves in these conditions and stay hydrated,鈥� said McRae.
The HarbourCats return to Royal Athletic Park on Friday to begin a three-game set against the Bend Elks from Oregon.
DIAMOND DUST: Former Canadian national team player Dave Diachuk has been named head coach of the host Victoria Mavericks all-star team for the senior national baseball championships Aug. 24-27 at Royal Athletic Park. Diachuk coached the Langley Blaze to the 2014 Canadian title in St. John鈥檚 and the host Prince George Axemen to the 2012 title. Veteran Mavericks League player Troy Birtwistle, a HarbourCats assistant coach, will assist fellow National Baseball Institute-product Diachuk.
