Heading into Wednesday night鈥檚 West Coast League game, you probably wouldn鈥檛 have liked Klamath Falls starter Michael Tittle鈥檚 chances.
Tittle, normally a left-fielder, started on the mound for the pitching-strapped Gems who are down to seven true throwers because of injuries and school commitments. Tittle pitched the Gems (22-22) to a 4-0 lead before being pulled after allowing two runs in the fourth inning.
Klamath Falls defeated Victoria 9-6 with the tying run at the plate before 885 fans 鈥� the first crowd below 1,000 this season 鈥� at Royal Athletic Park.
The HarbourCats (19-24) remained 3.5 games behind division leader Wenatchee and three games behind second-place tied Walla Walla and Bellingham because of Wednesday鈥檚 out-of-town results. The top-two teams in the North Division make the playoffs.
The Gems used the long ball on offence with home runs by Cam Newell, Nick Fisher and Cole Trezek.
Brandon Smith, a 2012 draft pick of the Washington Nationals, had four hits for Victoria.
The HarbourCats are down to their final four regular-season home games, one of which concludes the three-game set against the Gems tonight.
