Perhaps it is only apt that a team associated with the name Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, has been doing a lot of that. The South Division-leading Knights (27-15) swooshed out of town Monday with a three-game sweep of the Victoria HarbourCats and their sixth consecutive victory overall.
Victoria (18-23), meanwhile, lost for the fifth straight game in dropping a heart-pounding 6-5 decision to the Knights that went down to the final out before 1,013 fans at Royal Athletic Park.
The loss leaves the HarbourCats 41脷2 games back of co-division leaders Walla Walla and Bellingham. The top two teams in each division qualify for the post-season.
Victoria starter Tyler Rowe, the University of New Mexico Lobo making his first appearance for the HarbourCats, was humming along over six innings with four hits and one run allowed, but was pulled in a move that appeared premature. The switch turned into a disaster as Victoria burned through three pitchers in a four-run Corvallis seventh inning as the Knights took a 5-3 lead.
Brandon Smith, a 2012 draft pick of the Washington Nationals, had two hits for Victoria and a two runs. Alex DeGoti and Alex Real also had two hits each.
鈥淚 feel like we鈥檙e in every game. It鈥檚 just the little things that get us,鈥� said DeGoti, who went seven-for-13 in the Corvallis series. 鈥淲e just have to keep fighting and things will turn around.鈥�
Meanwhile, the Knights scored three unanswered runs in the ninth inning to steal a 4-2 victory over the HarbourCats before 1,218 fans on Sunday afternoon at Royal Athletic. The game ended with the bases loaded for Victoria in the bottom of the ninth. The HarbourCats squandered a fine one-run, four-hitter spun over eight innings by starter Bryan Conant from Cal State-Fullerton. Victoria reliever Ryan Keller had a disastrous outing in blowing the save and taking the loss after allowing the three Corvallis runs in the ninth inning.
AROUND THE BASES: Victoria manager Dennis Rogers was ejected in the fifth inning Monday for slamming his clipboard to the ground in disgust after a disputed call 鈥� The HarbourCats begin a three-game set against the Klamath Falls Gems (21-21) tonight on Caledonia.
