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When two of the best offences in the West Coast League go head to head, it usually spells trouble for the pitchers.
It certainly did Thursday night at Joe Martin Field in Bellingham.
The Victoria HarbourCats unleashed 13 hits on Bells pitchers en route to a 9-7 victory. It was the HarbourCats鈥� (8-4) second win in a row against the Bells (4-7) and kept Victoria in first place 鈥� 11脷2 games in front of Wenatchee 鈥� in the race for the second half North Division title and the playoff spot that goes with it.
The Kelowna Falcons won the North鈥檚 first-half title and have clinched a playoff spot.
On Thursday, the HarbourCats got RBIs from five different players in the first inning to take an early 5-0 lead. But the Bells got a five-spot of their own in the third inning that chased Victoria starter Taylor Prokopis, and added two more in the fourth to take a 7-6 lead.
After an RBI single from Riley Zayicek in the fifth inning tied the game, Cole Weiss went to work in the sixth for the HarbourCats. The third baseman from University of North Carolina-Wilmington got on with a single, advanced to third and then raced home on a wild pitch for the tiebreaking run. Weiss finished the night 3-for-4 with an RBI. Shane McGuire added a pinch-hit solo home run in the top of the ninth for some insurance.
Harry Shipley and Tucker Johnson added two hits apiece for Victoria.
After Prokopis lasted just two innings, Kyle Stubbins made his debut for the HarbourCats, but the UBC product didn鈥檛 fare much better, lasting two innings himself, while giving up two runs.
Matt Kent (1-0), however, did shine, and shut the Bells down for two innings before handing the ball to hard-throwing lefty Andrew Shaps, who pitched the eighth and ninth for his first save.
All-star game home run derby champ Chase Illig had a home run and three RBIs for the Bells.
The teams will play the series finale tonight at Joe Martin Field. Then the HarbourCats head south to Oregon to start a three-game series with the Gresham GreyWolves on Saturday night. Victoria鈥檚 next home game is Tuesday when the Kelowna Falcons come to Royal Athletic Park for a three-game series.
