VICTORIA 8
MEDFORD 2
Graig Merritt鈥檚 goal of reaching the .500 mark has been achieved as his Victoria HarbourCats club won for the eighth straight time 鈥� a team record 鈥� Tuesday night to improve to 16-16 on the West Coast League season.
An 8-2 road victory over the Medford Rogues improves head coach Merritt鈥檚 club鈥檚 chances of grabbing its very first playoff spot, still well behind West Division leaders the Bellingham Bells at 21-11, but within a shot of the one available wild card berth.
The HarbourCats will close out their three-game set in Medford tonight at 6:35 p.m., before returning home to face Bellingham, starting Thursday at Sports Traders Diamond at Royal Athletic Park.
Victoria鈥檚 surge has included three-game sweeps of the Klamath Falls Gems and Kitsap BlueJackets 鈥� the two worst clubs in the 12-team league at 5-27 and 11-21, respectively. Medford is just 13-19 so the HarbourCats are taking advantage of a weaker portion of their schedule. They will have a chance at a third straight sweep tonight as they make hay while the sun shines.
On Tuesday, the HarbourCats struck for four runs in the second inning as Medford starter Gabe Genter lasted just 12脷3 innings. Chris Fougner鈥檚 RBI single followed by Chase Lambert鈥檚 two-run double highlighted the quick start for Victoria.
Medford chipped away with single runs in the second and third innings. Lambert added an RBI single to make it 5-2 Victoria in the top of the sixth as the visitors added some insurance. Lambert finished with three RBIs on the night.
Cleanup hitter A.J. Alcantara was 3-for-3 for the HarbourCats with a run scored. His replacement, Ben Polshuk, hit a two-run homer in the ninth.
HarbourCats starter Matt Blais lasted six innings, allowing eight hits. Tei Vanderford mopped up the final three innings, surrendering just one hit.
