HarbourCanucks corner - May 5th edition

The VIBI Mariners won three out of four games this weekend against Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and Okanagan College to wrap up their regular season in the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC). Connor Russell pitched on back-to-back days for the first time this year, and he picked up a win and a save. Russell held the TRU WolfPack to only three hits and one earned run in six innings on Saturday. He walked two and struck out seven batters in that contest. On Sunday, Russell came out of the pen to preserve another victory over the WolfPack, giving up two hits and striking out a pair in two innings of work. He finishes with a 3-2 record and a 3.02 ERA in CCBC conference play. The Mariners are set to take part in the CCBC Tournament May 9-11 in Kamloops.

Nick Pivetta of the New Mexico Junior College Thunderbirds may have held Frank Phillips College to four hits and no earned runs in 6 2/3 innings pitched, but his outing wasn't exactly dominant. Pivetta uncharacteristically walked six batters and only fanned three -- his third consecutive sub-par outing (by his remarkably high standards). Pivetta finishes the regular season with a 3.36 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 83 innings on the hill. The Thunderbirds now prepare for the NJCAA Region V Tournament, which will take place May 11-15 in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Austin Russell's Southern Polytechnic Hornets won two of three games this weekend at the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Tournament, but it wasn't enough to extend their season. The Hornets, who finished with a 39-18 record, failed to win an at-large berth in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round. Russell's next action will be in June when he suits up for the HarbourCats. He finished the season with the Hornets with a .292 batting average and six RBI in 65 at-bats.

HarbourCatNip

• Connor Russell won't be the only VIBI Mariner in the West Coast League this summer. Darren Kolk (Duncan, BC) and Cody Andreychuk (Nanaimo, BC) will both suit up for the Kelowna Falcons.