HarbourCats bounce back in a big way

A pair of clutch hits by Austin Russell and Alex Real led the HarbourCats to a thrilling 6-4 victory over the Cowlitz Black Bears in 13 innings on Monday night. Victoria went into the eighth inning trailing 4-1, but they rallied for three runs against closer Henry Omana to tie the game. The rally culminated with a two-out RBI double by Austin Russell on a 1-2 count that plated Alex DeGoti with the equalizer.

Alex Real knocked in the winning run in the 13th inning

Starter Ty Provencher had another gutsy outing on the hill. He pitched nine solid innings and gave up four earned runs on eight hits and a walk. Joe Navilhon came into the game in the 10th inning and pitched four innings of shutout ball to pick up the win. Navilhon, who struggled in his three other outings this season, quickly settled in and only gave up three hits and two walks. The win should be a huge boost for Navilhon’s confidence and hopefully will be a springboard for more great outings this summer.

Another hero on Monday night was Alex Real, who came into the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. With the score still tied 4-4 in the top of the 13th, Real slugged the first triple in team history to bring home Timmy Richards and Chris Lewis with the decisive runs.

The win salvages the final game in the three-game set against the Black Bears and retains Victoria’s claim to sole possession of first place in the North Division standings. The HarbourCats now travel to Wenatchee to start a three-game set against the AppleSox on Tuesday night before returning home to face Kelowna at Royal Athletic Park on Friday night. The ‘Cats currently hold a one-game lead over the Walla Sweets and a 2 ½ game lead over fourth-place Wenatchee.

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• The HarbourCats have signed outfielder Mike Darr, a recent graduate from Santiago High School in Corona, California. Darr will play for Dennis Rogers next year at Riverside City College. Darr’s father, Mike Darr, played three seasons with the San Diego Padres before he was killed tragically in a car accident during Spring Training in 2002. His grandfather, also named Mike Darr, pitched in one career big-league game, a start for the Toronto Blue Jays in their inaugural season (1977). 
• Victoria has also released infielder Jack Graham and outfielder Chase Cuckovich.
• Alex DeGoti extended his hitting streak to ten games with a pair of hits on Monday night. He has also reached base safely in his last 16 games.