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WENATCHEE, Wash. — They need wins, and some help — one happened Saturday, the other did not.

The Nanaimo NightOwls, clinging to their playoff hopes in the final days of the season, looked strong in a convincing 10-1 win over the host Wenatchee AppleSox, but watched the scoreboard as Edmonton and Victoria, who Nanaimo is pursuing, also posted victories.

The NightOwls, who battled hard Friday in Wenatchee but dropped a tough 10-7 decision, outhit, outpitched and outscored the AppleSox on Saturday at Paul Thomas Sr. Field.

The NightOwls are 13-10 in the second half and at the .500 mark (25-25) overall. On Saturday, they outhit Wenatchee 11-5.

The NightOwls scored four runs in the sixth inning to create the main scoring gap, then piled on with two each in the eighth and ninth.

Caden Pearlman battled hard for three innings, giving up one run and striking out four. Lawson Minshew followed and was nearly perfect with three scoreless innings, giving up one hit and one walk with one strikeout, and usual starter Jake Fleury stepped in after that, knowing the importance of the game, with a zero in the seventh inning. Issac Araiza overpowered the AppleSox with the final two innings off the mound, striking out one and walking one.

Mitchell Middlemiss had three hits and three RBIs, two of them clutch early RBIs, and Josh Torres added a couple of hits. Drew Rutter was 2-5 with two runs driven in, and catcher Clark Springs scored two runs.

Standings

Last season, the NightOwls finished ninth overall (26-28) — in a league in which eight make the playoffs. They are in that spot right now with four games to play. In the team’s inaugural season, 2022, the NightOwls were 22-32.

The NightOwls have one road game left this regular season, a Sunday evening game in Wenatchee. That will be followed by a bus ride back to the first morning ferry on Monday and an evening game at historic-but-revamped Serauxmen Stadium in Nanaimo, a 6:35pm start against the Edmonton Riverhawks with a celebration of the BC Day holiday Monday.

The NightOwls hope to be within three games of the Riverhawks to have a chance to sweep Edmonton and capture the last North Division wild card spot. Nanaimo will need to win Sunday in Wenatchee and see the Riverhawks lose in Port Angeles.

The Nanaimo NightOwls made a statement that the last six regular season games are going to be must-watch baseball by completing a three-game series sweep over visiting Port Angeles, trouncing the Lefties 12-2 at historic Serauxmen Stadium on Wednesday night.

The NightOwls pounded out 12 hits, and the Lefties helped by making four errors, in improving Nanaimo’s second-half record to 12-9 and within shouting distance of the automatic home-field-advantage playoff berth for having the North Division’s best record in the latter half of the season.

Nanaimo won the first two games of the Port Angeles series in a doubleheader on Tuesday, necessitated by a rainout on Monday.

The NightOwls are on a three-game win streak and have won four of their last six to get to the .500 mark at 24-24.

The hot bat continues to belong to Taiwanese second baseman Hsu He-Chieh, who was 3-3 with a double, triple, run and RBI. Aaron Marsh was 2-3 with three runs driven in, Sammy Kahler was 2-5 with a double and three runs scored, Wylie Waters was 2-4 with three RBIs, Drew Rutter was 2-5 with three driven in.

The NightOwls ran away with the game with three runs in the fifth, four in the sixth, and three more in the seventh. With scoring 12 runs, the NightOwls still managed to strand 11 runners, an indication of how effective hitters were at getting on base.

The start on the mound by Joshua Torres set the tone, going five innings and giving up two runs, while striking out seven. Jake Schumacher came on for two impressive innings before Fareed Ahmed and David Stewart posted clean innings, Stewart with a couple of strikeouts, to close out the game.

NANAIMO, B.C. — You know what’s better than winning? Winning twice in the same evening.

For the first time in their three-year history, the Nanaimo NightOwls swept both ends of a doubleheader, coming out victorious by scores of 4-1 and 8-5 over the visiting Port Angeles Lefties in games played Tuesday evening at historic Serauxmen Stadium.

The results improve the NightOwls to 11-9 in the second half, and 23-24 overall, and keeps Nanaimo very much in the hunt for post-season action in the West Coast League. The losses dropped Port Angeles to 10-10 in the second half and 16-31 overall, making it harder for the Lefties to find a way into the playoffs.

In the first game, the NightOwls raced out to a 3-0 lead and the pitching trio of Moosa Nonomiya, Lawson Minshew and Li Sih-te limited the Lefties to four hits and three walks.

Sammy Kahler was 2-3 with a double, RBI and run scored to lead the offense,

In the second game, a double by Cole Carmichael was the key swing in a four-run second inning that gave the NightOwls a 4-1 lead.

Second baseman Hsu He-Chieh’s double in the third scored two more runs and Nanaimo was out in front 6-2, on the way to an easy win in Game 2. He-Chieh was 3-3 with three runs driven in.

Jake Fleury continued his run of strong starts, going six innings, scattering seven hits and striking out six — with no walks. Ryan Inouye pitched the final inning.

Standings

The NightOwls have four home regular season games remaining — one of them is Wednesday night, 6:35pm first pitch, with the final game of this series with the visiting Port Angeles Lefties.

Tickets

The NightOwls then go on the road on Friday to Wenatchee, the final road trip of the season, and a three-game set that runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the final game an afternoon affair.

The NightOwls are back at Serauxmen on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with the Edmonton Riverhawks — and both teams fighting for playoff spot and positioning.

NANAIMO, B.C. — For the second time in a week, the Nanaimo NightOwls were one pitch away from an impressive victory — that slipped away.

A flare that just fell in, in front of the centre fielder, and an error led to a tough 7-5 loss on Sunday afternoon at historic Serauxmen Stadium, with the Bellingham Bells scoring three times in the ninth inning in front of a boisterous crowd of 1,315.

The NightOwls had scored a clutch run on a great piece of baserunning by Ryder Florence in the bottom of the eighth to break a 4-4 tie. But credit the Bells with battling back from a 4-0 deficit, the product of two runs by the NightOwls in each of the third and fourth innings.

The NightOwls managed eight hits, as every starter except one had a base knock. Each team made one error, and Bellingham posted 10 hits. NightOwls hitters struck out a combined 11 times.

Aidan Boice had a good start, going five innings and putting the NightOwls in position for a win. Richtter Castillo and Cole Carmichael held the fort from there, and Issac Araiza had a strong eighth inning and had two outs and two strikes in the ninth before the soft base hit to the outfield dropped in.

The result hurts in the standings as the NightOwls drop to 9-9 in the second half and 21-24 overall, sitting just outside of a North Division playoff spot but very much in the discussion.

The NightOwls get the evening to put it behind them and be ready for the second-to-last home series, with the Port Angeles Lefties arriving Monday for a three-game series that continues Tuesday and Wednesday evenings as well — all three games have 6:35pm starts, with the gates opening at 5:30pm and full concessions on site.

After that three-gamer, the NightOwls make their final regular season road trip to Wenatchee to face the AppleSox on Friday and Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoon.

The regular season concludes on August 5-6-7 with a home series against the Edmonton Riverhawks.

NANAIMO, B.C. — One inning turned the tables — barely.

A three-run top of the fifth inning proved to be the difference on a beautiful Saturday night at historic Serauxmen Stadium, leading the Bellingham Bells to a hard-fought 4-3 road victory over the host Nanaimo NightOwls.

The Bells won despite managing just six hits off NightOwls pitching, with Nanaimo managing nine hits against the had-throwing Bellingham pitching staff.

A walk and eventually a bad-hop ground ball led to the three runs, which changed the score from a 2-1 Nanaimo lead to a 4-2 deficit. Caden Pearlman was strong in his start, followed by Kai Hanasaki, a very strong three innings from Jake Schumacher, and Paul Montgomery, with a scoreless inning to end it.

Errors in the top of the first inning led to the first Bellingham run, also a key moment in the game. Nanaimo made the game’s three errors.

Sammy Kahler was 2-4 with a double and a run, and Hsu He-Chieh was 2-4 with an RBI. The Nanaimo runs came in the second, third and sixth innings, in front of a crowd of 1301.  Hoah Hata and Drew Rutter also had doubles for the NightOwls.

Tickets

The NightOwls and Bells finish the series Sunday with a 1pm game at Serauxmen Stadium, with both teams in pursuit of a North Division playoff berth. The NightOwls are now 9-8 in the second half, two games back of Wenatchee, and sit 21-23 overall.

NANAIMO, B.C. — Four runs in the fourth proved to be the difference.

The Nanaimo NightOwls used a burst of runs at Serauxmen Stadium on Friday night in the game’s fourth inning to earn a 6-3 win over the visiting Bellingham Bells.

The NightOwls improved to 9-7 in the second half, very much in the running for the second half North Division title with eight home games and three road games remaining. Overall, Nanaimo is 21-22 and also very much in the middle of the chase for the final two playoff spots, wild card berths.

The story of the pitching was outstanding relief work from Lawson Minshew, Grant Jakobson and Li Sih-te — and particularly Jakobson, who pitched out of a no-out, two-on jam in the sixth inning, and struck out four in his two innings of work.

Ryan Inouye pitched a perfect inning for his fourth of the season, punctuating the game with a strikeout.

Wylie Waters and Alessandro Volpe were both 2-4, helping an offense that took advantage of first-and-third double steals to score a couple of runs. Working nine walks and five hit-by-pitch in addition to the combined six hits gave the NightOwls the baserunners needed to drive in runs. The walks overcame the 12 times that NightOwls batters struck out.

Tickets

The NightOwls have their last weekend home series of the season with this three-game set with Bellingham, with games Saturday night (6:35pm) and Sunday afternoon (1pm). Great crowd on Friday with an official turnout of 1,293.

Nanaimo is then home to the Port Angeles Lefties on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, before a trip to Wenatchee next weekend for three games.

The final home series before hopeful playoffs starts on the holiday with the Edmonton Riverhawks visiting on Monday, August 5, with the series ending Tuesday and Wednesday — all 6:35pm starts.

EDMONTON, Alta. — Less smoke, more offense.

The Nanaimo NightOwls, seemingly stranded on the road toward the end a six-game road trip that started with a sweep of three games in Kamloops, ended the game action portion with a 12-1 thumping of the Edmonton Riverhawks on Wednesday night.

The NightOwls, smoked out from the planned Tuesday game — and our hearts go out to those affected by the tragic wildfire in Jasper — went an impressive 4-2 on the trip.

The first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader was a 7-1 Edmonton win, spurred by a four-run second inning. Starter Joshua Torres took the loss, while Sammy Kahler was 2-3 as part of a combined team effort of eight hits.

In the second game, Deshon Thomas was 3-4 with four runs driven in to pace the offense. The NightOwls scored seven runs in the second inning then piled on with three in the fifth and two in the sixth, bashing 10 hits and adding seven walks to set the stage for all the runs.

Noah Hata and Drew Rutter drove in two runs each, and Mitchell Middlemiss was 2-4 with three runs. Hsu He-Chieh was 2-3 with two runs scored.

Game 1 Boxscore Game 2 Boxscore

Jacob Fleury of Skagit Valley was stellar on the mound, giving up five hits and one run in five innings and improving to 3-2 on the season. Paul Montgomery and Issac Araiza pitched an inning each in relief. Araiza struck out two in the final inning for the punctuation.

Standings

The NightOwls are now 20-22 overall and 8-7 in the second half, very much in the playoff hunt for both the second half crown or one of two wildcard playoff spots in the North Division.

NightOwls TV WCL Pixellot

The next home action for the NightOwls, after a Thursday off day, is hosting the Bellingham Bells at historic Serauxmen Stadium for a Friday-Saturday-Sunday series. Every game counts with how tight the standings are for playoff positions with three spots from the North still to be determined.

Tickets

EDMONTON, Alta. — One more strike was all that was needed.

The Nanaimo NightOwls, fresh off an impressive sweep of a road series in Kamloops, were one pitch away from a fourth straight win on Monday night in Edmonton, but a clutch two-out single in the bottom of the ninth scored two runs to give the host Riverhawks a 5-4 win in West Coast League action.

The NightOwls are now 19-21 on the season and 7-6 in the second half, within grasp of top spot in the North Division lead for snaring home field advantage in the playoffs.

Boxscore

The NightOwls scored two runs in the first and sixth innings and the pitching was strong, from starter Moosa Nonomiya to relievers Tahj Orona, Kai Hanasaki, Grant Jakobson and Ryan Inouye, who was within that one pitch of another save.

Second baseman Hsu He-Chieh had two hits, a run and an RBI, and Wylie Waters had a first-inning double to lead the NightOwls on offence. Waters drove in his 34th run of the season.

Standings

The NightOwls were outhit 13-8 in warm, hazy conditions. In a rarity in today’s game, there were just four strikeouts total, three of them at the expense of Nanaimo batters.

NightOwls TV WCL Pixellot

The NightOwls are in Edmonton for a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday battle with the Riverhawks, one of the teams Nanaimo will want to get ahead of in the very tight North Division standings.

Right-hander Joshua Torres will start the Tuesday game for Nanaimo, with Jacob Fleury slated for Wednesday night.

The next home action for the NightOwls, after a Thursday off day, is hosting the Bellingham Bells at historic Serauxmen Stadium for a Friday-Saturday-Sunday series. Every game counts with how tight the standings are for playoff positions with three spots from the North still to be determined.

Tickets

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Jacob Fleury is one heck of a young man. He’s also one heck of a pitcher.

The Nanaimo NightOwls starting pitcher Friday, who opened a three-game series in Kamloops and a six-game trip that includes a set in Edmonton, was masterful over six innings at NorBrock Stadium, allowing just one run and one hit.

Fleury, a classy Skagit Valley product and the NightOwls winner of the team citizenship award in 2023, needed just 75 pitches for the six innings of work, striking out three in a 2-1 win over the NorthPaws.

Reliever Grant Jakobson had two scoreless innings and Ryan Inouye cleaned up with the save in the ninth inning.

Standings

The NightOwls scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to erase a 1-0 deficit. Nanaimo outhit Kamloops 7-4 and each team made an error. The Kamloops third base coach sent a runner home in the seventh and right fielder Mitchell Middlemiss  threw him out by about 50 feet to end the inning.

Nevan Noonan and Hsu He-Chieh were both 2-4 for Nanaimo. Josh Torres scored Deshon Thomas with a double in the fifth, and Middlemiss plated Noonan with a single in the sixth.

The NightOwls and NorthPaws will play again tonight in Kamloops, in what are expected to be very hot conditions, and the game slated for Sunday afternoon has been moved to a 6:35pm start in order to mitigate the heat factor.

From there, the NightOwls head northeast to Edmonton and a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday battle with the Riverhawks, one of the teams Nanaimo will want to get ahead of in the very tight North Division standings.

The next home action for the NightOwls, after a Thursday off day, is hosting the Bellingham Bells at historic Serauxmen Stadium for a Friday-Saturday-Sunday series. Every game counts with how tight the standings are for playoff positions with three spots from the North still to be determined.

Tickets

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — For the Nanaimo NightOwls to reach their first berth in the West Coast League playoffs, the formula is simple — start winning series, home or road.

The first step is complete but a bonus is within grasp after a 6-4 come-from-behind victory in toasty conditions over the host Kamloops NorthPaws. The NightOwls can sweep the series in the Sunday evening (6:35pm, time adjusted for heat.

The NightOwls scored the last five runs of the game — two in the seventh, three in the eighth — and outhit the NorthPaws 10-8 one night after Nanaimo took the first game of the series 2-1.

Boxscore

The decisive inning with three runs was the product of working walks, a costly Kamloops error, and some sharp baserunning.

Standings

Sammy Kahler scored three runs and Joshua Torres was 2-5.

Caden Pearlman went four strong innings with two hits allowed and five strikeouts, giving up one unearned run.

Hayden Cuthbertson, Richtter Castillo and Paul Montgomery, who earned the save, held the NorthPaws scoreless in relief efforts.

The NightOwls and NorthPaws will play again tonight in Kamloops, in what are expected to be very hot conditions, and the game originally slated for Sunday afternoon has been moved to a 6:35pm start in order to mitigate the heat factor.

From there, the NightOwls head northeast to Edmonton and a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday battle with the Riverhawks, one of the teams Nanaimo will want to get ahead of in the very tight North Division standings.

The next home action for the NightOwls, after a Thursday off day, is hosting the Bellingham Bells at historic Serauxmen Stadium for a Friday-Saturday-Sunday series. Every game counts with how tight the standings are for playoff positions with three spots from the North still to be determined.

Tickets