NightOwls Complete Road Sweep Over NorthPaws
KAMLOOPS, B.C. — A sweep with punctuation.
The Nanaimo NightOwls, now at the midway point of their longest road trip of the West Coast League season, left little to the imagination in a 12-2 trouncing of the host Kamloops NorthPaws.
It was the team’s first winning sweep, home or road, this season with a 2-1 win on Friday after a day on the road, and a stifling heat 6-4 come-from-behind triumph on Saturday.
The NightOwls are now 19-20 on the season and 7-5 in the second half, a half game out of the North Division lead for having home field advantage in the playoffs. Nanaimo holds down the last playoff spot based on overall/wild card berths, ahead of the Victoria HarbourCats.
As much as the bats were the story, it was the second dominant start in three outings for Aidan Boice — six scoreless innings, just two hits and a walk, with seven set down on strikes.
The game being such a runaway gave Head Coach Greg Frady a chance to get everyone involved as 16 batters got plate appearances. Drew Rutter was 3-5 with two doubles and Wylie Waters was 2-3 with three runs. Nine different batters scored runs and the NightOwls scored in all but the fifth and sixth innings.
After Boice dominated, Jake Schumacher, Tyson Willis and Isaac Araiza helped complete the four-hitter with just three walks.
Early Monday morning, 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.
Japanese right-hander Moosa Nonomiya from Skagit Valley will start the Monday game for Nanaimo.
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.
