NANAIMO, B.C. — Giving up a late lead hurt. Winning in walkoff fashion healed the wound.
Aaron Marsh blasted a three-run shot to right field in the bottom of the ninth to give the Nanaimo NightOwls a 9-6 win over the visiting Wenatchee AppleSox in front of 985 people at historic Serauxmen Stadium.
Marsh took a 3-2 pitch deep off Micah Bujacich beyond the massive Save On Foods sign to plate with teammates Riley Paulino and Michael Easter on base. Wenatchee had scored two runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game 6-6 after the NightOwls had led the game pretty much from the second inning on.
Mitchell Middlemiss was 3-4 with two runs scored, and Hsu He-Chieh was 2-5 in the leadoff spot. Ayden Hadley hit his first home run of the season, in the fourth inning, and Easter added a solo shot in the fifth. The NightOwls outhit Wenatchee 12-8 but committed the games two errors.
Josh Torres had another strong start, going four innings and yielding just two hits and one run, striking out five. Grant Jakobson, David Stewart and Paul Montgomery pitched in relief before Ryan Inouye came on for the ninth inning with two runners aboard, eventually getting the win.
The NightOwls are back on the island for a stretch now, completing this series with Wenatchee in perfect weather on Sunday afternoon (1pm).
The Kelowna Falcons then arrive for a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday set at Serauxmen.
Tickets are available online, at the gate, or get general admission vouchers at all Save On Foods locations in Nanaimo, Ladysmith and Parksville. The NightOwls are expecting more strong crowds for this homestand after setting a franchise record on Monday with 3,127 in attendance for the Canada Day Classic doubleheader and fireworks show.
Tickets Link
Next week, the games on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, ticketed fans will all get a chance to win highly valued concert tickets for the Taylor Swift Eras Tour, arriving in Vancouver in December.
