Tied into the eighth inning, the Nanaimo NightOwls gave up runs at the wrong time in a 4-2 loss Wednesday to the Victoria HarbourCats at historic Serauxmen Stadium.
The NightOwls were held to six hits but still managed to threaten often against the Victoria pitching staff, the key blow being a two-run single by Mitchell Middlemiss in the sixth inning that tied the game 2-2.
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Riley Paulino was 2-4, with other hits from Nevan Noonan, Noah Hata, Wylie Waters and Middlemiss, in front of a crowd of 1,218.
The NightOwls gave up single runs in the second and sixth innings, setting the stage for the clutch drive through the infield into right field by Middlemiss that scored Hata and Paulino.
The NightOwls, now 6-8, got a quality start from Adison Mattix, giving up just two hits and one walk while striking out five and surrendering one run. Jake Fleury went two innings, giving up a run, followed by David Stewart and Ryan Inouye.
The two teams close out this pivotal series in Nanaimo on Thursday night at Serauxmen Stadium, and it is expected MLB superstar Manny Ramirez will be on hand to watch his sons Manny Jr. and Lucas, outfielders with the HarbourCats. The Ramirez family is living in Victoria this summer. Manny has been invited to throw out the first pitch prior to the Thursday game.
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This series is part of the ReMax Generation Alex Burns Real Estate Island Cup, with the HarbourCats leading 4-1 in the head-to-head series. After Thursday, the NightOwls head to Portland next weekend for a three-game series.
