PORT ANGELES, Wash. — It was as solid a win as the Nanaimo NightOwls have had this season.
The NightOwls built a 5-0 lead and held on for a 5-2 win over the Lefties in Port Angeles, in a Fourth of July matinee game at Civic Field.
The NightOwls outhit the Lefties 9-7 and played error-free baseball, with Port Angeles making two errors.
The NightOwls scored in the first inning for the second game in a row in Port Angeles, then put up two runs in each of the third and fifth innings. The Lefties scored single runs in the fifth and eighth.
The top of the order did most of the damage offensively for the NightOwls — leadoff man Hsu He-Chieh was 2-4 with two runs, Nevan Noonan was 3-4 with three runs, and Mike Easter was 3-4 with an RBI. Drew Rutter drove in two runs.
Li Sih-te was effective in his first start, with three scoreless innings including three strikeouts. Tahj Orona was credited with the win based on two innings, giving up one run, and Moosa Nonomiya followed him with two scoreless frames. Fareed Ahmed gave up a run in his inning of work, and Kai Hanasaki got the first two outs of the ninth before Grant Jakobson came on to get the final out and earn the save.
The NightOwls are back on the island to be ready for the weekend visit of the Wenatchee AppleSox — games Friday and Saturday evenings (6:35pm), and 1pm on Sunday.
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 weekend series after setting a franchise record on Monday with 3,127 in attendance for the Canada Day Classic doubleheader and fireworks show.
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.