VICTORIA, B.C. — The Lefties hit the road for Corvallis still looking for their first win over their Strait of Juan de Fuca rival Victoria.
The Victoria HabourCats beat the Lefties 7-3 Tuesday evening, leaving the Lefties 0-3 against Victoria.
Much like Monday’s game, this was a close pitchers’ duel until the seventh inning, when the HarbourCats broke out for three runs to make it 5-1. The Lefties responded with two runs in the eighth to keep pace, but then Victoria returned the favor with two runs in the bottom of the eighth to regain a four-run cushion at 7-3.
Issac Olson took the loss, though he pitched well, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up just one earned run on two hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
The Lefties got one run in the third on singles by Trent Bryan and Kevin Kendall. Seth Freed then drove in Bryan with a single, but the HarbourCats got a double play to end the threat.
In the eighth inning, the Lefties scored a pair of runs when Jake Portaro and Joey Galeno both got hit by a pitch. Roby drove in Portaro with an RBI single and Burghardt drove in Galeno with another single to make it 5-3. But, with two runners on, Dutton Elske struck out to end the inning.
Seth Freed went 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI, Sean Roby was 2 for 4 with an RBI, Burghardt was 1 for 3 with two RBIs and Trent Bryan was 2 for 3 with two runs scored. Galeno was 1 for 3 with a run scored. Benny Keleiwahea had a double.
The Lefties (5-7) played after press time Wednesday against the West Coast League defending champion Corvallis Knights, a seven-hour drive and ferry ride from Victoria.
They play today against the Knights at 6:40 p.m.
Notes
Roby’s 11 RBIs this season are tied for the second-most in the West Coast League . . . The Lefties’ Wyatt Haccou and Nick Bonniksen are two of the 10 pitchers in the West Coast League who have won two games so far . . . The Lefties hit the road for Corvallis in their team bus, recently emblazoned with a customized vehicle wrap.
One side of the bus displays the Lefties logos, while the other side promotes Port Angeles.
A video of the new wrap is available at www.facebook.com/LeftiesBaseball.
Victoria 7, Port Angeles 3
Lefties 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 — 3 10 1
Cats 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 2 X — 7 7 0
WP: Owens LP: Olson
Pitching
Lefties — Olson, 5.2IP, 2H, 1ER, 2BB, 4K; Kubo 0.1IP, 1BB, 1K; Kato 1IP, 2H, 3ER, 2BB; Thoren 1IP, 3H, 2ER.
Cats — McKillican 4IP, 5H, 1ER, 1BB, 1K; Casper 1IP, 2K; Owen 2IP, 2H, 2K; Tagget 1IP, 2H, 2ER, 1K; Diaz 1IP, 2BB, 1K.
Hitting
Lefties — Roby 2-4, RBI, BB; Bryan 2-3, R; Freed 2-4, RBI, BB; Burghardt 1-3, 2RBI; Kaleiwahea 1-3, 2B; Galeno 1-3, R.
Cats — Garella 2-3, 2R, RBI; Shipley 1-2, 2RBI, 2R; Collard 1-1, 2RBI; Weiss 1-3, R; Johnson 1-3, RBI; Porter 1-3, R.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.