The Kamloops NorthPaws concluded the 2025 West Coast League season with a massive 21-8 win over the Port Angeles Lefties on Wednesday night at Norbrock Stadium. Despite getting out-hit 16-13, Kamloops took advantage of walks and errors to put up a season-high run total. Two separate seven-run innings got them the comfortable win. The game also included three home runs, including a grand slam from right fielder Manny Recchi.
Similar to the first two games of the series, the NorthPaws got off to a 2-0 lead, this time in the bottom of the second. With two outs, Manny Recchi hit a double to the gap in right center field. Third baseman Dylan Dekker was up next and hit his second home run of the series and season to put the Paws on the board first.
In the third, a wacky sequence tied things up. A two-out single put a man on base for the Lefties as second baseman Eddie Alfaro was up to bat. He sent a fly ball down the right field line that looked routine. The wind got hold of it and eventually pushed it so far that Recchi was unable to make a play. Alfaro slid into third base safely, but a bad throw allowed the inside-the-park home run to tie up the game.
In the bottom of the fourth, things got ugly on the mound for Port Angeles. A pair of walks and a double loaded the bases for Kamloops. The Lefties then walked in three runs, giving the NorthPaws a 5-2 lead. With the bases juiced, left fielder Matt MacDonald continued his excellent series as he doubled to the gap in right center, clearing the bases and making it 8-2. The seventh run of the inning and ninth of the game for Kamloops was driven in via a double from first baseman Keegan Drinkle.
Port Angeles wasted no time answering the big inning as a solo home run, a walk, two singles and a fielder’s choice brought three runs across, cutting into the deficit. The Lefties’ pitching couldn’t stop the bleeding in the bottom half, however, as four straight one-out walks made it 10-5. Back-to-back singles from second baseman Zaiden Gukert and designated hitter Nolan Austin brought in three more runs, making it 13-5.
The Lefties weren’t throwing in the towel just yet, as in the top of the sixth, three straight singles and an error saw two more runs be put up on the board, as they got within six. Kamloops once again had an answer in the bottom half as a wild pitch scored Dekker for the 14th run of the night.
The Lefties scored their eighth and final run of the game in the top of the seventh following their third single of the inning, which made it 14-8. At this point, Port Angeles needed something special to happen for them to draw within striking distance, but any hopes quickly got put to bed in the bottom of the eighth.
Dekker led off with a single, short stop Kason Siguenza then launched his first home run of the summer, much to his teammates’ surprise. A hit by pitch, two walks, and a strikeout saw Recchi come to the plate with the bases loaded. In a two-strike count, the right fielder got ahold of one and drilled it to deep right field, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The grand slam was the cherry on top of an up-and-down season in Kamloops. Another seven-run inning saw the NorthPaws put up a season high 21 runs of just 13 hits.
The Paws sent the crowd home happy with the big victory. After a streaky 2025 campaign, the season comes to a close with the team winning 25 games but missing the postseason by six games. The NorthPaws will look to build on their success this year and begin preparations for the summer of 2026.
For now, the players will head back to their respective schools and continue their baseball journeys. Stay tuned in the coming days for a season recap and hear from the coaching staff as they reflect on their first year at the helm of the NorthPaws.
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