Kamloops – The NorthPaws finished the week 3-3 following Sunday’s 8-4 win over the Nanaimo NightOwls at NorBrock Stadium. The team has now won three of four series at home this season.
“They’re a good team, and we showed up and played well. I’m proud of the guys,” Head coach Riley Jepson said.
Paws right-hander Kyu Lumsdon made his final start of the summer and saved the best for last. He threw six solid innings, giving up just one earned run. The lone run on his line came in the first inning after a two-out infield hit. Nanaimo got an RBI double, drawing first blood. Lumsdon settled in and allowed five hits but worked his way out of jams.
“He’s gotten exponentially better this summer,” Pitching coach Dustin Beggs said. “He’s been working really hard and thats why he’s going D1,”
Lumsdon will be heading to Niagara University, joining fellow NorthPaws Camden Sanders and Jack Dickinson with the Purple Eagles.
“We’re so proud of him, but we’re definitely going to miss him here,” Beggs said.
With Lumsdon dialled in on the mound, the offence picked him up with some run support. Kade Crawford led off the bottom of the first with a triple and was driven in a couple of pitches later by Evan Dugdale, tying the game at one. Unfortunately for the Paws, that’s all they’d get as they left the bases loaded following a Dylan Dekker groundout.
In the bottom of the third, a two-out walk and an Ian Huang double put Dekker in another big spot with runners in scoring position. This time, the Kamloops native made no mistake, driving a three-run homer over the right field wall, making it 4-1.
“He’s been here for three and a half years now, and he hasn’t played as much as he’s wanted to at times, but he’s been nothing but first class the entire time, so it’s awesome to see him have success,” Jepson said.
In the fourth inning, the NightOwls had a chance to strand a pair of runners, but two costly errors brought in two more runs. The NorthPaws continued to pour it on in the fifth, loading the bases to begin the inning. A balk scored the seventh run of the game, but Nanaimo stopped the bleeding, holding Kamloops to just one run.
The NightOwls trailed 7-1 until they eventually rallied in the eighth with three runs to make it interesting, but the NorthPaws had a response. In a 0-2 count, one of the newest NorthPaws, catcher Vasya Seymour, singled, collecting his first RBI and making it 8-4.
Cade Bridges recorded the final three outs on the mound, helping the NorthPaws win their 10th game of the season. The team is off Monday but begins next week with a three-game home-and-home series with the Kelowna Falcons. The NorthPaws will be back at home on Canada Day for a matinée game against Kelowna. It will be packed with fun activities and all kinds of drink deals all afternoon long!
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