Edmonton – It was another exciting game at RE/MAX Field that unfortunately didn’t go the NorthPaws way. A back-and-forth battle ended in a walk-off win for the home team. Kamloops got five great innings from starter Chris Compton. The righty went five innings, giving up one earned run on just three hits. At the plate, Tate Martin went 3 for 4 with three RBI’s.
Both teams were scoreless in the first third of the game. The NorthPaws changed that in the top of the fourth. Kenner Lauterbach singled and advanced to second on a ground ball. Martin was next up and took the first pitch he saw to shallow left-center field, scoring the game’s first run.
In the fifth, Evan Dugdale doubled and advanced on a balk. Brock Grainger was at the plate and grounded out, but Dugdale was able to score, making it 2-0. The RiverHawks answered with a run of their own in the bottom half.
With Compton out of the game in the sixth, the RiverHawks tee’d off, launching a solo and two-run home run. The NorthPaws were able to control the damage to just those three runs, but the big inning woke the crowd up.
The Paws were unfazed in the top of the seventh. With two outs, both Grainger and Lauterbach walked to load the bases. Elijah Olaybal was next and got in an 0-2 count. The right fielder battled back and drew a walk, getting Kamloops within one. Like Olaybal, Martin also had a gritty at-bat, poking a two-strike pitch through the left side, tying the game at four.
The Riverhawks once again answered back, taking a 5-4 lead into the eighth. Keegan Drinkle walked and eventually made his way to third after a couple of outs. With Crawford at the plate, a wild pitch scored Drinkle, knotting the game at five.
Edmonton threatened to take the lead in the bottom half with runners on first and second and nobody out. A bunt moved both runners into scoring position. The Paws got out of the jam thanks to a pair of flyouts.
Kamloops went down in order in the ninth, setting up the Riverhawks in the home half. With two outs, Edmonton had runners on the corners. In a two-strike count, a seeing-eye single found outfield grass, sending the crowd into a frenzy. It’s the second time the NorthPaws have been walked off this year.
For the fifth consecutive series, the team has lost game two of a series. Now they will try to break the cycle in the rubber match tomorrow night at RE/MAX Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PST.
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