Kamloops – A six-run cushion wasn’t enough for the NorthPaws on opening night vs Corvallis. Costly walks, perfectly placed ground balls, and untimely errors turned a near-perfect game into a nightmare. The NorthPaws started hot with four in the first inning and added runs in the second and fourth. The Knights came all the way back with a six-run top of the eighth that silenced the crowd at NorBrock Stadium. The game required extras, and the Knights took over, scoring three in the top of the tenth to seal the victory.
Through seven innings, the NorthPaws’ pitching staff was phenomenal. Starter Kyu Lumsdon pitched three scoreless innings, surrendering just one hit. Right-handers Cade Bridges and Nick Westendorp followed suit, each tossing two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Lumsdon’s start was backed up by the offence getting to work early. A pair of singles and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with one out. A second wild pitch allowed Evan Dugdale to score the game’s first run. Still with two runners on, Paws third baseman Tate Martin doubled to bring in another run. With two outs, second baseman Tanner Mitchel hit the second extra base hit of the inning, driving in two more for an early four-run lead.
Kamloops added to their lead, but a trend was slowly emerging. Despite putting up 6 runs in the first four innings, the NorthPaws had already left five runners on base.
This came back to bite them in the top of the eighth. Righty Jayson Tamayo got the call for Kamloops out of the bullpen and gave up a walk and a single before hitting a batter to load the bases. Another walk brought home a run and gave the Knights some life.
A mid-inning pitching change didn’t slow the Knights down as they continued to dig in and maintain a gritty approach. Corvallis worked the counts in the eighth, forcing the NorthPaws pitchers to work. A sacrifice fly, two walks and a hit batter brought home three more runs to get the Knights within two. All of these situations had one thing in common: the Corvallis hitters were all in two-strike counts.
The inning continued after a throwing error on a potential 6-4-3 double play could’ve been turned. The error allowed two runs to score, tying the game. The Knights sent ten men to the plate and forced Tamayo and Bryce Payne to throw a combined 57 pitches.
“They have a great coaching staff over there,” Pitching Coach Dusting Beggs said. “They’ve taught their players really good plate discipline.”
Despite letting the lead slip away, the NorthPaws found themselves with two outs and the bases loaded. An inning-ending flyout would strand everyone. That gave Corvallis all the momentum they needed after neither team could score in the ninth.
The West Coast Leagues’ new rule in extra innings allows teams to start the inning with runners on first and second. The Knights took full advantage, scoring three runs in the top of the tenth. The NorthPaws couldn’t muster a comeback with all three hitters striking out, ending the game.
The Knights’ eighth-inning team at-bats turned the tide and handed the NorthPaws a tough pill to swallow.
“That kind of ability and approach is hard to beat but overcomable,” Beggs said.
The two teams will do battle again tomorrow night for game two of the three-game weekend series. First pitch is at 6:35.
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