Kamloops – The NorthPaws were able to survive a late surge from the Bellingham Bells, winning 6-5 at NorBrock Stadium. Evan Dugdale had another great outing, allowing just one earned run through five innings. The NorthPaws jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but Bellingham tied it up after two runs in the sixth and eighth. Kamloops broke the tie in the bottom half and hung on for their 15th victory of the season.
The Paws showed no signs of All-Star break rust, scoring in the bottom of the first. With runners on the corners, Brock Grainger continued his good form as of late and hit an opposite-field single for the first of his two RBI’s
The second inning was the only time the Bells got to Dugdale, but the righty limited the damage and got a clutch double with the bases loaded, giving up just the tying run. From there, it was smooth sailing as he struck out a season-high seven batters.
In the third, with the game tied, the NorthPaws got the bats going once again and got some help thanks to blunders in the field. Dugdale led off with a single and a stolen base. Grainger hit his second RBI single of the game, breaking the tie.
With two outs, Dylan Dekker stole second base, but the throw went high and into center field. The center fielder had trouble with it, and Dekker took off for third. The throw skipped past the third baseman, allowing Dekker to run home. Kenner Lauterbach then walked and stole second before getting driven in by an RBI double from Keegan Drinkle, making it 4-1.
Kamloops took advantage of more sloppy plays from the Bells in the fourth. Dugdale drew a two-out walk after falling behind 0-2 in the count. A pick-off move sailed above the first baseman’s head, allowing him to advance to third. Grainger then tapped one weakly on the grass. A throwing error allowed him to reach and for Dugdale to score, making it 5-1.
In the sixth, the Bells answered back with a single and an error, putting runners on the corners. A stolen base put even more pressure on as a single scored both runners, cutting the deficit to two. In the eighth, the Bells had runners at second and third with one out. A sacrifice groundout and an RBI single tied the game.
The Kamloops bat had been silenced in the second half of the game, but the Paws were gifted a golden opportunity with runners on first and second with one out. Two wild pitches scored Kenner Lauterbach, breaking the tie.
After the Bells tied the game in the eighth, Mac Robertson was tasked with not only capping the damage but also coming back out for the save opportunity. The righty was up to the task, striking out the side in the ninth, securing the NorthPaws’ first win over Bellingham at NorBrock Stadium since 2024.
The two teams will square off on Saturday, game two of the three-game weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35.
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