The good news is the Victoria HarbourCats get to open the West Coast League playoffs at home.
The not so good news is ‘home’ is not Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park.
Thanks to the City of Victoria needing access to Royal Athletic Park to start renovations for the Touchdown Pacific CFL game between the B.C. Lions and Ottawa Redblacks on Aug. 31, the HarbourCats will host Game 1 of their best-of-three North Division semifinal series against the Wenatchee AppleSox at Serauxmen Stadium in Nanaimo, home of the WCL’s NightOwls.
“Obviously we would rather be at our stadium, with our crowd and the great atmosphere that we always have there, but this is playoffs now so whether it’s our park, their park or a neutral site park, we need to play good baseball and try to win a ball game,” said HarbourCats head coach Todd Haney, who guided his team to a 15-12 record in the second half and 29-25 overall.
The HarbourCats claimed the second of two wild-card playoff spots, while the AppleSox won the North’s second half title with a 17-10 record. Wenatchee also had the best overall record in the North Division at 35-19 and the AppleSox won the season series between the two teams 4-2.
“They’re always a strong team,” said Haney. “Every year they’re right there. They’re a very good program, very well coached and are playing really well right now so we’re going to have to be at our best if we want to win the series.”
With the lower seed hosting Game 1 in the opening round, the HarbourCats will play Games 2 and 3, if necessary, at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium in Wenatchee, Washington.
“It’s interesting starting the series at home when you’re the lower seed but I don’t know if it’s an advantage or disadvantage. It is what it is so you still have to do your best to win a ball game no matter where it’s being played.”
The HarbourCats will hand the ball to Carson Cormier to start Game 1 on the hill for Victoria. The Texas Christian University freshman is 1-0 in three starts this season with a 1.45 ERA.
Game 2 of the series goes Sunday. If a third-and-deciding game is needed, it will be played Monday night in Wenatchee.
The other North Dvision semi-final series also starts tonight as the Edmonton Riverhawks host the Bellingham Bells.
In the South Division, the Ridgefield Raptors host the defending WCL-champion Corvallis Knights in Game 1 of their series tonight, while the Bend Elks play host to the Portland Pickles.
Following the first round, each division will play a single Divisional Championship game next Wednesday night. The winners of these games will advance to the WCL championship, which is scheduled for next Friday.
EXTRA BASES: The HarbourCats will have a fan bus available to go the game today. The bus will depart Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre at 4 p.m. The cost for the bus ride and one ticket to the game is $50 and tickets can be purchased at the HarbourCats office (101 - 1814 Vancouver Street) or by phone at: 778-265-0327.
