Box Score

VICTORIA — The Victoria HarbourCats ended the Bellingham Bells 10-game win streak after a 17-6 loss for Bellingham on Friday, June 26 at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C. The HarbourCats had an 11-run sixth inning to help defeat the Bells.

Charlie Decker looked lights out for another start across his first four innings. But in the fifth inning, Victoria loaded the bases against him and forced JJ Martinson out of the Bellingham bullpen. Martinson allowed a grand slam and Victoria led 4-0.

Bellingham answered with a four-run sixth inning on offense. Dillon Moss had a leadoff walk and Jake Lyall followed with a single. Noah Cassie drove in the Bells first run on a single. Aspen Alexander then crushed a three-run home run to tie the game.

The HarbourCats hit Martinson hard in the bottom of the sixth. He only gained two outs before being pulled for Will Crain, who went on to allow two walks and two hits to cap an 11-run inning for Victoria where five runs scored against Martinson and three against Crain. The bulk of those runs were unearned due to two errors in the inning.

Now down 15-4, Bellingham brought in two runs in the top of the seventh. An error after Cassie’s second single scored Moss. Nate Johnson scored Cassie on a hit. Kaden Nicholls debuted on the mound in the bottom of the seventh and pitched the final two frames. He allowed two runs on four hits and a walk.

Cassie and Matt Chruchill both had two hits with Cassie scoring twice and driving in one run. Alexander’s three RBI were the team high after his home run. Bellingham will look to even the series tomorrow, June 27 in Victoria.

The Bells fell to 18-7, but since Wenatchee also lost tonight there’s still a tie for first in the North Division. Bellingham needs to win its next two games and hope for one loss by the AppleSox to claim an early playoff berth.