PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles rallied from a 6-1 deficit in its second season home opener Thursday night at Civic Field, scoring the tying and winning runs when consecutive Lefties’ batters were hit by pitches with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth in an 8-7 exhibition victory over the rival Victoria HarbourCats.
Fittingly, Port Angeles’ Trevor Risenburg was plunked on his left elbow (he wears a protective brace) to bring home Matthew Christianson with the walkoff winner and set off a water-bottle fueled celebration that made its way into shallow center field.
The Lefties plated two runs apiece in the final three innings, two coming in the bottom of the seventh as Port Angeles took advantage of three walks, some aggressive base running and two HarbourCat passed balls.
In the bottom of the eighth, Cameron Allie’s two-RBI single to left field brought home catcher Ronnie Russ and Risenburg, who had come aboard after being hit by a pitch and reached on an error, respectively.
Center fielder Dalton Harum laced a double down the line in right field to open the bottom of the ninth and moved to third when Baxter Halligan reached base via a Victoria error. A fielders choice and a walk to Brady Heid loaded the bases with one out followed and Russ was hit by another pitch to bring home Harum and knot the score at 7-all.
Risenburg was then hit with the walk-off winner.
Port Angeles opens the West Coast League regular season with a three-game set Friday through Sunday at the newest WCL team, the Portland Pickles. Game times are 7:05 p.m. today and 5:05 p.m. Sunday.
The Lefties return for their first homestand Friday, June 8 at 6:35 p.m. against the Bellingham Bells.
Port Angeles 8, Victoria 7
HarbourCats 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 7 10 3
Lefties 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 2 2 — 8 6 2
WP: Tyler Oldenburg LP: Ping Chung-Ho
Pitching
Victoria: Brunnig 3IP, R, 4H, BB, 2K; Stevens IP, R, 2BB, K; Stovman IP, 2K; Yoshihara IP, K; Walker IP, 2R, OH, 4BB, 2K; Chung-Ho 1.1IP, 4R, 2H, BB.
Port Angeles: Dotson 2 2/3IP, 6R, 6H, 2BB, 2K; Busse 4 1/3IP, 0R, 3H, 5K; Duwawry IP, R, H, BB, K; Oldenburg IP, 2BB.
Hitting
Victoria: Pecota 1-3, RBI; Bigford 1-1, 2RBI; Smith 1-4, 2B, RBI; Green 1-1, RBI; Jet Fagg 1-3, 2R; Nantes 1-1, RBI.
Port Angeles: Allie 1-2, 2RBI; Harum 1-4, R, BB, 2B; Christianson 1-5, 2R; Rust 0-2, BB, R, RBI; Risenburg 1-2, 2BB, 3R, 2RBI.
