NANAIMO, B.C. — Port Angeles’ defensive miscues were a difference maker as Nanaimo turned a 2-2 tie fifth inning tie with the Lefties into a 12-2 blowout Wednesday night at Serauxman Stadium.
With the loss, Port Angeles dropped to 10-11 in the second half and four games back of first-place Wenatchee with a six-game home stand starting tonight at Civic Field that will wrap the regular season.
Jeremy Giesegh led off with a single, stole second base and scored on Jared Bujanda’s RBI single
Port Angeles scored its other run in the fifth when Zach Blair led off with a base hit, eventually stole second and came home on Eric Valdivia’s two-out RBI single.
Nanaimo pounced on Lefties’ mistakes in the bottom of the fifth.
Port Angeles pitcher Colby Scheuber got into trouble after Nanaimo’s Noah Hata reached on an infield error. Scheuber gave up consecutive base hits to allow two runs and after a second error, this time with two outs, the Lefties allowed a run to score on a passed ball as the NightOwls went up 5-2.
Nanaimo then lit up relievers Gabe Bustamante to the tune of four runs in the sixth and Alec Hagopian for three more scores in the bottom of the seventh.
Meanwhile, the Lefties only managed one other baserunner in the final three frames.
Edmonton, the first-half winner of the North Division, comes to town starting tonight at 6:35 p.m.
Edmonton recently set the West Coast League single-season attendance record for the second straight season after drawing 116,871 fans this summer.
Nanaimo 12, Port Angeles 2
Port Angeles 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 — 2 7 4
Nanaimo 1 1 0 0 3 4 3 0 X— 12 12 0
WP: Torres LP: Scheuber
Pitching
Port Angeles — Scheuber 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; Bustamante 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER; Hagopian 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, ER, 3 BB; Helm IP.
Nanaimo — Torres 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K; Schumacher 2 IP, 2 H, K; Ahmed IP, K; Stewart IP, 2 K.
Hitting
Port Angeles — Giesegh 1-4, SB, R; Bujanda 1-3, BB, SB, RBI; Valvidia 1-4, RBI; Blair 1-2, BB, SB, R.
Nanaimo — Kahler 2-5, 2B, BB, 3 R; Marsh 2-3, HBP, 3 RBI; Waters 2-4, 3 RBI; Rutter 2-5, 2B, R, 3 RBI; He-Chieh 3-3, 3B, 2 BB, R, RBI.
