The Cowlitz Black Bears finish their series with the Kamloops NorthPaws tonight at 6:35 p.m. but it’s not too early to get ready for their road series this weekend against the Springfield Drifters!
The Black Bears clinched their first West Coast League series win of the year on Wednesday night over the NorthPaws 3-2. The ‘Paws jumped on WCL Pitcher of the Week Ryan Rembisz (Portland) with three consecutive hits in the top of the first inning, including an RBI double to right centerfield gap off the bat of Tyler Glowacki (Colorado Mesa) to put Kamloops up 1-0. A throwing error by Black Bears’ catcher Sergio DeCello (Purdue commit) allowed the second run to score for Kamloops. Rembisz would settle in nicely after a rough first inning, allowing just one hit and no runs the rest of his night. It was a 2-0 game going into the bottom of the seventh inning, Wren Cecil (Western Oregon commit) drew a one-out walk, and two batters later, scored on a base hit by DeCello to make it a 2-1 game. The Black Bears would tie the game an inning later on a wild pitch and take the lead on Cecil’s RBI bunt single up the first baseline. Right-handed pitcher Nikki Scott (St. Martin’s) picked up the win as the Black Bears improved to 3-4 in WCL play.
Quite the contrary to Tuesday’s 9-3 win in the series opener. Nate Moquin (Omaha commit) had another quality start to earn his first win this summer: 5 innings, no hits, three strikeouts, one walk, and one run allowed. The Black Bears used three-run scoring spurts in the third, fifth, and sixth to propel them to the win.
The Drifters come into this series losers of five of their last six games (going into Thursday). They opened up this season with a pair of home-and-home series against the Yakima Valley Pippins and the Bend Elks. Springfield finished the 2023 season with a 22-32 overall record in sixth place in the WCL South Division. The Black Bears won the season series (4-2) and the road series (2-1) at Hamlin Sports Complex in 2023.
The Black Bears-Drifters series will begin on Friday at 6:35 p.m. at Hamlin Sports Complex. Game 2 on Saturday is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., and the series finale will start at 4:35 p.m. on Sunday. For more information about upcoming games, stats, or tickets, follow us on social media: X (Twitter) (@CowlitzBBears), Facebook, and Instagram (@cowlitzblackbears). To watch, listen live, or view the 2024 promotional schedule, go to our website cowlitzblackbears.com.