The Black Bears head North of the border for the only trip to Canada this summer. Many players have never been out of the country before and are really looking forward to the road trip that includes a flight. AJ Singer said, “I can’t wait to go up there and just experience being in a different country with my teammates. I’m really looking forward to trying Tim Hortons coffee while I’m up there.”
The Riverhawks finished their inaugural season last year with an identical record as Cowlitz, going 25-28. Edmonton is currently 11-27. The last time these ball clubs faced off was in Longview. In game 1, outfielder Carter Monda went 2-4, scoring two runs and batting in a couple as well. That helped propel the Bears to win 7-2. Edmonton came fighting back in game 2 with a slim 3-2 win. In the rubber match it was another close game, but the Riverhawks were victorious winning the series in game 3, 2-1.
The Black Bears are coming off a five game homestand that included a sweep in two non league games against the Nighthawks. Then Bellingham came to town for the final series between these two teams this season.
In game 1, Spencer Seid shoved once again throwing 5 scoreless innings. It wasn’t all pretty, but Seid was able to work through two different jams when the Bells had runners on 2nd and 3rd with less than two outs. Seid has thrown 16 innings this summer and has yet to give up a run. His offense gave him support right away in the bottom of the 1st inning. Brandon Larson, Seid’s UCSD teammate, hit a two-out RBI single to give the Bears an early 1-0 lead. In the 6th, Cowlitz had a 2-0 lead and Lopez came in and scored on a wild pitch. The lead was too much for the Bells as the Black Bears took the series opener, 4-1.
In game 2, the story was all about pitching on both sides. Both teams had 6 hits, but runs came at a premium. There was no score through 3 ½ but in the bottom of the 4th, Chris Brown had a RBI single with two outs. Lucien Wechsberg tossed 5 innings without giving up a run. Daryl Ruiz tied the game with a RBI double in the 6th. Jase Schueller kept the game tied in the 7th and on a Sotomayor FC, Brown came in to score the go ahead run. It was 2-1 heading into the 8th. Another shutout inning for Schueller put him in position for a win. Matt Nelson came in and recorded his second save this summer to close the door on Bellingham to win the series and game 2, 2-1 final.
In the series finale, it was a very close game that came down to the wire. Bellingham came up with a 4 run inning and went on to win 5-4 to avoid the sweep.
It is coming down to the wire to see who is going to make the 2023 West Coast League playoffs. Every game is important from here on out, so buckle up, and watch closely as the regular season is wrapping up in the coming weeks. For more information about upcoming games and stats, follow us on social media: Twitter (@CowlitzBBears), Facebook and Instagram (@cowlitzblackbears). You can find the livestream for this game on the West Coast League website. Radio will not be available for these three games in Edmonton.