Teams pile on runs in baseball when they can because they never know when they will be needing them.
The Victoria HarbourCats built a 6-1 lead heading into the ninth inning Wednesday night at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park before hanging on dearly for a 6-5 victory over the visiting Yakima Valley Pippins from Washington state.
Second-year HarbourCats player Hayden Jaco delivered a key blow with a two-run double in the sixth inning to make it 6-1.
“I thought I was hitting for fun at that point, but we ended up needing it,” said the catcher out of Indiana State.
“It’s baseball. It just goes to show you can’t sit back on a lead. You can’t give the other team hope. I’m happy to be back this season and hope to keep making an impact.”
HarbourCats head coach Brian McRae spoke of the “good rapport” Jaco has with the Victoria pitchers.
“It’s a confidence boost for our pitchers to have him back there.”
That booster shot continued as Victoria starter Tyler Hilton went six complete innings, allowing only two hits, one run and five strikeouts against one walk in a fine outing.
“I was in command of my fastball early, and then I got my slider going in the fourth and fifth innings,” said the hurler, out of Mesa Community College.
“I focused on the location of the pitches.”
A native of Mesa, Arizona, Hilton is used to throwing in much hotter weather, but said he is getting used to the cooler Island conditions.
The HarbourCats moved to 3-2 with their second consecutive victory over Yakima Valley, while the Pippins fell to 2-3.
Meanwhile, opening-day Victoria starter Ethan Fox of Campbell River is scheduled to start today as the HabourCats-Pippins series culminates with a school day special morning start at 11 a.m., for which more than 2,500 shrieking school kids are expected to attend.
That constitutes a short turnaround for both the HarbourCats and Pippins.
“These are young players and it shouldn’t bother them,” said McRae, a 10-season major-league veteran.
“It’s the coaches who will be tired,” he quipped.
After an off-day Friday, the HarbourCats host the B.C. senior men’s champions Coquitlam Angels for a two-game exhibition set Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at Wilson’s Group Stadium. Honorary coach for the set will be former Toronto Blue Jays great Kelly Gruber, the two-time AL all-star third-baseman, who was part of the 1992 World Series-champion team. Fans can meet Gruber and get pictures taken with him.
“Kelly is an icon, the flowing hair, the great arm from third, his combination of speed and power helping the Blue Jays reach those World Series years,” said HarbourCats GM Brad Norris-Jones.
