Jedd Fagg (right) is congratulated by his brother Jaaxon (left) after Jedd hit a 2-RBI single in the bottom of the 10th to give the HarbourCats a 5-4 win over the Bend Elks (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

Story by Josh Kozelj 

Photos by Christian J. Stewart 

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July 10, 2018 – Newly minted WCL All-Star Jeddediah Fagg lived up to his selection Tuesday night, as his three-RBI night, including a home run in the sixth and a two-RBI walk-off single in the tenth, gave the HarbourCats a 5-4 win over the Bend Elks in West Coast League action Tuesday night at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria.

The win broke the HarbourCats three-game losing streak, all on the road in a three game sweep by Corvallis and gave them their first win of the second half of the season and fifteenth overall.

Victoria’s Jedd Fagg, named a WCL All-Star Tuesday, proved why by hitting his fourth home run of the season in the sixth inning Tuesday and then later a 2-RBI, walk-off single in the 10th to give the ‘Cats the win (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

The Elks, who managed to score just three runs in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Cowlitz Black Bears prior to coming to Victoria, looked like they would bust out of that slum as they batted around in the first inning and scored a run off Victoria starter Owen Sharts thanks to an RBI double off the bat of Ty Holmstrom, scoring Alex Parrios who had also reached via a double.

Sharts would settle in after that, allowing just two walks and a hit in the final three innings on the mound, while collecting five strikeouts over his 4.1 innings of work.

Harrison Spohn’s rally cap supreme worked wonders Tuesday as the HarbourCats scored two runs in the bottom of the 10th inning to defeat the Bend Elks 5-4 (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

Countering on the bump for Alan Embree’s Elks, RJ Robles would cruise until the fifth inning when a recent NCAA College World Series Champion sparked a HarbourCats rally.

After Cade Brown started the frame off with a single, Oregon State National Champion Ryan Ober nearly hit a two-run shot to give the Victoria lead, but the infielder just sliced the pitch inches foul to give Robles another life. However, one pitch later Ober would hit a double to the opposite field to put runners on second and third.

Owen Sharts got the start Tuesday and he was effective, allowing just a single run on three hits while striking out five, over 4.1 innings of work (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

The HarbourCats would capitalize in the next two at-bats, as Robles would fire two consecutive wild pitches to give Victoria a 2-1 advantage.

One inning later, in the home half of the sixth, player of the game and WCL All-Star Selection Jedd Fagg would give Victoria an insurance run with hit his fourth home run of the season.

Earlier in the morning it was announced that pitchers Tyler Yoshihara and Garrett Goodall would also join Fagg as Victoria HarbourCats All-Star representatives at the festivities July 17 across the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Port Angeles.

It was a beautiful night for baseball Tuesday as the HarbourCats took on the Bend Elks (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

The Elks would get a run back in the top half of the seventh with a Paillios RBI single, and would tie the game at three apiece in the next inning with a solo home run from Jake Holton.

After Bend scored once in the top half of the tenth, Fagg came on with two men in scoring position and didn’t disappoint the hometown fans, delivering his third hit of the night into right field, as Blake Wagenseller (walk) and Mike Malinchak (walk) both reached home to give Victoria the 5-4 win.

Victoria third baseman Ryan Ober had a pair of hits and a run scored on Tuesday (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

Fagg with three hits and his three RBIs, along with two hit nights from Ober and Malinchak led the HarbourCats offence on the night.  Hayden Jaco, who came on to get Adam Imwalle out of a jam in the top of the tenth, gets the win in relief, his second of the season.  Bradley Gonzales takes the loss in relief for the Elks.

Victoria will look to build on this momentum and go for the series victory against the Elks tomorrow night at 6:35pm at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park, as Mason Shaw will oppose Khalil Rivera in the series middle game.