By Cody F. Schmidt

It was a tense pitcher’s duel through the first half of the game. The Edmonton Riverhawks and the Victoria HarbourCats both scored a run in the second inning and the tie carried until 7th when the HarbourCats briefly led before the Hawks balanced the score again. The 8th didn’t go quite the same way, as the Cats struck for five runs and put the Hawks behind for the rest of the game.

With 5402 fans in attendance, the crowd brought their jolliest energy as we celebrated Christmas in August. With appearances from Santa and the Grinch, giveaways along with Santas Anonymous, and an auction for the incredibly popular Talus Balls jerseys the Hawks sported tonight and across the season. After the game, fans were treated to an absolutely spectacular display from Uncle John’s Fireworks, for the final Fireworks Friday of the year.

Starter #18 Riley Barrett capped off his Riverhawks season with another quality appearance. Pitching though 5.0, Barrett struck out a trio and only gave up three hits and a run. Finishing his season with a 1.73 ERA, Barrett stands in second place on the WCL Earned Run Average leaderboards. It’s been a fantastic second season with the Hawks for Barrett who surged into the top pitcher conversation in the second half.

Reliever #7 Reece Hemmerling saw 2.1 innings of work. After a perfect 6th, Reece was tagged for his first run of the season from back-to-back-to-back Cats singles. Hemmerling still struck out a pair before walking in the leading run in the 8th. #25 Tyson Kilbreath took over in the 8th, and the HarbourCats broke the game open against him, with a bases-clearing triple and an RBI single putting the Hawks behind by five. #40 Shaun Atamanchuk took the mound for the 9th, and tossed a quick perfect inning to bring the Hawks back up for their final chance at bat.

The series continues tomorrow night, where the Riverhawks will aim for redemption. The HarbourCats remain battling for the top of the second half leaderboard with the Wenatchee AppleSox, and the Hawks have a chance to play spoiler and send the Cats to a lower seed. Grab a spot at RE/MAX Field by heading to tickets.gohawks.ca!