HarbourCats surge past AppleSox 9-6 with clutch two-out hitting

VICTORIA, B.C. - The Victoria HarbourCats capitalized on timely hitting, scoring seven runs with two outs, as they defeated the Wenatchee AppleSox 9-6 on Saturday night at Royal Athletic Park.

Antonio Gianni had a stellar performance at the plate, launching two home runs as part of a three-hit night. His first homer, a two-run shot in the fourth inning, traveled 343 feet, while his second blast, a 374-foot drive off the scoreboard, came on the first pitch of the eighth inning. Aidan Dougherty added a solo home run in the ninth, his first of the summer, measuring an impressive 379 feet.

Kade Benavidez also contributed to the HarbourCats' offensive output, recording two hits, including an RBI single in the first inning and a double in the second. Benavidez, who leads the team with nine RBIs this summer, opened the scoring after Dougherty began the game with a first-pitch double.

The AppleSox briefly tied the game in the fifth inning, but the HarbourCats quickly regained the lead in the bottom of the frame. With two outs and the bases loaded, a clutch double put Victoria ahead 7-4, a lead they would not relinquish.

Despite solo home runs from Wenatchee in the eighth and ninth innings, the HarbourCats' offense proved too much to overcome. Victoria added two insurance runs in the seventh inning on a one-out, two-RBI single.

The HarbourCats and AppleSox will face off again on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. in the rubber match and final game of Wenatchee's six-game road trip. The AppleSox will then return home to face the Bellingham Bells on Tuesday night.