SHE WAS THE TRUCK TO BEAT

By Dawn Ketteringham

Almost everyone recognized Jim Hartley’s ’68 Kaiser Jeep M715 whenever it showed up at the “pull” competitions. “J-1” was always considered “the truck to beat”—though very few actually knew how such a bulky, old “five-quarter” ton vehicle could be so powerful!

Whether at the mud-drags, hill-climbs or sand-drags, since 1983 this weighty monster packed an unexpected punch that often stunned competitors and always thrilled spectators. “Pull” enthusiasts in Grand Prairie, and the surrounding Alberta towns, knew they were in for a spectacle when Jim arrived in his Kaiser! What they couldn’t know was how much more raw power the self-taught mechanic’s customized engine “tweaks” pumped up this big bad behemoth.

“Of course I wasn’t trying to compete against the 2wd machines at the modified tractor-pulls. I was just out at those performing for exhibition and demonstrating how effortlessly J-1, hauling 41,000 lbs., could out-pull the actual competitors with top hauling powers of 36,000 lbs!”

Chuckling, Jim concedes:

“Quite often, blowing up my engine before I finished the race prevented me from winning first place. But that didn’t really matter because the fans loved the drama almost as much as I did! Even when I performed for crowds of 6000 or so, I seemed to make quite an impression with J-1′s spectacular crashes and deafening explosions!

People even stopped to comment or question me wherever I was working in it the next day. They’d want to know about J-1′s performance, engine stats etc.; but my answer to their ‘first’ question was almost always: ‘No, it’s NOT a Hummer!‘””

After destroying parts of the massive truck that way, it wasn’t difficult for Jim to repair, re-build or replace anything on, or in it. This was a vehicle he knew intimately. Actually, this particular truck has been a part of Jim’s life since he was a boy of twelve. That’s when he demonstrated his natural mechanical inclination by helping his neighbour replace the Jeep’s inline six-cylinder engine with a small-block Chevy 350 motor.

At fourteen, Jim acquired first-hand automotive maintenance and repair skills from his dad who’d bought the heavy-duty Kaiser for fencing work on their Alberta farm.

“When I was 20, I decided to build my own 4×4, so I asked my dad to help me find a ‘short-box Chevy with no engine’ as a starter truck. Instead, dad offered to loan me the big Jeep if I’d ‘bring it back when I was done with it’. That was thirty years ago—and as it turns out, I’m still not done with it!”

Admittedly, Jim’s Kaiser started out as one of 33,000 U.S. military cargo trucks built for service in Vietnam and Korea; and its true it’s original design was based on the civilian truck, the Jeep Gladiator. But fortunately for Jim, this hardy replacement for the expensive M37s, (Dodge ¾ ton cargo trucks), was perfect for his vision and his plans.

All he had to do to prepare J-1 for the “pulls” and drag-race competitions was to basically replace and/or rev-up virtually all the vehicle’s major systems…

“For competition I installed a 454 cu. in. motor with pistons bored over .125 making the engine 488 cu. in. Because it was built to GM’s ‘LS7′ specs it put out 650 horse power. The compression was raised to 13.5 to 1, then I balanced the engine, used a solid-lifter camshaft, a steel crank and converted it to a propane-driven ‘green machine’.”

Jim also installed a dual-4-barrel carburetor on a tunnel-ram intake manifold with ‘ported and polished’ heads.

He put in a modified turbo 350 transmission and gear-driven 205 transfer case, strengthening the “tranny”. This hopped-up the horse-power to 700; but whenever Jim has added nitrous oxide he has pushed J-1 as high as 1100 hp!!

Other improvements, such as the new ignition module, distributor and, of course, the 15” x 44” Ground Hog tires made the Jeep a compelling performance machine.

“It had a lot of power and I could take anyone right off the line—even motorcycles!!

But sometimes my Kaiser had way more power than was good for me! One time I’d entered a rally with my twelve-year-old daughter Syreeta, as my ‘navigator’. We were ninth vehicle back to start, and assuming it was just another ‘race’, my focus was on getting us to first place.

The fun part of the challenge was to run the course with your navigator holding a raw egg; but if the egg broke, you were disqualified! So there was Syreeta coddling our egg in her shirt pocket, like she was holding a tiny kitten.”

“The problem was that I didn’t really understand the concept of ‘rally’. I just figured a race was a race! When I tried to barrel ahead the other vehicles, they wouldn’t move over and let me pass them. So I just steered off the track and started mowing down the small trees in the way—using my Jeep’s force to carve my own ‘course’! ”

“The 3” or 4” trees posed no problem; but when J-1 suddenly hit a rock the size of a freezer, we were launched ten feet in the air! When we landed my transfer case was gone, front passenger leaf-springs were bent, front crown gear and shocks were broken and both drive shafts were ruined! Not to mention, I broke my nose on the steering wheel and was bleeding all over the place!”

“The little stars hadn’t stopped circling my head yet when, completely unharmed and undaunted, Syreeta announced: ‘Look Dad we didn’t even break our egg!‘ (And in case you’re wondering why I did that? The answer is: ‘because in J-1, I knew I could!’)”

“Eleven years ago I decided to take my long-time automotive repair outlet on the road. So I out-fitted J-1 as a ‘repair shop on wheels’ and began operating as Pro-Mobile Mechanics. Because everything I need is mounted inside the Kaiser, my big Jeep and I can do virtually any type of mobile vehicle repair on the spot, including farm equipment and boat motors.

I tote around about 2,000 lbs. of tools and equipment including: an electrical generator, air compressor, mig welder, brake lathe, torches and many other miscellaneous items.”

Even inclement weather doesn’t stop Jim from repairing vehicles on-the-spot. “Of course everyone would prefer to work in nice weather, but the truck is equipped for weather setbacks with a three-way awning that stretches out eight feet in each direction.”

Protected this way, Jim is able to work comfortably and keep all parts and systems dry.

“Of course, Pro-Mobile is also technologically state-of-the-art with on-board diagnostic computers and mobile parts-ordering and billing capabilities. Then a few years ago I spent about $10,000 on another engine for the Jeep—one that meets G.M.’s ‘LS6′ specs and operates at around 600 hp. I decided to go with lower rpm to get the higher torque that I need to move J-1 daily from point A to point B! Now people around Victoria see, and hear, the big black Kaiser coming and know it’s me—and Pro-Mobile!”

These days, Jim Hartley would be described as a 28-year journeyman mechanic, and a seasoned senior Ford technician. Also, as owner of ProMobile Mechanics, he is a well-known supporter of local community events such as the Annual Christmas Truck Light Parade and Food Drive.

As well, he and J-1 can still be seen at the annual Luxton Fall Fair in Sooke. You can’t miss him–he’s the one in the Kaiser at the Luxton Tough Truck Challenge, sponsoring the racers by assisting with “prep” of their trucks in between the races.

Of course that’s not the end of Jim’s Kaiser M715 racing days! And no need for Pro-Mobile’s J-1 to be retired. Jim has already bought another one of these awesome Jeeps, and “J-2” is being built to be bigger and badder than J-1!

Jim is designing his new Kaiser specifically for racing and dragging.

Speaking of new Kaisers, Chrysler Corp. decided this was such a great truck that in Mar/Apr 2010 they unveiled their latest Jeep, the NuKizer 715, paying homage to the original Kaiser M715! (But Jim maintains that neither of Chrysler’s stock models can touch the “J-series” tough trucks that he loves to build!)

Certainly true to form for ‘racing’ vehicles these days, J-2 is being sponsored by local businesses by sporting their logos all over it.

He can be reached at (250) 883-3179, email: jdhartley@shaw.ca ; or for more information visit his website at <pro-mobile.ca>.

REVERSE DOUBLES VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT SUNDAY

The Domino’s Pizza Reverse Doubles Volleyball Tournament  – KEG SUMMER VOLLEYBALL SERIES

WHEN -  this coming Sunday, Sept 12th  at Horner Park. (Directions:  Drive along Shelborne until you hit Cedar Hill X Rd (McDonalds).  Turn up Cedar Hill X rd towards the University.  You will see Cloverdale paints on your left.   Make the first left at St Aiden’s Street.  Turn right and continue to the parking lot.  This is HORNER PARK)  Sorry we were bumped from Reynold’s field because of soccer.

FORMAT – The format of the event is reverse doubles.  Guys spike from behind a 3m line on a women’s height net.  Girls can spike from anywhere.  You can enter a team with two guys, two girls or mixed.  This battle of the sexes format is a lot of fun.

SKILL DIVISIONS/ PRIZING – There are 3 different skill divisions – Pro, SuperComp and Competitive.  Teams will compete in double round robin matches from 9:00am until 2:30.  Every team will make the playoffs.  Finals are scheduled for around 4:00pm. There are great prize packages for the top 4 teams in each skill division.

COST – The cost is $30 per player

REGISTRATION – Just send me an email with your name and partner’s name and the division you would like to be entered inYou can make payment on site on the morning of the tournament.

SINGLES – If you are interested in playing but don’t have a partner, email me and I will partner you up.

For registration or information email Lorne Chan at spike99@shaw.ca or call 812-2708.

AUMAN WINS RAINY ENDURO RACE

By Ross Rocket

(ISN) — Cody Auman was winner of the 200 lap or two-hour Hornets Enduro Race event Monday at Western Speedway.

There were 21 cars that began racing in this event.

The track was slippery and it rained for more than 50 per cent of the race meet.

Even with this, quite a few of the racers made it to the end of the race meet which lasted 186 laps before the two-hour time limit finished it.

HORNETS ENDURO RACE MEET, MONDAY, SEPT. 6TH:  TOP 10 FINISHERS

1st    #04  Cody Auman
2nd   #55  Real Fournier
3rd   #24  Glenn Rand
4th   #85  Jake Spring
5th   #23  Ryan White
6th   #59  Phil Lagan
7th   #29  Caleb VanBree
8th   #3B  Candace VanBree
9th   #57  Eric Fournier
10th #52  Kevin Hood

KEMP PLACES 6TH AT WORLDS

(ISN) — Rachel Kemp of Victoria placed sixth on women’s 10-metre tower for the 16-18 age group at the world junior diving championships in Tucson, Arizona.

Pamela Ware of Montreal earned her third top-five finish this week placing fifth.

Fuka Tatsumi of Japan won the gold medal with 455.05 points, Mary-Beth Dunnichay of the  U.S., was second at 418.55 and Jingzhen Cao of China third at 414.90.

Kemp was looking to match her bronze medal performance from the 2008 junior worlds in Germany.

“All my dives in the final were strong except my last one,” said Kemp.  “I just kicked too early.  This was a tough field and I knew getting back on the podium was going to be a big challenge.”

Ware, a bronze medallist on one-metre and fourth on three-metre synchro with Jo-Annie Dubois of Gatineau, Que., totalled 398.05 just ahead of Kemp at 389.15.

“I was a little disappointed I didn’t match my score from the preliminaries,” said Ware, 17, who was second in the prelims.  “But I showed at this competition that I have the ability to compete on all three boards at this level and perform well.”

In the men’s 14-15 three-metre, Jack Laugher of Britain was the winner with Andres Villareal Tudon of Mexico second and Aisen Chen of China third.  Tyler Roberge of Edmonton was 11th in the final while Sam Valentine of Saskatoon was 19th in the prelims and did not advance.

Competition ends today.

VICTORIA SEALS STALLED SUNDAY

The Edmonton Capitals doubled the Victoria Seals 6-3 Sunday at Royal Athletic Park, making it three out of three for the Alberta team.

Giving Victoria native Charlie Strandlund (0-0) the start on his quest to play all nine positions in nine innings of work, the Seals squared off against Mike Hrynio (5-2) on the mound for Edmonton.

With both teams deadlocked through the first four innings, it would be the Capitals drawing first blood in the top half of the fifth inning. A two-out solo home run for Alex Chavez off of Victoria pitcher Jason Kershner handed Edmonton a 1-0 lead.

Doubling their advantage in the top half of the sixth, the visitors pulled ahead 2-0 with the help of a lead-off double from Enrique Cruz and an RBI double courtesy of Steve Brown. The Seals would respond with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame, however, when Josh Arhart launched his 16th home run of the season deep to left field for a 2-1 game.

Re-establishing a two-run lead in the top of the eighth, Edmonton used  an error to Victoria second basemen Tim Rodriguez along with a run-scoring single from Chavez to move ahead 3-1. The Capitals then cemented their lead in the ninth inning, reeling off four consecutive singles to score one and load the bases before Kevin House put Edmonton up 6-1 with a two-run single into right field.
Looking to spark a comeback in the bottom half of the ninth, Arhart crushed his second home run of the game to pull the Seals back within three. Unable to find any more offense against Edmonton closer Chad Blackwell, Victoria fell short by a 6-3 final score.

Mike Hrynio claimed his sixth win of the season with four innings of work on the mound, while Jason Kershner was tagged with the loss despite allowing just one run. Edmonton’s Alex Chavez finished with two hits and two runs scored while Josh Arhart added three RBI’s along with a 1-for-4 performance from Charlie Strandlund in a losing effort for the Seals.

Both Edmonton and Victoria were to wrap up the 2010 season with a Labour Day matinee affair today. however the game hasd been rained out and will not be rescheduled.

VICTORIA SEALS SEASON ENDER RAINED OUT

The final game of the season for the Victoria Seals  has been cancelled.

A build-up of water on the playing surface and no break in the weather forecasted for this evening has forced the team and the Edmonton Capitals to scratch the series finale.

With no make-up game scheduled, the Seals have invited all fans 19 years of age and older to the 2010 Season Wrap Party at 7 p.m. today in the Clubhouse Lounge at Strathcona Hotel. The event will give fans one last chance to meet-and-greet the Seals players and staff in a casual atmosphere.

Tickets for this afternoon’s game will be redeemable for any regular season game in 2011, including the much-anticipated season opener at Royal Athletic Park. Please present your original ticket at the Select Your Tickets box office or the game-night ticket windows to receive a seat for the game of your choice.

The Seals official 2011 schedule will be released early next year, and will be posted online at www.victoriaseals.ca.

KORBIN THOMAS WINS AT WESTERN SPEEDWAY

By Ken Keating

(ISN) — Korbin Thomas notched the victory Saturday in a shortened Canada 200 event held at Western Speedway.

Ten-year-old Natalie Vardy opened the evening with the singing of Oh Canada much to the delight of the 2,000 plus fans that entered the Speedway for the Katana Boat Sportsman Series and the Stock Car Series.

The Stock Cars ran two Trophy Dashes won by Garrett Smith and Steve Copp. Heat race wins went to Dave Reside and Dan Meyers in the Stock Car Series while Darrell Midgley, Brian Clutchey, and Glen Swedberg won their respective Heat races in the Katana Series.

Giles Cyr and Jeremy Gardener led the field of nineteen Stock Cars to the line for thirty-five laps of racing with Cyr taking the early lead followed by Billy Stidston and Brandon Hutchinson. On lap five, Sam Hunt took over the fourth spot sending Gray Abbot back one spot. On lap thirteen the yellow flag came out setting up a double file restart with Cyr and Stidston sharing the front row.

On lap fourteen, Dan Meyers moved into the fourth position and then moved to third three laps later. On lap nineteen, Steve Copp moved up to run fourth followed by Ryan Wade who had made his way forward from the sixteenth starting spot. On lap twenty-one the caution flag waved again setting up another double file restart with Cyr and Meyers on the front row.

With the drop of the green flag, Meyers got the advantage taking over the lead dropping Cyr back to second.Coming out of turn four, Cyr got turned around and was hit by Daryl Crocker who had nowhere to go. The race was halted to clear the track and clean up water from the damage done to Cyr’s car.

On the restart, Meyers and Copp led the field back to green and as they entered turn one Meyers spun around bringing out the yellow once again. This time on the restart, Copp had Wade on his outside for the green flag but quickly got the edge taking the lead followed by Wade and Aaron Wilkie.

Over the next few laps, Wade tried the outside and then the inside to go by Copp and on lap thirty-two finally made it stick taking the lead with Wilkie following him through. At the finish line it was Wade with the win followed by Wilkie, Copp, Sam Hunt, and Hutchinson rounding out the top five positions.

Brian Clutchey and Tyler Clough led the field of twenty-eight cars to the green flag for two hundred laps of racing for the Canada 200 title. Clutchey got the early lead with several cars jockeying for position behind him for the first few laps. On lap twelve the caution flag came out as a car quit on the backstretch as Clutchey had built a lead of several car lengths.

On the double file restart, Clutchey had Dale Robinson on his outside and just as quickly as the green came out, so did the yellow as Clutchey had a tire going down putting him into the wall on the frontstretch as well as Robinson ending both of their nights all within the next two laps.

Bart Smith and Tom Berrow lined up for the double file restart with Smith getting the edge on lap thirteen followed by Berrow with Darrell Midgley taking the third spot on lap fifteen and then quickly taking over the lead by lap twenty with Berrow chasing and Tim Christy and Dave Hemrich moving up to run third and fourth respectively over the next three laps.

On lap thirty two, Geoff Morris spun in turn one bringing out another yellow setting up another double file restart with Midgley and Berrow sharing the front row. Midgley got a great jump on the flag taking the lead while Berrow, Christy, and Hemrich continued a battle for the next positions until another yellow came out on lap thirty-six as a couple of cars got turned around in turn one.

Christy lined up along side of Midgley for the restart and dropped back to third as Berrow went to the inside following Midgley through. On lap forty-five, Christy reclaimed the second spot with Berrow now running third followed by Hemrich and Brandon Carlson. Over the next several laps the field stayed pretty well intact with Carlson and Korbin Thomas moving up and into contention running third and fourth by lap eighty-seven.

On lap one hundred the field was stopped for refuelling with Midgley, Christy, Carlson, Thomas, and Berrow, the top five cars at the half way mark.

As the field lined up for the resumption of racing, Midgley now had Mike Soppit, a lapped car, on his outside coming to the green flag. Midgley again got a good jump followed by Christy and over the next few laps actually checked out over the rest of the field gaining a half lap lead and running bumper to bumper.

On lap one hundred and five, the yellow came out again and this time, for the restart, Christy lined up along side of Midgley as the field took the green flag. Midgley got away again but this time Thomas moved up to run second dropping Christy back one position setting up a good battle for that second spot until Christy was forced to go wide, going through turn one for lapped cars, losing several positions dropping back as far as sixth.

On lap one thirteen, Thomas passed Midgley for the lead followed by Berrow and Carlson with Christy on the move again one lap later. On lap one twenty-eight, the yellow came out again as several cars got tangled up going through turn one as Otto Bahatti slammed the wall and getting the worst of the damage.

For this restart, Midgley and Thomas shared the front row with Thomas getting the advantage and going back to the lead followed by Midgley, Berrow, and Carlson. One lap later, Christy had moved back up to run third with Hemrich running fourth while Carlson entered the pits but returned in the eighth spot. A lot of hitting and juggling for position behind the leaders saw Bart Smith move to run in third by lap one thirty-seven and Carlson moving back up as well trading places with Smith back and forth over the next few laps.

On lap one eighty-four, Christy took over the third spot with Carlson moving into the fourth spot dropping Smith back to fifth. On lap one eighty-seven, the yellow came out again as Smith and Ken Jorgensen spun out on turn one. Because of time limits and the many yellow flags, the race was brought to an end with Thomas claiming the win followed by Midgley, Christy, Carlson, and Smith rounding out the top five positions.

There were only a few cars left that did not suffer too much damage over the course of this tough race as it featured a lot of crashes and spinouts almost from the outset. Both Thomas and Midgley came away with little or no scratches as they managed to get through lapped traffic on several occassions avoiding any serious problems.

Thomas was presented the first place Trophy and the Debbie Cooper Memorial Cup by Tianna Metzger, Western Speedway Trophy Girl, and members of the Cooper family at Victory Square after a few winning donuts on the frontstretch.

Over the 2010 season, the Katana Series has seen Midgley win the opener at Western Speedway on May 29th with Thomas taking the win at Thunder Mountain, Jorgensen taking the win at Saratoga in July, Berrow took the win in Penticton also in July, Hemrich also won a Penticton race in August, with Berrow winning in Agazziz on August 21st.

Coming into Victoria, the run for the Championship came down to two drivers with Berrow and Thomas the frontrunners separated by sixty-four points. Berrow finished twevelth completing one-hundred eighty-two laps in the final race for this Series. With the win, Thomas should have garnered enough points to claim the Katana Boat Sportsman Series Championship for 2010.

At this point it is unofficial as far as Championship points are concerned.

The next event, at Western Speedway, is the Demo Series with the Demo Cars, Demo Trucks, Mini Vans, Figure 8s, and the Bomber Series on Sept. 11.

WESTERN SPEEDWAY RACE RESULTS — SATURDAY NIGHT, SEPTEMBER 4TH

STOCK CAR CLASS:
FAST TIME:  #11  Paul Tourond  18:653
B TROPHY DASH:
Garrett Smith; Brandon Hutchinson; Dan Mayers; Sam Hunt
A TROPHY DASH:
Steve Copp; Dave Reside; Ryan Wade; Paul Tourond
1ST HEAT RACE:
Dan Mayers; Ryan Wade; Kyle Cottam; Gray Abbott
2ND HEAT RACE:
Dave Reside; Billy Stidson; Paul Tourond; Sam Hunt
MAIN EVENT (40 LAPS):
Ryan Wade; Aaron Wilkie; Steve Copp; Sam Hunt; Brandon Hutchinson

KATANA BOAT SERIES LATE MODEL CLASSES:
FAST TIME:  #5  Korbin Thomas  16:699  (also tied by #07 Wade Bland)
1ST HEAT RACE:
Glenn Swedberg; Otto Bohotti; Dean Thornton; Tom Garnett
2ND HEAT RACE:
Brian Clutchey; Dale Robinson; Bart Smith; Tyler Clough
3RD HEAT RACE:
Darrell Midgley; Tom Berrow; Murray Dyck; Ken Jorgunsen
CANADA 200 MAIN EVENT (200 LAPS):
Korbin Thomas; Darrell Midgley; Tim Christy; Brandon Carlson; Bart Smith

VICTORIA SEALS DOWNED BY THE CAPITALS

The Edmonton Capitals downed the Victoria Seals 7-1 Saturday at Royal Athletic Park.

Turning to Joe Sergent (0-0 for the left-hander’s first start as a Seal, Victoria matched up against Evan White (2-5) on the mound for the Capitals.

Jumping on the board in the top of the first inning, the Seals took a 1-0 lead when Henry Calderon reached on a fielder’s choice before a single from Matt Kavanaugh and a walk to Josh Arhart set up a bases loaded wild pitch for the early 1-0 advantage.

Edmonton responded with offense of their own in the top of the second, however, using a lead-off walk to Cliff Brumbaugh along with an error charged against Seals shortstop Wilver Perez to open the door for a two-run single off the bat of Nick Valdez and a 2-1 lead.

Padding their advantage in the fifth frame, Valdez got the ball rolling for the Capitals with a double before another extra base hit from Kevin House made it 3-1. The next batter, Enrique Cruz, then launched a two-run home run over the left field fence to give Edmonton a commanding four-run lead through seven innings.

Rounding out the scoring in the top of the eighth, the Capitals added another pair of runs on a double from Steve Brown and a bases-loaded strike courtesy of Alex Chavez to stretch the lead to a 7-1 margin. Finding just a lone single from Charlie Strandlund in the final two innings, Victoria dropped the second game of the series by a 7-1 score.

Evan White earned the victory with seven innings of one-run baseball on the mound, while Joe Sergent fell to 0-1 on the year with the loss. Three hits and two RBI’s from Enrique Cruz paced the Capitals offense, while both Matt Edgecombe and Charlie Strandlund had two hits in a losing cause for Victoria.

TEXAN HOLDEM TO HELP JR ROCKS

(ISN) — The Victoria Junior Shamrocks Lacrosse Team is holding a Texas Holdem fund raiser Sept. 18 at the Six Mile Pub.

“This is great opportunity to see how well you can play poker in a real environment and not blow a huge wad of cash,” said General Manager Rod Wood. “At the same time you will helping our lacrosse team for the 2011 season.”

VICTORIA SEALS POST SEASON BID ENDS

The Edmonton Capitals eliminated the Victoria Seals from the playoff with an 8-5 game one win Friday at Royal Athletic Park.

Needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, Victoria turned to Anthony Pluta (6-3) on the mound to face Lou

Pote (8-3) for the Capitals.

Edmonton jumped onto the scoreboard in the top of the first inning, using a lead-off walk to Ryan Stevenson to set up a two-run home run courtesy of Larry Bigbie for an early 2-0 lead.

After the Seals answered with an RBI double from Brian Rios in the third frame, the Capitals restored their two-run lead with a solo blast from Cliff Brumbaugh, his league-leading 23rd of the season.

With the visitors adding another run for a 4-1 lead through five innings, Edmonton put the game away in the top half of the seventh.

Loading the bases with single from both Stevenson and Enrique Cruz along with a walk to Bigbie, one run scored on an error to Seals third basemen Rios before Brumbaugh drove in three with a double off of the right field fence to put the Capitals up 8-1.

Responding to post four runs of their own in the bottom half of the seventh, Victoria reeled off five two-out hits to pull back into the game.

After a double from Henry Calderon scored with the help of a base hit from Rios, Josh Arhart singled, Tim Rodriguez doubled, Matt Kavanaugh drew a walk and Colin Moro cashed a pair with a clutch base hit for an 8-5 score.

With Mike Koons, Jason Kershner and Brandon Villafuerte holding the Capitals off the board in the final two frames, the Seals were still unable to cue a late comeback at Royal Athletic Park. Losing by an 8-5 final score, Victoria fell 3.5 games back of the Calgary Vipers with just three games to play this season.

Lou Pote took his sixth career victory over the Seals for Edmonton, while Anthony Pluta was handed his fourth loss on the season through five innings of work. Cliff Brumbaugh captained the Capitals offense with three hits and four batted in, while Colin Moro finished 3-for-5 with three RBI’s in a losing effort for Victoria.

Game two of the set between Edmonton and Victoria is slated for  7:05 p.m. tonight at Royal Athletic Park.

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