Thomas Bridges of the NCAA Big Ten Northwestern University Wildcats has been cool and under control for the Victoria HarbourCats of the summer-collegiate West Coast League with a league-leading 0.35 ERA.
He’s a Wildcat without a wild arm.
Thomas Bridges of the NCAA Big Ten Northwestern University Wildcats has been cool and under control for the Victoria HarbourCats of the summer-collegiate West Coast League with a league-leading 0.35 ERA.
Bridges’ latest gem was over the weekend on Saturday night as he put down 18 of 19 opposition batters with five strikeouts over six innings in a 6-0 victory over the Ridgefield Raptors in Washington state. The five-foot-11 righty out of Los Angeles is used to such performances and holds his high school’s all-time ERA record of 0.59.
Bridges’ 29 strikeouts are sixth best in the WCL this season. His latest effort gave the HarbourCats their fifth consecutive victory and earned him the nod Monday for the WCL pitcher of the week award.
“Bridges controls three pitches so well in an era when pitchers try to overthrow,” said HarbourCats managing-partner Jim Swanson.
“He hits his spots.”
The HarbourCats’ five-game winning roll to start the second half of the WCL season came to a halt Sunday in a 7-2 loss to the Raptors in Ridgefield, which is located in suburban Vancouver, Washington.
That left Victoria at 5-1 in the second half after completing the first half of the season at a disappointing 12-14. The HarbourCats have made the playoffs the last four seasons. They continued their quest for the WCL North Division second-half crown, and playoff berth that goes with it, in a late-finishing game Monday night in Port Angeles. Victoria continues the cross-border, cross-strait series against the Lefties tonight and Wednesday night.
The HarbourCats return home Friday night to open a three-game set at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park against the visiting Kelowna Falcons.
The Nanaimo NightOwls, meanwhile, are 1-2 in the second half of the season after completing a weekend series in Edmonton against the Riverhawks. The NightOwls return to the Harbour City to face the Falcons in a three-game set beginning tonight at Serauxmen Stadium.
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