Lavallee Celebrates 200th Win With Shutout In Spokane

SPOKANE, WA – As a kid growing up in North Delta, Brent Lavallee used to go to games at The Nat and watch from the stands. Now, he’s the fourth manager since our historic ballpark opened in 1951 to reach the 200-win plateau in regular season play. Tuesday night’s 5-0 Canadians victory over the Spokane Indians [COL] at Avista Stadium put Lavallee in rarified air, joining Charlie Metro, Don Long and Mickey Vernon as the only men to skipper a Vancouver professional baseball team on Ontario Street to the multi-century mark.

The setting and the opponent made tonight’s win especially poignant. Winners of just four games in 22 head-to-head meetings with the Rockies affiliate this year and trailing the Indians by three games in the second half standings, the C’s set the tone from the second pitch of the ballgame. Newcomer Adrian Pinto continued his near-unbelievable start to his Vancouver tenure with a lead-off homer against Indians starter Victor Juarez (L, 3-7), the second time this year the Canadians have begun the game with a bomb.

Another run in the third doubled the lead. Jace Bohrofen’s one-out single set the table for Jackson Hornung, who served an RBI double into the gap in left-centre to make it 2-0.

That would be the score for much of the rest of the way. Right-hander Ryan Watson (W, 1-0) was unfazed by the top-ranked Spokane offence, twirling seven scoreless frames that featured four singles, one walk and five Ks. Only one runner reached scoring position behind him after a two-out walk and a steal in the second, but a groundout ended the inning.

Watson’s outing was supported by a defensive unit – specifically Pinto at second and shortstop Nick Goodwin – that turned a High-A era franchise-record five double plays. A twin killing ended the first, erased a lead-off hit in the fourth and wrapped up the sixth to help the Georgia State product keep Spokane at bay.

Je’Von Ward started the eighth with a solo shot to increase the Vancouver lead to three before Pat Gallagher (S, 1) was asked to make the first relief outing of his Northwest League career to begin the eighth. It was dicey to start; Jose Cordova sliced a rulebook double over the right field fence then a walk brought the potential tying run to the dish. But a nifty glove grab by Goodwin at short on a hot smash got the first out via fielder’s choice before Pinto fielded a ground ball behind the bag at second, raced to the pillow and threw to first in time for an inning-ending double play.

Two insurance runs in the top of the ninth put the game out of reach. Nic Deschamps led off with a single, Pinto doubled him home then raced to third on a wild pitch before a heads-up read on another errant pitch in the dirt allowed him to scamper homer to make it 5-0.

Gallagher surrendered a one-out single in the ninth but reigning Golden Spikes Award winner and third overall pick in the 2024 draft Charlie Condon hit a ground ball to short that allowed the C’s to turn two for the fifth and final time on the night to secure the win.

All nine starters reached base and eight had a hit. Pinto, Hornung, Peyton Williams and Brennan Orf finished with two each. Williams – the reigning Northwest League Player of the Week – extended his hitting streak to a team- and career-high 13 consecutive games.

Tuesday night’s triumph was the first time the C’s have pitched a shutout opposite Spokane this year. Their league-leading and franchise record-establishing 14^th blanking of an opponent also means they have now allowed no runs in at least one game against four of five teams in the circuit this season (Everett is the lone exception).

The Canadians – who need to win five of six this week to take control of first place in the second half – are now two games back of Spokane as they get ready for the second tilt of the set tomorrow night at 6:35 p.m. MLB.com’s #21 Blue Jays prospect Juaron Watts-Brown toes the slab opposite southpaw Mason Green. First pitch of RE/MAX Canadians Baseball will air live on the Sportsnet Alt Feed at 6:35 p.m.