VICTORIA, British Columbia – Ethan Porter delivered a two-out RBI double in the top of the ninth inning Wednesday night in Victoria, lifting the South to a 5-4 victory over the North in the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game.
Porter, an outfielder from Oregon State and current Corvallis Knight, captured the game’s MVP honors with a 3-for-5, three-RBI effort. In the second inning, his two-run home run capped a three-run rally and staked the South to a 4-0 lead.
The North started their comeback with a two-run third, including a run-scoring single from Kade Crawford (Kamloops NorthPaws/Louisiana Tech), who entered the All-Star break with 33 RBI.
In the bottom of the seventh, the North manufactured a run. Evan Dugdale (Kamloops/Cloud County CC) led off with a single, stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jake Lyall (Bellingham Bells/Loyola Marymount).
One inning later, the North scored twice more to tie the game. Ethan Wood (Port Angeles Lefties/Wright State) singled, then took third on a double by Aspen Alexander (Bellingham/Grand Canyon). Back-to-back walks forced home the tying run.
The South responded with a little two-out magic in the ninth. Sam Kane (Walla Walla Sweets/Nevada) led off with a walk, but with two outs was still on first base. Daichi Furuhata (Yakima Valley Pippins/Seattle U) kept the inning alive with a single, setting the stage for Porter’s decisive double down the right-field line.
Flamethrower Rafael Espinoza (Portland Pickles/Colorado Mesa), the South’s 10th pitcher of the night, slammed the door in the ninth, including a dramatic strikeout to end the game with the tying run at second base.
Fans may watch a replay of the game on WCL Live and the Victoria HarbourCats’ YouTube channel.
The WCL’s second half resumes, Friday with all 16 teams in action, including the WCL Game of the Week with the Bend Elks hosting the Ridgefield Raptors, first-half South champs.
About the West Coast League
The West Coast League is North America’s premier summer collegiate baseball league, now in its 21st season. Sixteen teams span the region from Oregon to Alberta, giving top amateur athletes a grand stage for competition, development, and connection with the communities they represent, in the finest summer baseball weather on the continent. In each of the last three seasons, a WCL alumnus has been selected in the top five of the MLB Draft and 10 players have come off the board in the first 10 picks over the last decade.
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