LEFTIES: Port Angeles unable to play spoiler vs. playoff-chasing Kelowna

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, August 4, 2026

PORT ANGELES — Spotting a team in the midst of a playoff chase an early six-run lead isn’t the best recipe for success — and Port Angeles paid for it in a 10-4 loss to the Kelowna Falcons to open the Lefties’ final home stand of the summer at Civic Field on Monday night.

Will Feltus led the Lefties at the plate with a three-hit night, driving in runs late on an eighth inning sacrifice fly and bringing home center fielder Wes Lynch and catcher Noah Betanco in Port Angeles’ last trip to the plate

Feltus (Yakima Valley) has been on a late-summer tear for Port Angeles, recording three three-hit games and one two-hit game in the Lefties’ last five outings to raise his season batting average to .284 with 10 RBIs in 30 games.

Betanco scored a run and went 2-for-4 at the plate for Port Angeles.

Jake Wells also had a multi-hit game for the Lefties, going 2-for-3 with a walk.

North Playoff chase

Wenatchee and Bellingham have the North locked down. The AppleSox, at 39-13, have already sewn up the best record in the league, and home field for as long as they’re alive. The Bells, at 34-18, are locked into the North’s No. 2 seed. Both are now playing with little on the line beyond pride, health, and getting their pitching staffs rested for the playoffs, which open Friday.

Who they’ll face, though, remains very much undecided. For the North’s third and fourth spots, four teams are separated by two games:

Nanaimo NightOwls, 29-23

Edmonton Riverhawks, 28-24

Kelowna Falcons, 28-24

Victoria HarbourCats, 26-25

None of the four play each other this week. Edmonton is at Bellingham, Nanaimo hosts the Kamloops NorthPaws, Kelowna visits the Lefties in Port Angeles, and Victoria closes at Wenatchee. That doesn’t put the four on equal footing, though. Nanaimo wins out and nobody can touch them.

Edmonton wins out and clinches too, since they (and Nanaimo both) hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Kelowna.

The Falcons don’t need to win out to stay alive, but it sure would help.

Victoria, with three teams ahead of them, have the toughest road of all, though the Cats do hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over both Nanaimo and Edmonton.

South Playoff chase

Ridgefield has already claimed the first-half title and the South’s top seed in the first round of the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean the Raptors’ final series is a formality. With reseeding after the first round, beating Corvallis this week could still mean the difference between hosting or hitting the road in the South and/or WCL championship rounds.

Corvallis, Walla Walla, and Portland are all still playing for the second-half crown and the South’s No. 2 seed. The Knights are 16-8 in the second half and playing their final series at Ridgefield. The Sweets (15-9) visit the Marion Berries, while the Pickles (15-12) host the Yakima Valley Pippins for their final three.

Port Angeles (11-41) can play spoiler against Kelowna (28-24) tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Kelowna 10, Port Angeles 4

Kel 6 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 — 10 13 0

Pal 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 — 4 12 3

Hitting

Kelowna — Burnham 3-6, 2B, 2 R; Coyle 2-4, BB, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI; Moreno 2-4, R, 2B, HR, RBI; Cunnigan 1-4, R, 2 RBI..

Port Angeles — Feltus 3-5, R, 3 RBI; 1-2, BB, 2B; Strange-Tregear 1-2, BB; Betanco 2-4, R; Lynch 1-4, BB, R; Wells 2-3, BB; Sprague 1-4, 2B, R.

Pitching

Kelowna — Zobel 6 IP, 7 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K; Sanchez IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K; Butters IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB; Pineo IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.

Port Angeles — Thunstrom 5 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; Zambelli 2 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K; Feltus 2 IP, 3 H, R, BB, K.

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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@peninsuladaily news.com.