RIVERSIDE, CA - The UBC Thunderbirds season came to end on Friday with a 7-5 loss to the Cal State San Marcos Cougars in an elimination game at the 2011 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round—Riverside Bracket.
Anthony Renteria hit a grand slam to blow open a one-run game in the bottom of the fifth and Johnny Omahen worked deep in the eighth inning to lead fourth-seed Cal State San Marcos over the no. 2 seeded T-Birds.
With CSUSM leading 3-2 in the bottom of the fith, Omahen hit a two-out single to keep the inning alive and put runners on the corners. Jeremy Baum followed with a walk before Renteria smacked his second homer of the tournament to right field, clearing the bases and giving the Cougars a 7-2 lead. The bomb chased UBC starter
Brandon Kaye from the game.
UBC tallied an unearned run in the seventh and then scored twice in the eighth in their comeback bid.
Andrew Madsen hit a two-out solo shot and then Omahen hit
Kevin Nickel with the bases loaded to plate another and get the Thunderbirds within 7-5. Omahen exited and Andrew Larsen got
Matt Spillman to fly out to right to end the threat.
Larsen then worked a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to pick up the save. Omahen (7-1) threw 125 pitches and scattered nine hits and four earned runs. He struck out six.
Kaye was tagged with the loss after giving up all seven runs in 4.2 innings. He walked four and struck out a pair.
After a strong start from Omahen, UBC finally got on the board in the top of the fifth.
Blake Carruthers led off the inning with a single and scored on
Bob Foerster's double. Foerster later scored on a double play ball to get the Thunderbirds within 3-2 before Renteria answered in the bottom half of the frame.
Madsen, Carruthers, and Foerster each had two hits on the afternoon for UBC, who finish the season with at 31-17.
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