VANCOUVER, BC – The UBC Thunderbirds fell to the College of Idaho Yotes in a close 8-7 series opener Friday night at Tourmaline West Stadium.
After forcing the lead-off batter to fly out, UBC starting pitcher
Ryan Beitel found himself in a bit of a jam in the first with runners on first and second base. Finding his comfort zone with a few more pitches, he closed the inning on a groundout stranding two men on base.
The 'Birds stepped up to the plate in the bottom half of the first and took the Yotes starting pitcher Dimick Wood for a bit of a ride. Singles from the bats of
Mike Fitzsimmons and
Noah Or set the stage for
Ty Penner, who smashed an RBI single to right field.
Brandon Hupe followed with a sacrifice fly to give the T-Birds a 2-0 lead. Discipline at the plate then drew two more walks before
Aidan Rose drove in one more run while advancing the runners. Feeling the pressure on the mound, Wood's pickoff attempt to third base flew wide and scored two more runs to give UBC a quick 5-0 lead.
The next four innings flew bye as both pitchers controlled the game until
Brandon Hupe launched a solo blast to left-field in the fifth inning to extend the lead to six runs.
"We weren't able to tack on runs after we had their pitcher on the ropes," said UBC Head Coach
Chris Pritchett. "Have to get him credit, he buckled down and kept his team in the game after that first inning. He didn't quit and battled it out but as an offence we have to stay on him after that first inning. They can swing it, we can swing it, we knew it was going to be like this so I think it's going to be like that all series.
The Yotes inched closer in the top of the sixth inning with an RBI double through the left side to make the game 6-1. The visiting squad strung together a couple more hits in the next inning, combined with a wild pitch to bring the game within reach trailing 6-5.
The bottom of the eight inning saw UBC execute small-ball play, advancing Letteri around the bases until he narrowly escaped a run down between third and home to give the 'Birds one more insurance run, 7-5.
The Yutes answered in the ninth inning with a three-run barrage beginning with a double to right centre. The visitors earned two tough walks to load the bases, then tied the game with an RBI double. One more RBI double gave the Yotes the lead, and the visitors held on as they snatched the series opener.
"It's a lot of baseball in a short amount of time," added Pritchett. "We're looking forward to it. Obviously, we wish we would have won tonight, but we have a chance to win the series in the next three games so that's our goal."
Tomorrow's double-header begins at 1:00 p.m. (PT), followed by the second game at 4:00 p.m. (PT).
