baseball home opener
Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds
2
Bushnell University BUSHNELL 2-15
6
Winner British Columbia UBC 7-10
Bushnell University BUSHNELL
2-15
2
Final
6
British Columbia UBC
7-10
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Bushnell University BUSHNELL 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 6 5
British Columbia UBC 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 X 6 8 0

W: Beitel, Ryan (1-1) L: T. Hough (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Anthony Pollock (UBC Communications)

Strong pitching fuels 'Birds 6-2 win

VANCOUVER – After opening their season with an extended road trip, the UBC Thunderbirds returned to campus to defeat the Bushnell Beacons 6-2 in Friday's home opener at Tourmaline West Stadium.
 
The T-Birds were dialed in on the mound, retiring 12 batters with three pitchers, powered by Ryan Beitel who threw six scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Graham Seltzer entered the game in the top of the seventh to add a pair of strikeouts, followed by three clean final innings that saw Sam Van Snellenburg strikeout three.

baseball home opener
 
"Ryan was outstanding in setting the tone," said UBC Head Coach Chris Pritchette. "He's been getting better every time he pitches, he's actually a converted shortstop so I thought he was outstanding when he got in trouble, he got tougher which is a sign of a really good pitcher."
 
The Beacons were first to get on the scoreboard with a left-field double that drove in a run to take the 1-0 lead in the fifth inning.
 
It didn't take long for the T-Birds to respond, as Ty Penner connected on a ball that found space through the right side to drive home his teammate and tie the game 1-1.
 
Thanks to a combination of plate discipline and wild pitches, the 'Birds exploded in the sixth inning to take a commanding 6-1 lead. With the bases loaded, Trent Lenihan drew a walk to give the T-Birds a 2-1 lead. Following a Beacons pitching change, Cameron Sanderson hit a sac fly to right field, driving in another run. After another walk, Penner's single to right drove two more home and Noah Or finally capped-off the five-run inning off with an RBI single.

baseball home opener
 
It was smooth sailing the rest of the game for the 'Birds, as they closed out their home opener with stellar defence.
 
"I thought we played pretty well today," added Pritchett. "Our defense was outstanding and we had some timely hits after a few walks. More than anything, wins and losses are secondary. The fact that we were playing at home means a lot. It means our programs back and we're moving in the right direction again. The environment was great, lots of fans and excitement which fired our guys up. I thought we played pretty good."
 
The second game of the weekend series is scheduled for 1 p.m. (PT) tomorrow afternoon.
 
 
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