VANCOUVER – For the third straight year, the UBC Thunderbirds took to the field at historic Nat Bailey Stadium to face the Vancouver Canadians in exhibition action ahead of the MiLB team's season opener this weekend.
Despite coming out the other side of the seven inning friendly with a 9-0 loss, the game was nothing but a success for the T-Birds who got the chance to face professional competition while preparing for a critical stretch drive of their conference season.
"It's not just the game, it's getting here early with the guys. They get to kind of be a minor leaguer for a day, a pro player," said UBC head coach
Chris Pritchett who played the better part of four seasons with the Canadians during their AAA affiliate days in the mid 1990s. "They went through BP, came back and just made a whole day of it. I think it's good for them, they get to see that competition level. A lot of them want to play professional baseball so they get to see it up close. We had a good crowd today so it was a lot of fun. I would have liked to have played a little cleaner defensively but I thought overall we did alright."
With the 'Birds having just completed a four-game road series at Eastern Oregon last weekend and set to open up another series Saturday at home to Bushnell, plenty of UBC pitchers saw action at the Nat with a view of keeping them fresh while also getting in some incredible experience.
"I think sometimes the bullpen guys, they don't get consistent work because if our pitchers are real strong they may not get in there for another week," said Pritchett. "So this is a really good opportunity for them to face some really good competition and have a chance to build some confidence and get some work. Some of the guys that didn't get in last time got in tonight so hopefully this weekend they're feeling a little bit more like they've got some experience and are ready to go."
The Toronto Blue Jays' High-A affiliates staked out a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first and tacked on a big five run third for the early 7-0 advantage while outhitting the 'Birds 9-4 on the evening.
UBC had runners in scoring position on multiple occasions but the Canadians' pitching staff held strong to preserve the shutout and improve to 2-1 in the now annual meeting between Vancouver's two premiere baseball programs.
"Growing up not even five minutes from here is pretty cool," said junior reliever
Vicarte Domingo who pitched a scoreless fifth for the T-Birds. "I remember being the little kid in the stands watching these games and now I get to pitch in one of the games, it's amazing."
The 'Birds will now shift focus to this weekend's Cascade Collegiate Conference series against the Bushnell Beacons (19-14, 6-2) who currently hold down third place in the standings, just ahead of UBC.
"They're a tough team…well-rounded and much, much better than they have been the last couple years so it's going to be a good series," added Domingo. "Obviously I hope we can sweep and keep the dreams of hosting alive but we're going to and take it pitch by pitch and try to win every game."
With 12 conference games remaining, the 'Birds still have the possibility of finishing first in the regular season standings which would allow them the opportunity to host the CCC Tournament. If all goes well for the blue and gold, it could come down to the final series of the campaign later this month against the No. 8 ranked Lewis-Clark State Warriors.
But as Domingo says, the T-Birds will simply have to take things pitch by pitch, starting with game one of Saturday's doubleheader against the Beacons which gets underway at 1:00 p.m. at Tourmaline West Stadium.
