April 3, 2022

By Anthony Pollock

UBC Communications

VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds welcomed the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers back to Tourmaline West Stadium Sunday morning as their weekend series closed with a 8-4 T-Birds’ victory.

Inclement weather forced the second game to be suspended in the fourth inning with the visitors up 2-1.

Ryan Beitel (Surrey, B.C.) took the mound in game one for the 'Birds and controlled play with the help of his shortstop Mike Fitzsimmons (Chilliwack, B.C.), who turned a great defensive play for the second out. Beitel then forced a ground out for the last out of the inning.

Fitzsimmons then stepped into the batter's box for UBC to hit a lead-off double, and advancing shortly after to third base on a sacrifice fly. Eastern Oregon's starting pitcher Nick Jennings then walked a batter and plunked the next to load the bases. Nathan Shute (Oakville, Ont.) grounded out at first base, driving in the first run of the game to give UBC the 1-0 lead.

Rain started to fall harder in the third inning, and the Mountaineers took full advantage as they tied the game off a UBC error to first base resulting in a tie game, 1-1.

A couple of Mountaineers singles in the top of the fourth inning from Jamie Powell and Tomo Horie started to build momentum, but the T-Birds defence locked in to close the inning leaving two men left on base.

UBC showed great plate discipline in the bottom of the fourth, drawing back-to-back two out walks before Noah Or (Richmond, B.C.) pushed a clutch RBI single through the right side to give UBC the 2-1 lead. Ty Penner (Lethbridge, Alta.) then stepped up to the plate and crushed a ball off the right-field wall, driving in two more runs with his 11th double of the year. The T-Birds added one more run as an Eastern Oregon throwing error to first base brought Penner home, 5-1 UBC.

Eastern Oregon battled back in the fifth to cut the lead to 5-3 after a couple of RBIs from Garret Kollar and Powell.

The visitors made the first pitching change of the day as Dylan Myers came into the game for Nick Jennings, who gave up five runs and three hits in four innings of work. UBC attacked immediately, scoring on an error to first base, followed by a Fitzsimmons double off the left-field wall to bring home Cameron Sanderson (London, Ont.), extending their lead to 7-3.

Beitel's day on the mound came to an end in the top of the sixth as Graham Seltzer (Vancouver, B.C.) came in for relief.

A Jonny McGill (Richmond, B.C.) RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning added to UBC's lead, 8-3. The 'Birds kept their foot on the gas and loaded the bases with White Rock, B.C., native Trent Lenihan's single to right field, but the Mountaineers escaped the jam with a critical inning-ending double-play.

Seltzer kept the visitors in check until they scored in the final frame, but the lone run was not enough as the T-Birds secured their third victory of the series taking the game 8-4.

Beitel improved to 3-2 on the season, while Fitzsimmons added a couple of doubles and an RBI.

Weather caused the second game of the day to be postponed in the top of the fourth as the visitors held a 2-1 lead. The game is considered to be halted, and if it is needed to determine entry or seeding in the tournament, it will be rescheduled to a future date.