By Charles Martindale Under familiar cloudy skies at the Hamlin Sports Complex, the Bushnell Beacons began a seven games in seven days stretch, starting with the visiting Linfield Wildcats. Despite entering the game at 11-37, and playing in a non-conference game, Bushnell seemed up to the challenge of a D3 opponent at first, leading after four and staying competitive after a rough fifth inning, but their lack of depth led to what head coach Tommy Richards described as “death by self inflicted wounds”. Bushnell starter Caleb Watson retired the Wildcats in quick order to begin the game, and a pair of Beacons reached in the bottom half of the first, but Bushnell came away empty handed thanks in part to a caught stealing with nobody out. In the following half inning, Linfield took advantage of some control issues from Watson, putting a pair of Wildcats in scoring position with two away for Ethan Rhoads, but Watson was able to induce a groundout to shortstop Liam Kerr to close out the frame. As planned, Kai Keamo took over on the hill for Bushnell to begin the third, and he helped to keep Linfield hitless their first time through the order. With two on and two out in the bottom of the third, Dan Spencer had seen enough from his starter, and Linfield turned to Connor Nelson, who struggled to locate the zone or even his backstop, allowing Jacob Stoner to move from second to the plate without any hits from Bushnell, making it a 1-0 ballgame. Keamo allowed a leadoff double to catcher Tyler Marr to start the fourth inning, and an infield single immediately after for the Wildcats’ first two hits and best scoring opportunity of the game to that point. After a popout to shallow right, Trent Wainfeld drove a sacrifice fly to Noah Montoya in right to even the score at one. Montoya’s busy inning ended with an excellent, run saving play just in front of the right field warning track, making the over the shoulder grab for the third out of an eventful half inning. Bushnell’s lineup was eager to answer in the bottom of the fourth, with Jameson Hussey doubling to deep left and moving to third on Jacob Richardson’s bunt single. Richardson would move to second one pitch later, and after Jaxson Fraser went down swinging, Jacob Stoner continued to help out, scoring Husssey on a groundout to second. Without needing any more hits, Bushnell doubled their lead, on a balk from Connor Nelson, making it a 3-1 game. Staying in line with Tommy Richard’s plan to keep his pitchers on a short leash, Jayden Soriano came to the mound in the 5th, allowing a pair of singles to start the inning. Soriano “wasn’t able to get ahead in counts”, according to Richards, and after a hitless first three innings, Linfield totaled six in innings four and five. After a walk, the Wildcats had the bases loaded with no outs for Garret Ringer. Moving to his left on a line drive by Ringer, Beacons centerfielder Jordan Wilson dropped the ball, allowing Linfield to move station to station and draw one run closer. Wilson secured the following ball in play, a sacrifice fly to tie the game, before Bushnell’s defense lapsed again, as Liam Kerr misplayed a possible inning ending double play ball to allow Linfield to take a 4-3 lead. “Those are good players.”, Richards said of Wilson and Kerr, “They just didn’t make the plays there.” Still with just one out, Trent Wainfeld connected on another sacrifice fly, making it a two run lead for the Wildcats. Bushnell turned to lefty Brendan Frazier to clean up after Soriano, and he walked his first two batters to load the bases again. Brett Joner delivered a line drive to left to score another two, and one bases loaded walk later, it was 7-3 Wildcats. Six runs, four walks, three hits, and the two errors on the tab in a nightmarish top of the fifth for the Beacons. Jacob Richardson came to the plate in the home half of the inning representing the tying run, but a wild pitch from new Wildcats arm Nick Alder scored Noah Montoya to make it 7-4 before Alder was able to strike Richardson out after a long battle to end the threat. The Wildcats went back to the Sac-fly well in the sixth inning, getting the run back thanks to Mick Holm. Max Richards’ one out double in the bottom of the sixth put a pair in scoring position for the Beacons, and chased Alder from the game, before Liam Kerr delivered the drive of the game for Bushnell, shooting them back within a run on his longball. Blake Stavros kept the energy up with a two strikeout top of the seventh, his first appearance in almost three weeks. “His process has been good…Today was the first step in a right direction.”, said Richards. After yet another run scored for Linfield on a passed ball, the Beacons brought the tying run up with two outs in the ninth, but couldn’t muster a final rally. “The compete factor in general was good. We never felt like we were out of it”, Richards concluded, but Bushnell has still yet to win a midweek game in program history. “Part of it is the depth in the starters. We just don’t have that yet…its been bullpen day.”, regardless of that fact, Richards was happy to add that “we should still expect to win”. The Bushnell Beacons head North to take on the University of British Columbia next, heading to Vancouver Thursday Morning.