By Ryan Oppenheimer
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — Bushnell Baseball lost games 3 and 4 of their home-opening series against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Saturday, falling 9-2 in the first game of the day and 6-5 in the next. UBC won the series three games to one.
The Beacons got solid starts from both of their starters. Nate Rasmussen went five innings deep in game 3, giving up two hits and no walks while recording two strikeouts and allowing one run on a second inning balk. Meanwhile, Jordan Wilson got the scoring started for the Beacons with a solo shot to the scoreboard in the fourth inning.
But things fell apart when the Beacons went to their bullpen. Alec Gums relieved Rasmussen to start the sixth but didn't get out of the frame, allowing a walk, a double and a Trent Lenihan two-RBI single before exiting and recording his second loss of the season.
Cade Crist scored on a Brendan Frazier sac fly to cut the deficit to one run in the seventh, but the Beacs' bullpen again foiled the comeback attempt. Daniel Furman and Marques Brown gave up three runs each, and Kaden Zarowny's eighth-inning three-run bomb off Brown to go up 9-2 was the nail in the coffin.
Thunderbirds starter Ryan Beitel was credited with the win, with 1 R, 7 K , 4 H and 2 BB in 6.0 IP. Vicarte Domingo pitched the rest of the game and earned himself a three-inning save while recording 4 K, 1 BB and 3 H.
The second game of the day — and game 4 of the series — began promisingly for Bushnell. Kai Keamo drew the start and made a dominant first appearance of the season. After striking out five in three innings that would have been perfect if not for a Brandon Reed passed ball, he was removed from the game to manage his workload.
Ethan Stacy drove home Noah Montoya on an RBI single in the second inning. Jordan Wilson should've extended the lead with a bases-loaded fly ball that bounced off a UBC glove and into foul territory, but the umpires controversially ruled it foul, negating the runs scored. Wilson then struck out swinging to end the inning.
Taiga Yamane relieved Keamo and gave up an unearned run on an error in the fifth, but Cade Crist immediately retook the lead for Bushnell on a solo homer in the bottom half. Albert Jennings drove home another run with a single later that inning to go up 3-1, ending UBC starter Daniel Orfaly's day.
UBC's Aaron Marsh scored on a HBP by Jayden Soriano after Yamane loaded the bases. Later, Garrett Vohs gave up three runs and the lead in a wild seventh inning that included two wild pitches, three singles, a walk, a sac bunt and a sac fly.
Isaiah Hart's two-run double in the bottom of the seventh tied it up at 5. In the top of the eighth inning, Thunderbirds C Kyle Yip hit what would be the game-winning solo homer off of Colby Knutzen.
Knutzen remained the game and did not allow another run, but the Beacons offense couldn't get the tying run across in the bottom of the ninth. With the bases loaded, pinch hitter Max Richards grounded to short for the final out. Will Anderson closed out the game for UBC and was credited with the win, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings with 4 K.
The Thunderbirds have likely played themselves in to the top 25, as they were already receiving votes last poll. With the 3-1 series win, they improve to 11-4 while Bushnell falls to 6-7. The Beacons now shift focus to a road series at the College of Idaho starting Saturday, March 2.