May 5, 2024

By Toby Kerr

UBC Communications

LEWISTON, Ida. – The No. 3 seed UBC Thunderbirds lost to the No. 4 seed Bushnell Beacons 10-4 at the Cascade Collegiate Championship Tournament on Sunday, sending the Beacons through to the final and putting the 'Birds on the brink of elimination.

The T-Birds were matched up with host and No.1 seed Lewis-Clark State in their second game of the day to determine who reaches the final and who goes home, but play was suspended for the evening in the top of the third inning due to rain.

Ryan Beitel got the start for the 'Birds and he was wild, but unhittable, early on. Beitel put two runners on in the first inning and loaded the bases in the second, all without giving up a hit, before wriggling out of both jams without surrendering a run.

The Beacons finally got to him in the third. Bushnell batted around in the inning, knocking in five runs on five hits to jump out to a big lead. They added another in the fourth to go up 6-0.

The T-Birds consistently got baserunners on against Beacons' first-year starter Austin Wolfe, but failed to cash in any of them through five innings.

In the sixth, the 'Birds finally broke through by way of a solo home run from Mitchell Middlemiss, a no-doubter to left-centre field. It was the ninth bomb of the year for the UBC right fielder, tying Trent Lenihan for the team lead, and cutting the deficit to 6-1.

The blue and gold then started cashing their baserunners in the seventh. With runners on the corners and two outs, Kyle Yip picked up his second hit of the game with a double to deep left-centre, scoring both runners, with Middlemiss flying around the bases to make it home from first.

Yip then moved to the third on a wild pitch as David Draayers drew a walk. UBC called Kyle Anderson off of the bench to pinch hit, and he delivered. The second-year outfield smacked a single cash in Yip and pull the T-Birds within two, trailing 6-4 through seven innings.

UBC's relievers initially held the team in it, with Adam Khan twirling three scoreless innings before Daniel Orfaly kept Bushnell off the board for his first 1 2/3 frames.

With Orfaly one out away from escaping the eighth, the Beacons went back on the attack and blew the game open. An RBI single was followed by a three-run home run from Bushnell shortstop Reece Carganilla, his third hit of the game, made it 10-4.

The T-Birds are now matched up in an elimination game with the host and top seed in the tournament in Lewis-Clark State. The teams began their crucial game on Sunday evening but it was suspended due to rain in the top of the third inning with the Warriors leading 1-0.

That matchup will pick up right where it left off at 1:00 p.m. P.T. on Monday.