British Columbia swept a doubleheader vs. Bushnell before a good crowd on a nice day at Tourmaline West Stadium on the UBC campus on April 12, 2025.
British Columbia 10, Bushnell 9 at Vancouver, BC. In a back-and-forth game, the Beacons took a 9-8 lead in the top of the eighth with a two-RBI double by Will Hudler. However, Thunderbird reliever Evan Hoegler retired the Beacons in order in the top of the ninth. Kaden Zarowny opened the bottom of the ninth with a double. The Thunderbirds sent in Hilo Yamamoto to pinch-hit, and he bunted Zarowny to third base. Jonny McGill hit a double to score Zarowny and tie the game. The next batter was Trent Lenihan, and he hit a single to score McGill and win it.
Austin Wolfe started for the Beacons, and held the Thunderbirds hitless for three innings. The Beacons got on the board in the top of the second inning with a two-RBI single by Reece Carganilla. In the top of the fourth, courtesy runner Caleb Richter tried to go home on a single by Carganilla, and was gunned down with a throw from Middlemiss in right field to Aidan Rose at second base to catcher Russell Young. The Thunderbirds took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Trent Lenihan and a two-run home run by Mitchell Middlemiss. They added three more runs in the fifth with a home run by Kaden Zarowny and a two-run home run by Jonny McGill. In the top of the sixth, Richter was caught stealing with a throw from Young to second base.
The top of the seventh should have ended with a double play, but a not-very-good throw allowed the inning to continue, and the Beacons tied it 6-6 with an RBI single by Max Richards, a run scored on a passed ball, and a two-RBI single by Nate Stevens, all with two outs. The Thunderbirds took the lead again in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI double by McGill.
Thunderbird starter Will Anderson went six innings, and struck out nine, allowed two runs on ten hits. Hoegler got the win; he pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowed three runs on four hits, struck out two. Alec Gums, who faced four batters in the ninth inning, got the loss, although it was Dylan Ha who gave up Lenihan's game-winning hit. McGill finished 4-for-5 with a home run, a triple, two doubles, and five RBI. Cade Crist and Richards both finished 3-for-4 for the Beacons, and Carganilla finished 3-for-5. box score
British Columbia 9, Bushnell 7. The Thunderbirds opened the scoring with an RBI double by Aaron Marsh in the bottom of the first. The Beacons took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third with a two-run home run by Kolby Amaral that went a long way. The Thunderbirds took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third on a two-run home run by Trent Lenihan and a solo home run by Marsh.
Cade Crist hit an RBI single in the top of the fourth. The inning should have ended with a strikeout, but a bad call allowed the inning to continue, and the Beacons tied it 4-4 with an RBI single by Nate Stevens. They took the lead in the top of the fifth with an RBI single by Crist, but the Thunderbirds took the lead (a slim one) for good in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single by Marsh, a sacrifice fly by Mitchell Middlemiss, and David Draayers getting an RBI by reaching on a fielder's choice.
The top of the sixth ended with a great catch by Kellen Bourne in right field. The Thunderbirds increased the lead to 8-5 in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single by Marsh, but they left the bases loaded. The Beacons closed to 8-7 in the top of the seventh on RBI singles by Ethan Stacy and Jacob Richardson, but the Thunderbirds got out of the inning with a timely double play. The Thunderbirds got an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh on a solo home run by Jonny McGill. James Brock then took the mound for the Thunderbirds for the final two innings; he didn't allow a hit, and struck out four of the eight batters he faced.
Ryan Heppner started for the Thunderbirds, and got the win. He pitched five innings, allowed five runs on eight hits, struck out five, threw 100 pitches. Adam Khan pitched the sixth and seventh innings, allowed one earned run on three hits, struck out one. Ethan Sachs, who pitched the fifth inning, got the loss. Marsh finished 5-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, and four RBI. Stacy, Crist, Amaral, and Stevens each had two hits for the Beacons. box score recap