Drake George, who pitched seven shutout innings a week ago, went the distance in this one, threw 110 pitches, allowed eight hits, only two earned runs, and struck out nine.
Thunderbird starter Ryan Beitel was able to keep it close for four innings. The Thunderbirds got a break in the bottom of the first inning when a high ground ball hit by Jonny McGill bounced off the glove of Warrior shortstop Dominic Signorelli. The next batter, Mitchell Middlemiss, hit an RBI single. However, the Thunderbirds did no further damage in that inning, because Warriors center fielder Carter Booth made a good catch of a line drive hit by Daniel Draayers. The Warriors got a run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Magnum Hofstetter, then got all the runs they needed in the fifth inning. It started when Hofstetter hit a popup that was lost in the sun. Two batters later, Nick Seamons got an RBI by reaching on a fielder’s choice. He was followed by Signorelli, who hit a three-run home run to give the Warriors a 5-2 lead. Brandon Cabrera hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning, and another two-run home run in the eighth inning. The Thunderbirds didn’t score again until the bottom of the ninth.
Beitel got the loss. Cabrera finished 3-for-5 with four RBI. Middlemiss, Draayers, and Kyle Anderson each had two hits for the Thunderbirds. Box score and play-by-play recap