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The Thunderbirds finally got decent weather for a visit from Lewis-Clark State, and the best crowd for a regular-season home game in several years. What the crowd saw was the Birds on the receiving end of a blowout for the first time this season, recognition of the seniors on the team, followed by a pretty good ball game.
First game: SS Danny Anguiano, starting his 19th game of the season, got it started for the defending national champions with a three-run home run in the top of the second inning. The Thunderbirds answered with three runs in the bottom of the second, on an RBI single by C Ben Torrie, an RBI double by 3B Bob Foerster, and an RBI by SS Sammie Starr reaching on an error. However, the Warriors scored seven runs in a disastrous third inning.
The inning started with several hard-hit balls off starter Mark Hardy. After giving up five hits in the inning, and being charged with five runs, Hardy had to leave the game with an injury. He was replaced by Matt Bannister, and the Warriors hit him hard, too. They got two more runs before Bannister finally got the last out of the inning, They got single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, running their lead to 12-3. The Birds got one back in the bottom of the fifth when RF Mike Elias walked with the bases loaded, but the Birds left the bases loaded at the end of the inning. That was the last serious threat to score.
Bannister was replaced by Geoff Burke in the sixth inning, and he was lit up for five more runs. The game was mercy-ruled after seven innings.
Anguiano finished the game 2-2 with five RBI. 3B Josh Ashenbrenner was 4-4 with four RBI. The Thunderbirds got four hits off starter Colby Hawk (it was Hawk's second start of the season) and one off reliever Dustin Willis. Hardy got his first loss of the season, and Starr, 2B Alex White, and CF Jon Syrnyk got the remaining Thunderbird hits.
Second game: Eric Brown started for the Thunderbirds, and Matt Stabelfeld for the Warriors. Brown did very well, holding the Warriors to three runs on three hits over six innings. Relievers Danny Britton-Foster and Shawn Hetherington kept the Warriors off the board the rest of the way.
The Warriors opened the scoring in the top of the first with an RBI single by 1B Ben Ornelas, and a sacrifice fly by DH Kris Miller. The Birds got one back with an RBI double by CF Jon Syrnyk in the bottom of the first. The Birds were prevented from doing further damage with an inning-ending double play and a suspect call at first. The Birds tied it in the bottom of the second with an RBI single by 2B Alex White.
The winning run came in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by CF Paul Martin. The Thunderbirds missed two chances to tie it in the late innings. In the bottom of the eighth, Syrnyk drew a walk with two outs. He tried to steal second, but the Warriors responded with a pitchout, and Syrnyk was dead in the water at second base. In the bottom of the ninth, RF Mike Elias hit a fly ball that went to the warning track in left field, but the result was a long fly out instead of a tie ball game.
The Thunderbird pitchers were helped by several great defensive plays. In the top of the third, a Warrior baserunner was out at third when he tried to advance on a fly ball caught by LF Jordan Pandoff and relayed to Bob Foerster at third by SS Sammie Starr. in the top of the fourth, White fielded a ground ball deep behind second base and got it to first for the out. In the top of the seventh, Britton-Foster made a good catch of a bad bunt and turned it into a double play at first base. Pandoff made a great catch of a fly ball in the top of the eighth. For the Warriors, RF Kawika Emsley-Pai robbed White of a hit in the fifth.
Stabelfeld went seven innings, allowed six hits, struck out seven. Nick Masters pitched the final two innings for the Warriors, and the only baserunner he allowed was Syrnyk. Masters got a save, and Brown got the loss.
White and Elias were both 2-4, and Elias had a double in the sixth inning, but was caught trying to steal third. Ornelas and SS Danny Anguiano were 2-4 for the Warriors; Anguiano was 4-6 for the day.
The game was delayed for several minutes between the second and third inning because of an injury to an umpire. He was hit by a foul tip, and had to leave the game.
Story from Lewis-Clark State site: Anguiano helps LCSC sweep British Columbia
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