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The Thunderbirds were out-hit 19-8, and trailed in the game from the bottom of the first until the top of the ninth. They took a 6-4 lead in the top of the ninth on an RBI single by CF Jon Syrnyk, a sacrifice fly by 3B Ryan Pilgrim, and an RBI single by DH Nic Lendvoy. Pilgrim's RBI was set up by a well-executed double steal by Syrnyk. However, the Hustlin' Owls sent it into extra innings with two runs in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single by Quinn Hummell and a sacrifice fly by Dustin Kim Seu, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter. Kim Seu hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th to win it.
The Hustlin' Owls got on the board in the first on an RBI single by Ryson Mauricio. They added another run in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Hummell, but the Birds got out of the inning without further damage when starter Taylor King struck out the next batter, a C Ben Torrie threw out Hummel attempting to steal second.
Owls starter Josh Strom held the Birds to one hit over the first six innings. The Birds finally got to him in the top of the seventh, when Pilgrim reached on an error, and Torrie singled him in. The Owls answered with two runs in the bottom of the seventh, when Trent Smith hit an RBI single, and Zach Earle hit what should have been an inning-ending ground out, but a bad call at first base gave him the RBI.
That made the score 4-1 with two innings left in regulation. The Birds made it a one-run ball game in the top of the eighth with an RBI single by 2B Alex White and a sacrifice fly by Lendvoy. However, they left the bases loaded when 1B Scott Webster hit a ball to the warning track in center field for a long fly out. Webster hit another ball to the warning track in left field in the 10th inning for another long out.
Mauricio did huge damage for the Owls. He was 4-5 with two RBI, and was hit by a pitch by Shawn Hetherington in the 11th, and scored the winning run.
Chad Trevisan got the win for the Hustlin' Owls. Hetherington got the loss. King went 6 1/3 innings, allowed four runs on nine hits. Lendvoy was 2-5 with two RBI, and Syrnyk was 3-6 with an RBI.
Box score
In the other first-round game, Cal State San Marcos defeated College of Idaho 9-8.
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