VANCOUVER – UBC pitcher Garrett Hawkins gave up just two hits in six shutout innings of work to lead the Thunderbirds to a 3-1 win Friday over the Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.) Redhawks.
The game was the first of four between the squads. Benedictine-Mesa is tied for 25th in preseason edition of the 2020 NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
Both teams were shut down for the first five innings at Gene Autry Park, as Hawkins and Redhawks starter Aaron Vernon kept zeroes on the scoreboard.
The Thunderbirds finally struck first, plating a single run in the sixth inning on an Adam Maier RBI single to centre field to score Jake Lanferman.
UBC added two more in the seventh to take a 3-0 lead over the Redhawks. Nolan Weger and Austen Butler started the inning with back-to-back singles. Mike Fitzsimmons was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Two batters later, Lanferman hit a sacrifice fly to left to bring home Weger. Butler then scored when Noah Or drove a single down the left-field line.
Benedictine got one back in the bottom of the seventh, as Erick Bahn drove in Travis Hunt, but that was all that they could muster over the final three innings.
Barry Caine, Brett Corbeth, and Maier each pitched an inning in relief of Hawkins to complete the win, which is UBC's third in four all-time contests against Benedictine-Mesa. The T-Birds won a 15-12 game between the schools last year at the California Pacific Conference championship tournament en route to an NAIA World Series Opening Round berth. Maier earned the save, his first at the university level.
Maier and Or paced the UBC offence with two hits and a run batted in each.
The teams continue their four-game series with a doubleheader at Mesa Community College starting at 11 a.m. MT / 10 a.m. PT.
- with files from Terry Licht (Benedictine-Mesa)