Baseball's Unofficial Return To The Nat Makes For Memorable Night
VANCOUVER, BC – The game didn’t count and the Vancouver Canadians were one-hit in a 2-0 loss to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Wednesday evening, but the most important stat of the night isn’t quantified on any box score or by any advanced metric: a (nearly) real baseball game
VANCOUVER, BC – The game didn’t count and the Vancouver Canadians were one-hit in a 2-0 loss to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Wednesday evening, but the most important stat of the night isn’t quantified on any box score or by any advanced metric: a (nearly) real baseball game was played by real players in front of real fans at Nat Bailey Stadium.
Chad Dallas, Toronto’s fourth-round pick in 2021, made the start for the C’s. The former Tennessee Volunteer set down the side in order in the first and second then worked around a lead-off infield single in the third to keep the game scoreless. His only hiccup came in the fourth, when a lead-off bloop single from UBC’s Noah Or started what proved to be the decisive rally. A single in the next at-bat put two runners on before a fielder’s choice recorded the first out of the inning. Nathan Shute followed with an RBI single to break the deadlock and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Nolan Weger plated the second and final run of the game.
PK Morris tallied the only knock of the night for Vancouver when he doubled on the first pitch of the second inning and was joined on base by a Davis Schneider walk, but both runners were stranded.
Will McAffer, Mark Simon and Alex Nolan were electric in relief. Each hung a perfect frame and put the UBC hitters on their heels.
The C’s also showed life in the final inning when they worked two walks to bring the winning run to the plate, but a ground ball double play ended the threat and the game to hand the T-Birds a 2-0 win and a memory they will have for a lifetime.
Vancouver has one more team workout on Thursday before heading to Spokane to open the season against the Colorado Rockies affiliate on Friday night at Avista Stadium. #11 Blue Jays prospect Adam Kloffenstein will climb the slope for Opening Day. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. and can be heard on the Sportsnet Radio Network.
The Vancouver Canadians make their triumphant return to Nat Baily Stadium on Tuesday, April 19 at 7:05 p.m. Tickets for the home opener and the rest of the 2022 season are available now at CanadiansBaseball.com.