The University of the Fraser Valley baseball club traded comeback wins with the Vancouver Island University Mariners on Wednesday in Nanaimo.
The hosts rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take the opener 6-2, but the Cascades bounced back to score three times in the ninth for a 9-8 victory in the back half of the doubleheader.
MARINERS 6, CASCADES 2
The Cascades opened a 2-0 lead on
Stephen Horner's RBI single in the third inning and
Riley Jepson's bases-loaded walk in the fourth, and
Markus Gregson turned in a solid start on the mound, limiting the Mariners to one run over five innings with seven strikeouts. But the hosts battled back, scoring five times in the seventh highlighted by Phil Whelan's grand slam.
CASCADES 9, MARINERS 8
Jepson swatted a two-run homer in the third inning, but the Cascades found themselves trailing 8-6 heading to the ninth.
Dylan Merritt came through with a bases-loaded single to score two runs, and
Travis Klein followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Horner for the go-ahead run.
Alex Deluca wrapped up the win, sending the Mariners down in order in the bottom of the ninth. Jepson went 2-for-3 with two walks and four RBI, and
Jonah Weisner had four walks and three runs.
UP NEXT
The Cascades (8-6, third in the CCBC) face the league-leading Thompson Rivers WolfPack (13-3) in a home-and-home series, Saturday at Chilliwack's Fairfield Park and Sunday in Kamloops. Both dates feature noon and 3 p.m. starts.
UPDATE: The Cascades' home games vs. TRU, originally slated for Saturday at Fairfield Park, have been moved to Monday at Abbotsford's DeLair Park (12 p.m. and 3 p.m. starts).
Â
