LEWISTON, Idaho – It has been a bumpy ride for the Lewis-Clark State College baseball team in a lot of ways this season, so why should have Friday night's home opener at Harris Field be any different?
 
The Warriors appeared on their way to rallying for a win, but instead it was the University of British Columbia that captured a 6-3 victory in 10 innings on a chilly Friday evening.
 
The good news for LCSC is that it finally got to play a home game as well as unveil the new $300,000 video board donated by P1FCU above the right-field fence. The Warriors were scheduled to play their home opener three weeks prior, but weather issues wiped out a tournament and a series at home, and the Warriors instead played their first seven games on the road, none of which were on the original schedule.
 
The Warriors, now 5-3 on the season, struggled at the plate for most of the evening and finished with just three hits. The Warriors had two hits through seven innings and just one baserunner  make it as far as second.
 
That all changed in the bottom of the eighth inning when the Warriors rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game. After a strikeout and a ground out, LCSC started a two-out rally when J.J. Robinson and Tyler McDowell were hit by pitches. Raymond Pedrina then took a 2-2 pitch off the wall in right-center field for a two-run double. Gunnar Buhner followed with a grounder to short that UBC shortstop Kyle McComb fielded but threw high to first base, forcing the first baseman off the bag. While Gunnar was safe at first on the throwing error, Pedrina showed off his speed and scored from second base on the play to knot the game.
 
The Thunderbirds, 11-3 overall, did put their leadoff batter on in the ninth, but left him at second, while the Warriors went down in order.
 
In the 10^th, Griffy Gover hit a one-out single to start the UBC rally and Brenda Rose followed with a walk. An infield single by Braeden Allemann loaded the bases, and a two-run single by McComb made it 5-3. Anthony Olson added an RBI sacrifice fly for the final run.
 
The Warriors didn't have an answer in the bottom of the 10^th and went down in order.
 
UBC starter Connor Noble checked the Warriors on two hits through six innings. He struck out five and walked three. Relievers Patrick Vanden Brink and Christian Botnick combined for 3.1 innings of hitless ball and Botnick picked up the win to improve to 1-0.
 
The Warriors' three hits in the game were a far cry from last Monday's doubleheader sweep of the College of Idaho when LCSC scored 29 runs.
 
LCSC starter Kevin Hamann gave up eight hits and two runs through five innings of work, but also struck out eight. Henry McAree allowed one hit and one run through three innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. David Wilson pitched the final two innings and allowed three hits and three runs. He struck out one, but took the loss to fall to 1-1 on the season. In all, the three LCSC pitchers struck out 16.
 
McComb was one of four Thunderbirds with two hits and he also drove in two runs. Mitch Robinson, Allemann, and Olson also had two hits for UBC.
 
The contest served as the NAIA Far West Conference opener for both. The two teams will meet Saturday in a noon doubleheader and Sunday in a single game at 11 a.m., all in league play
 
The loss dropped LCSC to 45-11 in home openers dating back to 1962. LCSC hadn't lost a home opener since 2009 when it fell to Concordia 5-4 to open the season.