MIKE EYSTER/PHOTO Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th with two outs Friday, Jameson Hussey celebrates his walk-off hit that scored two runners. MIKE EYSTER/PHOTO
MIKE EYSTER/PHOTO The Beacons celebrate “Senior Day” on Saturday, April 16 – honoring the team’s only senior, pitcher Abbott Haffar.
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
The Bushnell Beacons split a four-game home series with the University of British Columbia in a highly competitive back-and-forth weekend. Both Beacons victories ended on walk-off singles, by Jameson Hussey and Dylan Carson, who clubbed his first collegiate home run over the weekend.
Bushnell remains a half-game back of 4th place and the final playoff spot with two conference weekends left. This weekend is Bushnell’s bye week and then the following weekend the Beacons head to Lewiston, Idaho to finish off the regular season.
“Saturday was Senior Day and we recognized our lone senior, Abbott Haffar,” assistant coach Jamie Womack said. “He is our first alum ever and we are very proud of the hard work and dedication he’s displayed.
“Coach (Tommy) Richards had this to say, ‘We can’t thank him enough for his contributions to our program. His legacy will be felt here for many years to come. Watching him compete daily has been one of the thrills of my coaching career. The impact he has made on our club has been huge and his passion has rubbed off on all. We can’t wait to see what his future holds, and we are proud that he will be our first alumnus.”
Haffar pitched the opening game on Friday and left after 7 innings with a 3-1 lead, but BC scored once in the eighth and twice in the ninth – scoring the winning run on a throwing error – to rally for a 4-3 victory.
The Beacons flipped the script and won a 4-3 thriller in Saturday’s first game. After both teams scored a pair of ninth-inning runs, Carson’s RBI single plated the winning run.
“This weekend was probably our best weekend of play from start to finish. We had contributions up and down the roster,” Womack said. “We received strong starts from Abbott Haffar, Adam Sabatino, Jahshua Yacapin and Kai Keamo, followed by good appearances out of the bullpen as well. Strong defense was displayed throughout and there was never a doubt that we were in the fight and competing until it was over. We’re very proud of their efforts this weekend and look forward to the final chase to the conference tournament.”
