PULLMAN, Wash. – When the Washington State University baseball team had a last minute opening in the schedule due to weather-related changes, Head Coach Brian Green made a call to a familiar name; former Cougar player and current Bushnell Head Coach, Tommy Richards.
 
The Beacons were happy to oblige, and headed north for what would be an exhibition game for the Beacons and a counting contest for Washington State. The homecoming wasn't all that sweet for Richard, stepping back onto the same field where he had earned a 24th-round draft pick by the Orioles ten years ago, as the Beacons fell 11-4, but the opportunity to take the young team to a major Division I stadium and a Pac-12 opponent was a very worthwhile experience.
 
Richards said, "It was special to be back at Bailey Brayton Stadium today. That is one of the most meaningful places on the planet for me and it was an honor to compete against the Cougs. This was an awesome opportunity for our team and I am really grateful to Coach Green and the organization. It was great for us to be exposed to those arms and hitters and that will serve us well as we move into conference play."
 
Bushnell set the tone early and got on the board in the top of the first inning, chasing starter Matt Erickson after just ten pitches. A pair of walks to Daniel Furman and Brendan Frazier opened the game and the pair both soon scored on wild pitches.
 
The Beacons didn't pick up their first hit until the sixth inning when Noah Montoya broke up the no-hitter with a single. Jeff Fripp and Jameson Hussey secured the other two hits for the Beacons as part of a two-run eighth inning.
 
Both teams went with the committee approach to the pitchers mound for the mid-week game as a total of 17 pitchers toed the rubber for the two squads. Will Sierra took the win for the Cougars, throwing two innings and facing the highest number of batters in the middle of the game.
 
Eight hurlers each took an inning for the Beacons. Both starter Abbott Haffar and third-inning reliever Adam Sabatino knocked down their batters in order while Haffar and second-inning pitcher Jahshua Yacapin each collected a pair of strikeouts.
 
"I was proud of how we competed," said Richards, "and I thought we did a good job of focusing on what we can control rather than being overwhelmed by the environment."
 
Catcher Kyle Casperson added, "It was a great experience to get to compete against a team of their caliber. I was proud of how our pitchers pounded the zone and how our defense handled the baseball. Improvements are being made and are being shown offensively from game to game and this was a step in the right direction as well. Our guys competed hard against some of the best arms we have seen all year and this was a great way to propel us into conference play."
 
The Beacons (2-19) will be back at Hamlin Sports Complex this weekend to officially begin their first ever campaign in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Their opponent will be none other than I-5 rival Corban University, one of the teams Bushnell took down during the preseason slate. The teams are scheduled for back-to-back double headers on Friday and Saturday, with the first pitch scheduled for 2:00 pm on Friday.