BURLINGTON — Burlington-Edison baseball coach John Thurmond was pleased the Tigers actually got to play their game Wednesday against Lynden Christian.
The fact that the Tigers’ play kept them undefeated in conference turned out to be an added bonus.
Right fielder Quinn Holt had three RBI, Byron Furney and Grady Hanson combined for a solid seven innings of pitching and the Tigers beat Lynden Christian 6-1 after an early season marred by rainy weather and rescheduled games.
“The big thing is getting reps in game situations,” Thurmond said. “Our hitters have got to get at-bats against live pitching, and our pitchers have got to get in some work against live batters.”
The Tigers’ biggest offensive inning was the second, when they took advantage of control problems by Lynden Christian pitcher Klayton Stap.
Stap walked five straight, forcing home three runs.
Center fielder Kolby Arendse, second baseman Jameson Acoba and Holt all drew bases-loaded walks for the Tigers (3-0 in Northwest Conference, 4-1 overall), who were down 1-0 headed into the inning.
Stap threw 40 pitches in the inning, 29 balls and 11 strikes. He walked eight overall.
Holt added a two-run single in the fifth, and Acoba knocked in a run in the sixth with a single. Acoba, the leadoff hitter, was 2-for-2 with a walk, and Holt, who batted second, was 1-for-3.
Thurmond would like to see the team as a whole make some improvements at the plate, although he noted solid play in the field.
“Our defense was good. We made all the plays,” he said.
The Tigers were also solid on the mound, where Furney pitched the first four innings, scattering five hits that included Lynden Christian’s lone scoring play, an RBI double by designated hitter Adam Stacy.
Hanson added three innings of one-hit ball in relief.
Lynden Christian first baseman Andrew Ryan reached base in three of his four plate appearances, going 1-for-2 with two walks.
The Tigers will hit the road next, playing games at Ferndale on Friday and Cedarcrest on Saturday.
Trevor Pyle can be reached at 360-416-2156 or by e-mail at
