The University of Toronto Varsity Blues baseball team dropped a tight 13-inning opening contest 7-6 to the visiting Western Mustangs before having the second game of the Saturday (Oct. 1) doubleheader suspended due to weather at Dan Lang Field.

In the days opening bout the Mustangs were quick on the board building a 5-0 lead through the first four innings.

However, a five-run fifth inning for the Blues evened things up and despite each scoring another run in the eighth extra innings would be needed.

Both teams used a handful of pitchers but it was the Mustangs taking advantage of the fourth U of T pitcher in the game who walked off with the Game 1 victory.

Gabriel Nakonechny led the Blues once again at the plate earning two RBI on two hits while adding another three stolen bases to lift his league lead to 14 total. Veteran Tanner Young-Schultz also produced going 3-for-6 at the plate with two doubles and one RBI. Andrew Mannone, Kyle Bowers, and Vijay Ramnarace rounded out the offense for Toronto.

Adam Odd delivered the longest stint on the mound for U of T pitching five innings, striking out five while allowing just one earned run. Josh Graham, Andrew Grieg, and Matthew Chow also stepped on the mound in the extra-inning contest.

Game 2 reached the bottom of the fifth before the weather became too much and the game was suspended. Western was leading 5-2.

The Varsity Blues will look for better weather tomorrow (Oct. 2) when they travel to Guelph to take on the Gryphons at Hastings Stadium before returning home to the University of Toronto Scarborough campus where they will end their regular season against the McMaster Marauders and Queen's Gaels next week. Home action will start with McMaster on Wednesday, October 5 with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.

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