Play Ball! Bobcats Enjoy Grizzlies Baseball Game

Baseball fans from the UC Merced campus community celebrated the start of the fall semester by witnessing a barnburner of a game at Fresno's Chukchansi Park.

More than 250 Bobcat students, along with 100 alumni and their families, received tickets to the Aug. 29 game. UC Merced staff and faculty, along with Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, also attended at the downtown stadium.

Each student and alumnus received a box filled with mementos that commemorate UC Merced's 20th anniversary this semester of the start of undergraduate instruction.

Miguel Lopez, '12, president of the UC Merced Alumni Association, threw the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Grizzlies and Inland Empire 66ers, members of the professional Single A California League.

The Grizzlies treated the Bobcats to a wild, high-scoring contest. Tied at seven runs each in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and a runner at first and third, leftfielder Kevin Fitzer poked a single to center for a walk-off home team victory.

"UC Merced has been working with the Fresno Grizzlies all season long to build connections between our students, alumni and the community," Vice Chancellor for External Relations E. Edward Klotzbier said. "Thia was a great evening for everyone to have fun together at the ballpark as our academic year starts and the baseball season nears its end."

The game capped several busy days for the campus. Students began moving into residence halls the week of Aug. 18. On Aug. 26, the annual Scholars Bridge Crossing for first-year and transfer students was held under a rare cloudburst. Fall semester classes began the next day.