Curtis Taylor
Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds
0
UBC UBC 38-19
3
Winner Lewis-Clark State LCSC 47-7
UBC UBC
38-19
0
Final
3
Lewis-Clark State LCSC
47-7
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
UBC UBC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1
Lewis-Clark State LCSC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 X 3 8 0

W: GONZALEZ (2-0) L: Botnick, Christian (1-2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Len Catling (Sr. Manager, Communications and Media Relations)

Taylor dominant but TBirds' bats go cold in loss to LC State

It was a pitcher's duel for nearly eight innings at Thunderbird Park between the UBC Thunderbirds and the Lewis-Clark State College Warriors in the NAIA West Grouping Championship presented by US Bank.  In the bottom of the eighth a soft infield single started a three run rally for the Warriors, which was more than enough offence in their 3-0 win over the Thunderbirds.
 
For a time it seemed like neither team would find a way onto the score sheet. Both Lewis-Clark's starting pitcher Quin Grogan and his UBC counterpart Curtis Taylor  (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) were dealing.  Grogan went 7.2 innings and gave up only three hits, while Taylor pitched six innings, striking out ten, and walking none. Neither of starters would get a decision on this day.
 
In the bottom of the eighth inning the wheels came off for the Thunderbirds. Reliever Christian Botnick (Brampton, Ont.), who had come on to spell Taylor, gave up a slippery single to Chase Hafer. Hafer's soft pop up found the turf and rolled to a stop between the pitcher's mound and second base.  A perfectly placed sacrifice bunt by Cooper Goldby sent Hafer to second, who then advanced to third when Botnick's pick off attempt sailed into centre field. The next batter Logan Griffin drilled a high fly ball into right field, which Bruce Yari (Waterloo, Ont.) got a bad jump on. The ball ended up rolling to the right field fence for a RBI double.  Griffin ultimately scored on a passed ball. The inning was capped off by a Jacob Zanon solo bomb that landed in the bushes behind the left field fence at Thunderbird Park.

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Yari singled to start the ninth for UBC, but was put out at second when Lucas Soper (Vancouver) hit into a fielder's choice. The game ended when Anthony Cusati (Burnaby, B.C.) grounded into a double play for UBC.
 
Botnick took the loss, while Noel Gonzalez who came on in relief for Lewis-Clark parlayed his 1.1 innings of work into a huge win for the Warriors.
 
The loss was UBC's first of the tournament and means they will play again Sunday at noon. LC State is undefeated through two days of play and takes the field again Sunday at 3pm.
 
The NAIA West Grouping Championship presented by US Bank goes all weekend at Thunderbird Park.
 
 
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