VANCOUVER - Not to be outdone by
Brandon Kaye's complete game shutout in a 3-0 UBC Thunderbirds win in game one,
Mark Hardy no-hit the Concordia Cavaliers in game two, as the T-Birds won 2-0 in Sunday's nightcap to sweep the four-game series.
Hardy demonstrated pinpoint control with all of his pitches on Sunday, keeping Cavaliers hitters off-balance all the way through the seven-inning affair. He gave up three walks and allowed a runner to reach second base just once all game, while striking out six.
"This could be a real defining moment in his season," said UBC head coach
Terry McKaig. "He has struggled this year compared to the
Mark Hardy we are used to, but right from the first inning there was something different. He was just letting go and his velocity was a lot better, and that may be the best I've ever seen him."
A no-hitter was probably the only thing that could have overshadowed Kaye's brilliant game one performance. The 2009 Toronto Blue Jays draft pick scattered three hits over nine innings and had five strikeouts as he improved to 5-0 on the year.
"We really need these guys to start building up towards playoffs, which means you have to have dominant outings against teams you think you should be dominant against," said McKaig."Brandon and Mark both did that, which is a good sign for us."
At the plate, a pair of freshmen provided all the offence on Sunday.
Blake Carruthers picked up the game-winning RBI in both contests. He had an RBI single in the third inning of game one, and another in the first inning of game two.
Keaton Briscoe provided the insurance runs on both occasions. He smacked a two-RBI triple into the left field corner in the eighth inning of game one, and added an RBI single in the fifth inning of game two.
The pair combined for a 6-for-12 day at the dish with five RBIs, but the rest of the T-Birds were just 9-for-42 on Sunday.
"We need to be a lot better if we think we are going to make a run in the playoffs," said McKaig. "This weekend was a step backwards offensively, but we got four wins at the same time, and that's the important thing."
Tyson Kisselburg took the loss for Concordia in game one, despite giving up just one run over 6.1 innings of work. Dylan Smith lost game two, giving up two runs over six innings.
The T-Birds are now 30-6 on the year and 22-2 in conference play. The Cavs fall to 7-21.
Next up for UBC is top-ranked Lewis-Clark State, who will be in town next weekend for a three-game series at Thunderbird Park. Start times are 4 p.m. on Friday, April 16, 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 17 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 18. The Cavaliers' next action is a doubleheader against Pacific Lutheran on April 13.
