VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds won the NAIA West Grouping Tournament for the second straight year on home soil, capping off a 3-0 showing at the tournament with an impressive offensive performance in their 11-3 victory over Oregon Tech in the finals on Saturday.
A six-run third inning for UBC was the difference. The T-Birds were able to push four runs across before Hustlin' Owls starter Darryl Swearingen was able to record a single out, chasing him from the game. Swearingen committed two errors in the inning, and the T-Birds took full advantage, as three of their six runs in the frame ended up being unearned.
Two-RBI singles by
Blake Carruthers and
Nick Senior were the big blows in the inning.
Alex White was hit by a pitch to drive across the fifth run, and
Sean Pisarski walked to complete the six-spot, as the T-Birds spent most of the inning batting with the bases loaded.
A two-out throwing error by UBC shortstop
Sammie Starr led to all three Owls runs in the bottom of the third. Two runs scored after his throw sailed into the Oregon Tech dugout, and a Ryson Mauricio single drove in a third run one batter later.
That was all the offence the Owls could muster on the day, as T-Birds starter
Brandon Kaye allowed just six hits and three unearned runs over five innings of work. Dan Britton-Foster,
Andrew Ledger,
Taylor King and
Shawn Hetherington each pitched one inning of relief, and none of them allowed more than one hit or walk.
"The bottom line is the kids are feeling better and more confident about themselves now heading into sectionals," said UBC head coach
Terry McKaig. "We weren't very confident after that College of Idaho series so this really helps us."
The T-Birds went just 1-3 in their final regular season series against the College of Idaho, but bounced back to beat every team in the tournament, including Idaho, without losing a game. They beat Simpson 14-2 in the opener before edging the College of Idaho 3-1 in the semifinals.
"We had two games where we really swung the bats well, and in that College of Idaho game it was a good playoff atmosphere-type of ball game and we won a close one so that's a good sign for us," McKaig said.
Shaky defence plagued both teams on Saturday, as each side committed four errors, but the T-Birds were able to create much more damage out of the Owls' mistakes. A throwing error in the fourth led to UBC's eighth run of the day, and one of their three runs in the fifth inning also came on a throwing error.
Nic Lendvoy had a big day at the plate for UBC, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Carruthers also had two RBIs to go with his 2-for-5 day.
"Our middle of the order was really on today," McKaig said. "Lendvoy looked dialed in all day and Carruthers as well. They are going to be important for us going forward."
Phil Sacks was the top hitter for the Owls, as he went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored on the day.
The T-Birds will now move on to the NAIA Sectionals, just one step away from the NAIA World Series. The other teams in the tournament will be hoping to get an at-large bid for the sectional round.
