CALDWELL, ID - The no. 10 ranked UBC Thunderbirds completed an opening series sweep of the the College of Idaho Coyotes, winning 5-1 and 3-2 at frigid Wolfe Field on Monday.
"It wasn't our best baseball today but bottom line is we got four wins against our rivals from College of Idaho which is a great way to start the season. We weren't great at the plate today but our pitching and defence was solid once again and were the difference for us," said UBC head coach
Terry McKaig.
Game one saw the T-Birds (8-5, 4-0 NAIA West) jump out to a 3-0 lead in the opening frame, taking advantage of a trio of walks by C of I starter Todd Griffiths. UBC got an RBI single from
Kevin Nickel, an RBI groundout by
Blake Carruthers, and a third run on a passed ball, to grab the lead. Trailing 4-0 in the second, the Yotes (7-7, 0-4) scored their lone run after an Izaac Garsez lead-off triple, as Kyle Douglas knocked him in with a ground out.
The C of I would have their chances late in the game, getting two runners on in both the seventh and eighth innings, but UBC pitchers worked out of the jams.
Brandon Kaye allowed just five hits in seven innings to pick up the win, with
Keaton Briscoe logging two hits, while Douglas had the lone multi-hit game for the Yotes.
Game two was an extra innings affair – as UBC plated two first inning runs off Mitch Dame, getting a Briscoe RBI single and a second run on a fielders' choice. Dame would settle down, retiring 10 straight batters at one stretch.
After squandering a bases loaded chance in the second, the Yotes tied the game up in the sixth – without the benefit of a hit. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases, with Gavin Gamboa being plunked to cut the margin to 2-1 and Jeffrey Harris following with a walk to knot the score.
Reliever Levi Mitchum was solid for the Yotes, striking out
Mike Elias in the seventh with the go-ahead runs in scoring position, but could not get out of the ninth.
Carruthers reached on a dropped third strike and stole second. After intentionally walking
Matt Spillman with two outs,
Ryan Taylor golfed a 3-2 pitch into left for the game-winning RBI single. The C of I got a runner to second in the bottom of the frame, but Douglas grounded out to end the contest.
Luke Webster earned the win for UBC, going three and a third innings of scoreless relief, with Nickel the lone T-Bird with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4. Gamboa went 2-for-4 with a double in the loss for the Yotes, with Dame and Mitchum combining to fan eight.
UBC is on the road again this coming weekend for a pair of doubleheaders against Corban College on March 4 and 5.
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