VANCOUVER - The bats woke up in game one for the UBC Thunderbirds against Concordia on Sunday, earning them a 5-2 win to kick off the doubleheader at Thunderbird Park, and they completed the sweep on the strength of a nice pitching performance by Miles Verwheel with a 3-0 game two win.
The T-Bird hitters had an off day on Saturday when they split with the Cavaliers, but they turned things around in game one, and could have done more damage if not for some great catches by the Concordia outfield.
The 'Birds went up 3-0 in the third inning after Greg Densem led off with a single to set the tone for the inning. The next four batters would all reach base safely, and the damage came from RBI singles by Blake Carruthers and Kevin Nickel. A second run also scored on Nickel's hit while Carruthers was gunned down trying for third.
Densem continued his nice day at the dish in the next inning with a one-out triple. Andrew Firth capitalized with an RBI groundout to make it 4-0 UBC.
Concordia pulled one back in the next inning on an error, but the 'Birds made it a four-run cushion again in the seventh thanks to another triple. This time it was Carruthers leading off with a three-bagger, and Andrew Madsen's sac fly brought him home.
"In the first game especially I was really happy with how we hit," said UBC head coach Terry McKaig. "We've been trying to concentrate on (pitches) middle-away, and in that first game we drove the ball well and went back up the middle. We drove some balls over the outfielders' heads, and they made a couple of really nice catches too so we had a much better approach at the plate."
The Cavs again responded in the next inning on Mike Cero's RBI single but that was as all the offence they could muster for the day. Sheldon McDonald worked the final two innings to earn the save for UBC, while David Otterman got the win, allowing three hits and one run over six innings of work.
In addition to their seven hits, the T-Birds drew five walks and four hit-by-pitches in the game - three of them connecting with Nick Senior. Carruthers and Densem led the offence with two hits and one triple each.
"We hadn't had much production from the leadoff spot for a while but Greg did a nice job in the first game getting on base with some good swings on the ball. Blake Carruthers was really good here today too - drove some balls hard, got robbed in centre field there and then had the big base hit to put us up 2-0 (in game two) so I thought he was solid for us," said McKaig.
Josh Saio was tagged with the loss, giving up five runs on seven hits in six innings.
Game to was rain-delayed after the top of the fourth inning with UBC up 1-0, but the T-Bird pitching was too much for the Cavs before the delay and nothing changed after.
Miles Verwheel earned the win with five scoreless hittings, allowing four hits and no walks. Shawn Hetherington allowed two walks and had a pair of wild pitches in his two innings of relief, but ultimately shut the door, allowing no runs or hits to earn the save.
"We had two really good starts from David Otterman and Miles Verwheel, and that was important for us. The bullpen guys came in and it wasn't always pretty, but they made some nice pitches and got us out of jams when they had to," said McKaig.
UBC went up 1-0 in the second inning after Andrew Firth took one for the team with the bases loaded - the fifth time on the day a UBC hitter was hit by the pitch. The Cavs' pitchers struggled with control all day in the tough weather conditions, walking another six UBC hitters in game two.
UBC got insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings on an RBI single by Carruthers and an RBI double by Matt Spillman.
The T-Birds are now 24-8 overall and still on top of the North Division with a 20-3 conference record. They will be on the road next weekend to take on second-place Lewis-Clark State. Concordia falls to 4-15 in the conference, and will be at Corban for a doubleheader on Tuesday before heading to the College of Idaho for a four game series next weekend.
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