VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds settled for a split with the Concorida Cavaliers to start their series at Nat Bailey Stadium, as the T-Birds edged the visitors 3-1 in game one but fell 6-2 in the nightcap thanks to defensive miscues and one big offensive inning for the Cavs.
UBC starter
Eric Brown had to overcome some early trouble to get the win in game one. He loaded the bases with one out in the first inning, but picked up a big strikeout and then induced a groundout to escape the jam unharmed. His only blemish came in the second when Mike Dickman walked, and eventually scored on an RBI single by Odie Hollingshed.
The T-Birds responded in the bottom half of the inning without so much as a hit, as
Blake Carruthers and
Kevin Nickel led off with walks and then advanced to second and third with no outs on a wild pitch. Back-to-back groundouts by
Matt Spillman and
Greg Densem brought both runners home to make it 2-1 UBC.
Nickel added an insurance run in the third with a sac fly, and Brown settled down to shut the Cavaliers down for the remainder of his six innings of work. He scattered five hits and struck out six to earn the win. Dan Britton-Foster held the lead in the seventh and eighth, and
Shawn Hetherington worked a scoreless ninth inning to pick up the save.
Tyson Kisselburg took the loss for the Cavs, surrendering all three UBC runs on six hits over six innings.
The T-Birds committed two errors in game one - a trend that continued throughout the day for both teams, with baserunning and defensive miscues popping up at inopportune times on either side. UBC finished the day with four errors and Concordia had three.
"This is a team supposed to be getting ready to make a big push for the World Series and we aren't playing anywhere near that," said UBC head coach
Terry McKaig. "These guys at some point have to make the decision to elevate our game because we're just making too many mistakes and not bringing the proper mental approach to the plate, little defensive and baserunning mistakes and you just can't do that to be a championship team so we have to keep pushing in the right direction here."
Both T-Bird errors in game two occurred in a monster sixth inning for the Cavaliers that proved to be the turning point.
After trailing 1-0 for most of the game, UBC tied it in the bottom of the fifth when
Keaton Briscoe battled back from an 0-2 count to work a two-out walk with the bases loaded. The Cavs then scored five in the top of the sixth, aided by two UBC infield errors. Brady Miletich had an RBI single, Tommy Whalen drove home two more with a single of his own, a groundout plated the fourth run and an errant throw brought home one more.
"After we tied it up, the way this team has been this year we felt pretty good about our chances in a two-inning ball game, but then to give up five was pretty disappointing," said McKaig.
UBC pulled one back in the bottom of the sixth, when Nickel doubled and later scored on an error, but two runs was all they could muster in the seven-inning affair. Starter Mitch Ludtke got the win for the Cavs, allowing one run on three hits over five innings.
"He was throwing consistently around 90 and he's a lefty, so you don't see that every day," said McKaig. "He was throwing the ball well."
The T-Birds still lead the North Division of the NAIA West with an 18-3 record. They are 22-8 overall this year. The Cavs move to 9-21 overall and 4-14 in the conference, and will be looking for another upset on Sunday when the teams wrap up their series with another doubleheader.
Sunday's action begins at 11 a.m. and is currently scheduled for Nat Bailey, but forecasted rain could force a venue change to Thunderbird Park on the UBC campus. The location will be decided Sunday morning, and any changes will be posted on www.gothunderbirds.ca.
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