RICHMOND, B.C. – The UBC Thunderbirds softball team swept its first two home games of the year, beating the Great Falls (Mont.) Argos 11-2 and 11-8 in a doubleheader at London Park in Richmond.
 
"Today was a good day," said UBC head coach Phil Thom. "We were down in both games and they came back and hit the ball really well, especially in that first game with the three home runs in one running."
 
Thom was referring to the bottom of the fourth. UBC was trailing 2-0 after giving up a two-run single to Alyse Sifuentes of Great Falls.
 
Cassandra Dypchey led off the fourth with a home run to left field off Sifuentes to get her Thunderbirds on the scoreboard.
 
Molly Gosnell then followed up with a single up the middle, and then Alana Westerhof singled to left. A sacrifice bunt by Lindsay McElroy moved both runners up a base before Yasmin Bains brought them all home with a towering three-run shot to centerfield. The homer gave UBC the lead for good.
 
But the T-Birds weren't done in the inning. Brittany Meyer came to the plate next only to be hit by a pitch. Carlyn Shimizu singled to put two runners on base with Jesslyn Hodge coming to the plate.  The Point Grey Secondary graduate delivered by nailing another ball over the left field fence, giving UBC its third home run of the inning and putting the Thunderbirds up 7-2.
 
UBC would add three more runs in the fifth inning as the Thunderbirds took advantage of two Lady Argos wild pitches and two throwing errors in the bottom of the fifth inning, which was the game's last.
 
The Thunderbirds' first run came on a double steal as Gosnell scored, while McElroy advance to second.  Gosnell had singled to lead off the fifth, before getting into scoring position on a wild pitch.  She went to third base on another wild pitch before McElroy walked, setting up the double steal.
 
Hodge and Bains would end the game with three runs batted in each.  Bains and Gosnell both had two hits, as every Thunderbird in the lineup registered at least a hit.
 
Starter Nicole Day pitched a complete game, giving up just two hits and two runs.
 
In Game 2, UBC overcame an 8-4 deficit going into the bottom of the fifth inning to win 11-8.
 
Gosnell nailed a grand slam to left field in that fifth inning, bringing Dypchey, Hodge and Shimizu home as well. Shimizu had gotten the rally started by drawing a walk.  Hodge then singled into centre before Dyphcey walked to load the bases.
 
Then in the bottom of the sixth, UBC loaded the bases again, this time against a new pitcher, Sifuentes, after she came into the game in relief of Olson.
 
Hodge singled, Dypchey walked and Gosnell reached base on a fielder's choice to juice the sacks. From there, Westerhof drew another walk and then watched as McElroy did the same for the game-winning runs. Bains added one last RBI to give her team a come-from-behind victory.
 
"They didn't quit, they wouldn't quit and that's the way we've got to play," said Thom of his players.
 
Great Falls had taken an 8-4 lead thanks to a bases loaded walk drawn by Kelly O'Brien, a Renae Nelson RBI single and a Mic Kurth single that brought two runners home for the Lady Argos, who were looking for their sixth win of the season.
 
They had also fought back from a four-run deficit in this game as the Thunderbirds scored four times in the opening inning. Great Falls didn't help their own cause, as starting pitcher Casey Olson gave up four walks in the inning, while her teammates surrendered two passed balls.
 
In the top of the second inning, tied the game at 4-4, as Brittany Frankin drove in a run with a single to left field.
 
A couple of miscues gave Great Falls two more runs before Nicole Banach rounded out the scoring in the inning with a single that scored Franklin.
 
Gosnell was the offensive star of the game with four RBI's on a grand slam home run, two hits and three runs scored. Hodge also had three hits while McElroy had two RBI's.
 
With the two wins, UBC improves to 12-22-1, while Great Falls drops to 5-21. UBC pitcher Jamie Randall got the win in relief of Leigh Della Siega, while Sifuentes took the loss after spelling off Olson in the fifth inning.

Both teams will play at the Simon Fraser Invitational, starting on Saturday. UBC's first game will be at 12:30 p.m. in Burnaby against the host Clan.