VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds had little to laugh about on April Fools Day, as the Lewis-Clark State Warriors completed a four-game sweep of the 'Birds, winning Sunday's doubleheader by scores of 7-0 and 3-0 to take a large lead atop the Cascade Conference standings.
GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE
The 'Birds knew they would be in for a tough weekend offensively without top hitter
Blake Carruthers and starting second baseman
Kevin Biro, but getting shut out in three of their four games against the Warriors isn't what head coach
Terry McKaig was expecting.
"Just a futile offence all weekend long really. They've got good pitching, but we've faced some guys who can pitch this year and we've never been shut down like that," McKaig said. "It speaks to where we are mentally. Just not tough enough right now, so a disappointing weekend. We didn't show up at all and that's embarrassing."
Game one on Sunday looked much like the first two contests in this series, with the 'Birds down but not out heading into the ninth. In each of the first three games of the series, the Warriors led by three heading into the ninth before breaking the game wide open, and on Sunday it was a couple of flares down the right field line that went for extra bases and scored two runs each. The first was a double off the bat of Brazton Miller, and the second a triple courtesy of Billy Silvestri.
The Warriors also got three runs off starter
Danny Britton-Foster, who made it through eight innings to give him three straight starts of at least that length, but was touched up for eight hits on the day.
Warriors starter Anthony Armanino went seven scoreless innings, striking out seven with just two hits allowed. Garrett Tygerson pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
Mike Hole had two of UBC's three hits in the game, including a leadoff triple off the base of the wall in left in the second inning.
The offence was even more anemic in game two for the 'Birds, with
Andrew Firth's third inning single proving to be their only hit of the contest.
"It's defensive. It's getting down 0-2 because you take two curve balls that were hittable," McKaig said. "It's everything right now - it's approach, it's phyisical, it's mental, they're guessing, they're young and don't have a lot of experience. It was just one of those weekends where the offence goes through a bad spot, and now our job with the bye week is to hopefully hit the reset button and get ourselves ready for the stretch drive because we won't scare too many people playing like this."
Luke Goodigon was on the bump for the Warriors in game two, one-hitting the 'Birds through seven innings of work.
But the best pitching performance of the day actually came from a T-Bird freshman, as rookie
Alex Graham blanked the Warriors over eight innings, allowing just three hits and a walk.
"We've been harping on our starters about being efficient, and Alex today was outstanding with his pitch count," McKaig said. "It's something that he's struggled with because he always seems to get himself into trouble in the third or fourth inning, so for him to settle in like that was great. We really liked him when we brought him here and he's been having some of the typical freshman struggles, but against LC State to do that as a freshman is a really good sign."
Unfortunately for Graham, his excellent outing ended in a no-decision, as the Warriors were deadly in the ninth once again off reliever
Conor Lillis-White. After a one-out double by Jordan Payne, Lillis-White walked the bases loaded and then plunked Alfonso Casillas to push the go-ahead run across. Kyle Kniggne brought another run home on a sac fly, and the third scored on a wild pitch.
The Warriors scored 15 of their 24 runs in the ninth inning in the series. They improve to 15-4 in the Cascade Conference and 25-8 overall, while the T-Birds fall to 11-9 in the conference and 18-13 overall.
UBC has a bye week to regroup before hitting the road for a series with Concordia on April 13 and 14. Next home action for the T-Birds will be April 21, when they start a four-game series against the Oregon Institute of Technology.
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