VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds softball team ended the Northwest Cup on a winning note.
The T-Birds won both their games on Sunday after suffering four straight close losses in the first two days of action in Clackamas, Oregon.
UBC's offence exploded in a 15-8 victory on Sunday morning against the College of Idaho.
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Alana Westerhof drove in four runs, including three on a three-run home run in the top of the first inning.
College of Idaho replied with four runs in the second inning before UBC re-took the lead when
Molly Gosnell hit a two-run double into left field to make it 5-4 for the T-Birds.
The Coyotes went back ahead 7-5 with a three-run third inning. The tide turned for good in favour of the T-Birds in the fourth.
Carlyn Shimizu drove an RBI single into centre and then stole second base. She eventually scored the tying run when Westerhof also singled into centre.
Two more runs came across when McElroy followed up with another single to give UBC a 9-7 lead the T-Birds did not relinquish.
UBC added three runs in the top of the sixth inning. Shimizu scored from third on an illegal pitch before McElroy and Gosnell homered on the next two at-bats. Dypchey rounded out the scoring with another UBC home run, this time a three-run shot to left centre.
The Thunderbirds hit three home runs to knock off previously undefeated Concordia 5-0.
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Lauren du Toit recorded her first run batted in for UBC in the bottom of the second inning to bring home Gosnell, who led off with a walk.
Dypchey opened the next inning with a single to right field. Westerhof then hit a two-run homer over the left field fence. The next batter, McElroy, stepped up to the plate and knocked a home run of her own to make it 4-0 for UBC. Westerhof homered to centre in the bottom of the fifth for the T-Birds' final run of the game.
She also pitched a complete game, seven-hit shutout, which included seven strikeouts.
It was a fantastic weekend for the Delta Secondary graduate as she drove in 13 runs over the six-game tournament.
The Sunday wins came on the heels of two tough losses on Saturday.
UBC built a 6-0 lead on four RBI's from Westerhof, who finished the game 4-for-4 from the plate, but ended up losing 8-7 to the Simpson Redhawks.
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Simpson plated six runs in the fifth inning before adding runs in the sixth and seventh.
That final run proved to be the difference as
Sarah Hillsdon singled to centre field to score Dypchey in the bottom of the seventh to close the UBC deficit to 8-7, but the rally ended there and the game finished with two T-Birds runners stranded on base.
UBC also lost a close game, 7-6, to No. 17 Corban on Saturday.
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The decisive play came off the bat of Stephanie Nippert, who hit a three-run home run to centre field in the bottom of the sixth inning to put Corban up 7-6.
UBC took a 6-4 lead in the top of the sixth.
Brittany Hince Siwicki doubled down the left field line and two batters later, scored on catcher's interference. Later in the inning, Westerhof drove in Shimizu with an RBI single.
It was a back-and-forth game, with Corban getting on the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the second.
UBC rallied with a couple of runs in the top of the third before Corban added three more in the fourth to re-take the lead.
In the fifth inning, McElroy hit a two-run double to tie the game at 4-4. She went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in, while Dypchey was 2-for-4.
The Thunderbirds' record is now 6-7. UBC's next game will be in Bellingham on Feb. 21 against Western Washington. It is part of the team's road trip south to play in the Southern Oregon tournament, which will begin Feb. 23.
