VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds baseball team split its first two games of the 2013 regular season on Friday afternoon at the Lewis-Clark State College tournament in Lewiston, Idaho.
UBC beat Concordia (Oregon) 4-3 before dropping an 11-1 decision to the host L-C State team.
"An up and down day for day one of the 2013 season," remarked UBC head coach
Terry McKaig. "We played a complete and very solid game one with the win against Concordia. Good ball game and we played excellent defence, got some good pitching, and enough hitting to get the win."
With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning and the score tied 3-3,
Sebastian Wong (Abbotsford, BC) doubled down the right field line before advancing to third base on a groundout. Wong then scored the winning run on a fielding error that allowed
Andrew Firth (London, ON) to reach base.
Miles Verweel (Toronto, ON) recorded three strikeouts in the ninth to earn the save for UBC.
Jeremy Newton (Toronto, ON) gave up just one run in four innings of relief to earn his first NAIA victory.
UBC took advantage of a host of Concordia miscues on Friday. Down 2-0, T-Bird
Greg Densem (Toronto, ON) reached base on a throwing error to open the bottom of the second. He moved to second base after
Kevin Biro (Deep Bay, BC) was hit by a pitch. Densem advanced to third on a fielder's choice, before he stole home on another fielder's choice.
In the third,
Tyson Popoff (Richmond, BC) reached base on a fielding error that allowed
Cam Firth (London, ON) to cross home plate. Popoff was eventually brought home on a Densem sacrifice fly to give UBC another unearned run.
"Game two against L-C State was a different story," said McKaig. "Really have to credit them and how they came out and swung the bats. They put us away with the seven runs in the fourth inning. They are a very good team and we will have five more tough games against them this year."
UBC scored its only run against Lewis-Clark State in the third inning on another Popoff sac fly. That run momentarily tied the game at 1-1. Lewis-Clark State replied with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning before their big surge in the fourth.
The T-Birds (1-1) will look to rebound with a noon game against Concordia on Saturday before finishing the L-C State tournament with another matchup versus the hosts on Sunday.
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