VANCOUVER - After the bats carried UBC to a big 11-2 win in game two of their four-game set with Concordia on Saturday afternoon, the Thunderbird pitching staff shut down the Cavaliers in the nightcap to take game three 2-1 in Portland, Oregon.
The back end of the doubleheader provided some dramatic moments after the 'Birds cruised to an easy win to start the day. The game was tied heading into the ninth inning, but a key Cavs error led to UBC's winning run.Â
Matt Spillman reached base on a misfired infield throw, and after
Sebastian Wong took his place on a fielder's choice,
Cam Firth smacked a double to score Wong to make it a 2-1 game.
Matt Thornton took over on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, and after allowing an infield single to start, he sat the Cavs down without further incident to seal the win and set UBC up for a chance at a series sweep on Sunday.
Bryan Pawlina went seven innings to start for the 'Birds, allowing just one run on three hits and a walk, with eight strikeouts.
Curtis Taylor pitched a spotless eighth inning in relief.
UBC's first run came courtesy of leadoff man
Tyson Popoff in the top of the first. He walked and took both second and third on wild pitches before coming home on a
Bryan Arthur single.
Jerod Bartnik was the only player with a multi-hit game one, going 2-for-3 with a walk.
Game one wasn't such a tight contest. The T-Birds broke through in the second inning with a hit, a walk and an error to load up the bases for Spillman, who unloaded them with a triple to make it 3-0 UBC.
The Cavs struck back with a single run in the third, but that was all they could muster against UBC starter
Conor Lillis-White, who battled some control issues but limited Concordia to just the one run on one hit through five innings of work. He struck out three and walked six.Â
Alex Webb finished things on the mound, allowing one run on four hits over his four innings. He had a strikeout and zero walks.
UBC blew the game wide open in the sixth with four runs on a
Brody Hawkins RBI double, RBI singles from Spillman and
Aaron Horanski, and a sac fly from
Tyson Popoff. Popoff also had an RBI single in the eighth, and the 'Birds tacked on another three in the ninth to make it an 11-2 final.
UBC outhit Concordia 15-5. Spillman went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and a walk.
Kevin Biro and
Tyler Enns both went 3-for-5. Horanski was 2-for-3 after entering the game as a pinch hitter, accounting for two RBIs.Â
The Cavs fall to 12-8 overall and 3-4 in conference play. UBC improves to 12-5 and 5-2. They wrap up the series on Sunday at 11 a.m.Â
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