VANCOUVER –
Bruce Yari's three-run homer in the tenth inning of game two gave the UBC Thunderbirds a split in Saturday's doubleheader, as they dropped game one 10-5 to the College of Idaho Yotes before taking the nightcap 10-6.
The Yotes rallied for three runs against the UBC bullpen in the seventh and eighth innings of game two to tie it up at four apiece heading to the ninth. Things were looking good after
Aaron Horanski belted a one-out home run down the right field line to give UBC a 5-4 edge, but they couldn't hold that lead in the bottom half of the inning. A single and two walks off closer
Matt Thornton allowed the Yotes to cash in the tying run on a sac fly and send the game to extras.
But Yari, who has been one of UBC's hottest hitters over the last few weeks, gave the 'Birds plenty of cushion in the 10
th when he followed up a
Tyson Popoff walk and
Kevin Biro single with a homer to right field. Bruce Arthur then singled and later scored on a wild pitch, and
Cam Firth capped off the inning with an RBI single for run number 10.
The Yotes got one run back against
Alex Webb in the bottom of the inning. Thornton gets the win, going two innings and allowing a run on two hits and two walks.
Curtis Taylor and
Tyler Gillies both struggled in relief duty, splitting the seventh inning and allowing a combined three runs.
Conor Lillis-White started the game by striking out six of the first seven batters he faced, and only allowed one run on four hits in his six innings of work, but four walks and a high pitch count prevented him from going as deep into the game as he's been going lately.
The T-Birds got the rest of their offence with two-spots in both the third and fourth innings.
Matt Spillman hit a two-run shot over the right field fence in the third, and two unearned runs scored on a two-out throwing error by the Yotes in the fourth.
Game one was in many ways the inverse of game two, with the Yotes jumping out to a nice lead early on before the T-Birds came back late, only for the Yotes to surge ahead again in the end.
UBC starter
Sean Callegari went five innings but was burned by two big innings. Four hits and an error led to a four-run second for the Yotes, and in the fourth inning it was two walks, two hits and another error leading to three more runs.
Callegari's final line was five innings pitched, three earned runs on eight hits and two walks, with four strikeouts, to get the loss.
The T-Birds got one run in the third on Spillman's RBI groundout, and they really made a game of it late by scratching out four more runs. First they picked up two in the sixth on a wild pitch and another RBI groundout, and in the seventh they benefited from an RBI infield single and a bases loaded walk.
That made it 7-5 heading to the bottom of the seventh, where the Yotes blew the game open again with three runs on three hits and a walk. Webb allowed three runs in two innings of relief work for UBC, and
Alex Graham worked a scoreless eighth inning as the Yotes took the game 10-5.
Jordan Grubbs led the College of Idaho offense with a 5-for-8 day.
For UBC it was Yari's 4-for-9 day with a homer, a double and four RBIs that set the pace. Spillman was 2-for-10 with a homer and three RBIs. Horanski was 1-for-4 with a home run, a walk and three runs scored. Arthur was 3-for-9 with an RBI.
The T-Birds are now 23-7 overall and 14-4 in conference play, while the Yotes are 20-14 overall and 11-7 in the conference. The teams wrap up their series with another doubleheader on Sunday starting at 11 a.m.
-30-
