VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds baseball team dropped a game for just the second time this season on Friday, as the first matchup of their California swing against the Westmont Warriors ended in a 6-5 defeat.
 
A costly bottom of the eighth inning proved the difference for the 'Birds this afternoon. To start off the Warriors' three-run frame, Westmont DH Derek Rodrigo, after singling onto first, advanced to second, and then third, on a pair of wild pitches from UBC relief pitcher Christian Botnick (Brampton, Ont.). Rodrigo then scored on an error from Braeden Allemann (Surrey, B.C.).
 
UBC ace Alex Webb (Surrey, B.C.) pitched six solid innings, allowing just two runs. At the plate, the T-Birds were paced by shortstop Kyle McComb (Surrey, B.C.), who notched a hit and two runs, while first baseman Bruce Yari (Waterloo, Ont.) added a single run, three hits, and an RBI.
 
With right fielder Michael Valentin and Matt Matlock on base, a triple from short stop Austin McGilvra drove in both, giving Westmont the eventual game-winning 6-5 adantage.
 
Neither side could get on the board until the latter half of the fifth inning, as Westmont finally broke the ice with a two-run showing in the frame.
 
The 'Birds answered quickly, as the top of the sixth inning saw McComb get on base with a single, and move to third thanks to the bat work of Tyler Enns (East St. Paul, Man.) and Anthony Olson (Edmonton). McComb was then driven home on a sacrifice fly from Lucas Soper (Vancouver).
 
The Warriors stretched their lead to 3-1 in the seventh inning. Like McComb, Valentin was driven home from third off a sacrifice, although his teammate Alika McGuire used a bunt as his weapon of choice.
 
UBC really woke up in the eighth stanza, as they reeled off four runs to earn their first lead of the game. McComb picked up his second run of the game, after his own single and a double from Enns put him in scoring position.
 
Geoff Ehresman's (Vancouver) fly helped McComb cross home plate before Yari did the same for Enns. Yari scored just minutes later, making his way to third off of hits from Soper and Allemann, before going all the way on a defensive error at first base.
 
Later in that same inning, with the bases loaded, Griff Goyer (Burnaby, B.C.) drove in Soper to cap the frame's scoring.

The 'Birds will get two more cracks at Westmont this weekend, as the two sides will square off tomorrow, February 13, at 12 noon (PT), and on Sunday, February 14, at 2 p.m. (PT).