VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds baseball team (13-5) are headed home, as they closed out their California road trip with a 5-4 win over the California State, Los Angeles Golden Eagles (1-10).
 
Tyler Gillies (London, Ont.) pitched just over a single inning and notched just one strikeout in relief of Conor Noble (Vancouver).
 
However, given that it was the ninth frame, the third-year right-hander made his lone strikout count, as, with two outs already, Noble put down Cal State L.A. center fielder Nathan Navarette to end the ball game.
 
Well before Gillies entered the fray, the T-Birds drew first blood at the top of the first inning, as Lucas Soper (Vancouver) delivered a hard-hit single to right, allowing Griffy Goyer to score from second.
 
After the Golden Eagles equalized in the second stanza, it was Soper that helped the 'Birds jump back out in front in the fourth. With Bruce Yari (Waterloo, Ont.) on first, the left fielder smashed a double to left field, giving Yari more than enough time to round the bases.
 
In the fifth, Yari's single drove in Goyer for another run, while Tyler Enns (East St. Paul, Man.) also scored to make it 4-1 for the 'Birds.
 
The two sides traded runs in the sixth stanza, with an Anthony Olson (Edmonton) single enough to get Kyle McComb (Surrey, B.C.) home for the 'Birds, before Christopher Flores responded for Cal State L.A., scoring off of a single from catcher Ryan Welker.
 
The Golden Eagles continued to chip away at the T-Birds' lead, adding solo runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings, but couldn't fully equalize, with Gillies closing the door.
 
On the afternoon, Soper earned a hit at each of his four at-bats, a string that included two doubles and resulted in a pair of RBI. Yari also had another solid outing, picking up three hits, a run, and an RBI. On the mound, Noble saw just over five innings of work, allowing two runs. All of Brad Smith (Vancouver), Jeremy Newton (Toronto), and Gillies saw time in relief of Noble.

The 'Birds will get a week of rest back on the Point Grey campus before they head out again. This time, the T-Birds will make their way to Redding, CA, where they will face the Simpson's Red Hawks in a pair of back-to-back doubleheaders on Saturday, February 27 and Sunday, February 28. Saturday's doubleheader is set to start at 12:00 p.m. (PT), while Sunday's games are scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. (PT) start.