VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds baseball team completed their perfect weekend in Redding, Calif., with a sweep of the Simpson Red Hawks in a Sunday doubleheader.
                              
In the afternoon's first contest against their NAIA West foes, the T-Birds rode an explosive second inning to an 8-2 win. The second matchup saw the Blue and Gold break open a close contest in the seventh frame, eventually besting the Red Hawks 6-1.
 
Only the first of the two-game set counts for the NAIA West standings, so the 'Birds will move to a perfect 3-0 in conference play this season, and 17-5 overall.
 
Lucas Soper (Vancouver) took center stage in the first game, as the freshman notched two hits, including his first career home run as a T-Bird, to go along with a run and two RBI in four at-bats. First baseman Bruce Yari (Waterloo, Ont.) did much the same, tallying two hits, a run, and two RBI. On the mound, it was Connor Noble (Vancouver) who got the 'W', as the veteran pitched just over six innings, allowing just two runs and striking out eight batters.
 
Tyler Enns (East St. Paul, Man.) opened the scoring in the second inning, making his way home on a wild pitch from Simpson hurler Humberto Solorio.
 
With the bases loaded, and after Anthony Cusati (Burnaby, B.C.) scored from third on a Griff Goyer (Burnaby, B.C.) walk. Yari delivered a single that scored Vinny Martin (Pender Island, B.C.) and Anthony Olson (Edmonton), moving Goyer to third. Goyer was then driven by Soper to round out the inning's scoring.
 
After Simpson got two back in the fifth frame, it was Soper that responded for the 'Birds. In the top of the seventh, the rookie belted a solo shot to left that cleared the fence, giving Soper his first jack, and keeping the T-Birds ahead 6-2.
 
In the ninth, the 'Birds added insurance, with Yari scoring from third on an Enns sacrifice fly, and catcher Braeden Allemann (Surrey, B.C.) rounding the bases thanks to a double to left off the bat of Brendan Rose (Calgary).
 
The second game was closely contested early, although the 'Birds held a slight lead right off the bat, as Geoff Ehresman's (Vancouver) single drove in Yari from second base to give the 'Birds a 1-0 lead in the first frame.
 
That slim lead was all UBC could muster until the seventh inning, when they exploded for four runs to create some separation. Soper got the scoring off the ground, unleashing a double to centre field that drove home both Yari and Olson. Up next, Ehresman smoked a triple that allowed Soper to score, before crossing the plate himself on a wild pitch from Simpson reliever Zane Medeiros.
 
The teams traded single runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but the 'Birds, behind the pitching of Jeremy Newton (Toronto), who saw five innings in relief of Brad Smith (Vancouver), held on for the convincing 6-1 win.
 
The 'Birds will now get ready for their first homestand of the NAIA West campaign, as they host the Corban (Ore.) Warriors in two doubleheaders next weekend at Thunderbird Park. The games on Saturday, March 5, will start at 12 noon (PT), while the contests on Sunday, March 6, are set to begin at 11 a.m. (PT).