VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds couldn't hold on to early 2-0 leads and fell twice to the College of Idaho Coyotes in Caldwell, Idaho, in Cascade Collegiate Conference softball play on Saturday.
 
The C of I (14-19-1, 8-14 CCC) scored five times in the fifth inning of Game 1 to earn a 5-2 win, while hanging on late for an 8-6 win in the nightcap.
 
UBC (11-22, 9-15) took a 2-0 lead in the opener on the strength of solo home runs from Shaelyn Ogilvie (Surrey, B.C.) in the second and Montana Turnovitski (Langley, B.C.) in the fourth. Both were the first-ever home runs recorded by the players in a Thunderbirds uniform. Ogilvie knocked her home run over the fence in center field while Turnovitski homered to left center.
 
C of I countered with a big fifth inning rally, as Kristin Paulazzo walked and Destiny Turner rapped a single to left.  An out later, Chambers clubbed a long homer over the left field wall to give the Lady Yotes their first lead in five games. Katie Rowe followed with a single, stole second, and scored on a Katelyn Geyer single just inside the third-base bag. Delaney Atkins capped the frame with a double into the left-center gap to make it 5-2.
 
It was enough for Cortni Pena, who tossed a complete game seven-hitter, striking out three.  Rowe and Geyer each had two hits for C of I, with Hillary Strelau (Richmond, B.C.), Ogilvie and Turnovitski each recording two hits for the T-Birds.
 
Turnovitski was at it again in Game 2, launching a two-run shot in the second to give UBC a 2-0 lead. Lindsey Ogilvie (Surrey, B.C.) led the inning off with a single through the left side.
 
However, C of I batted around for four runs in the bottom of the frame.  Atkins singled and moved to third on an Ashley Pesek double the fell between two T-Bird outfielders. Tess Willis plated a run with an RBI ground out and Paulazzo knotted the score with the first of her two doubles in the game.  After a walk to Turner, Geyer gave the Yotes the lead with an RBI single, while Turner scored on a UBC error to make it 4-2.
 
The lead would grow to 7-2 in the fourth after a Turner RBI single and a two-run single from Alex Kordopatis.  UBC would strike back, scoring three in the sixth – including an RBI double from Quinn Dhaliwal (Delta, B.C.) and a Mackenzie Siddall (Windsor, Ont.) RBI single – but a two-out error by the T-Birds in the bottom of the inning extended the frame and Atkins doubled home a run to give C of I an 8-5 lead.
 
The visitors would threaten in the seventh, loading the bases with one out. Turnovitski would reach on an infield single to plate a run to cut the lead to 8-6, but Pesek got a strikeout and a pop up to left to end the game.
 
Pesek threw 164 pitches in the complete game victory, working around six runs and 11 hits, striking out five – while going 2-for-3 at the plate.  Paulazzo was 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, with Turner and Atkins both recording two hits.
 
Turnovitski was 2-for-2 with three RBI for UBC in the loss.
 
The Thunderbirds will return home to prepare for their final two doubleheaders of the regular season, which will take place Friday (starting at 1:30 p.m.) and Saturday (11 a.m.) after Softball City in Surrey, B.C.