KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The UBC Thunderbirds (19-12, 25-22) closed out the NAIA regular season with a split against the Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls (13-18, 24-28) Sunday at Kiger Stadium to finish second in the West Grouping heading into next week's conference championship in Mesa, Arizona.
The 'Birds outlasted the Owls 14-13 in a wild first game of a doubleheader that saw senior
Kyle McComb tie a single-game program record with six hits. OIT earned the Sunday split and the series win with a 9-2 victory.
Game 1
In a game that lasted three hours and 45 minutes and saw 42 hits and 27 runs, it was the T-Birds outlasting Tech 14-13.
OIT took the early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first but UBC answered with six runs in the second on six hits including a home run by
Austen Butler.
Tech made it a 6-5 game with three runs on four hits highlighted by an Alex Poltz two-run homer.
UBC added a run in the top of the 4th only to see OIT score two runs in the bottom of the frame tying the game at 7. The T-Birds scored two more runs in the top of the fifth taking advantage of two costly OIT errors.
The Owls scored a run in the bottom of the inning on a Blake Wrotenbery RBI single to cut the lead to 9-8.
Each team added a run in the sixth making it a 10-9 game. UBC then scored three times in the seventh on four hits to take a 13-9 lead.
Back came the Owls with a run in the bottom of the inning on another Wrotenbery RBI single making it a 13-10 game.
The hosts never quit and added a run in the eighth cutting the UBC lead to 13-11. The 'Birds added one big insurance run in the top of the ninth on three hits going up 14-11.
The Owls rally fell short in the bottom half as they scored twice but left the tying run on base with the third and final out making it a 14-13 loss.
McComb had a huge game for the Thunderbirds going 6-for-6 at the plate, just the second Thunderbird to ever amass six hits in a game, last accomplished by Ben Herman in 2002.
Mitch Robinson added four hits and four RBI with
Nolan Weger also chipping in with four hits for UBC in the win.
Anthony Olson pitched his way to the win for UBC to improve to 2-0 while Logan Nousen was hit with the loss for OIT dropping to 1-5.
Robbie Watson earned his first save of the season for the 'Birds pitching the final three innings.
Game 2
OIT Pitcher John Schulz pitched seven strong innings for his seventh win of the year giving up only five hits and two runs with five strikeouts to lead the Owls to the win.
Senior Nate Javine hit his first home run of the year, a two-run shot giving the Owls a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third.
Schulz's only mistake in the game came in the top of the fourth as he gave up a two-run homer to
Nolan Weger that tied the game at two apiece.
Justin Jordan smacked a three-run home run in bottom of the fourth highlighting a six-run inning as the Owls took over the game with an 8-2 lead. OIT put the game away with one more run in the sixth to go up 9-2.
The Owls out-hit the T-birds 13-6 in the game.
Next up for UBC is a trip to Mesa, Arizona for the conference championship tournament beginning Sunday, May 6.
