VANCOUVER —
Niall Windeler made history becoming the first UBC Thunderbird to pitch a solo, nine-inning no-hitter as the 'Birds (17-8, 22-16) earned a doubleheader Saturday sweep over the Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls (5-21, 11-24) at Tourmaline West Stadium.
Windeler struck out ten batters without a single walk using just 106 pitches for UBC's first no-hitter since 2010 in a 6-0 T-Birds series opening win.
"That was incredible, everyone was clicking and it all worked out," said Windeler who was quick to give credit to his teammates for the remarkable result. "They were fantastic, everything in the infield, they made great plays and without that it doesn't happen. (Zach) Prisciak was putting down great signs, that was a team effort, it was amazing."
"He was on-point and I thought he even got better as he went deeper into the game, he almost hit another gear," said UBC head coach
Chris Pritchett. "He was outstanding and one of the better performances I've seen since I've been here."
Fellow T-Bird starter
James Bradwell had a solid day on the mound in his own right in the second game Saturday, picking up the win in a 4-3 UBC victory as the 'Birds enter Sunday's doubleheader with a three-game win streak.
GAME 1
The series opener featured a pitching duel with the game remaining scoreless through the first three innings.
Windeler was dealing for UBC, pitching a perfect game through five innings using just 64 pitches.
Still looking to break the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth, the 'Birds got a leadoff single from Weger. OIT starting pitcher John Schulz got his next two batters to pop out but
Noah Or hit a line drive to centre to get runners on the corners with
Jaxon Valcke at the plate. Facing an 0-2 count, the sophomore first baseman hammered the ball off the wall in right-centre for a two-RBI double as the T-Birds finally got on the board for the 2-0 lead heading to the sixth.
Windeler lost his perfect game bid in the top of the sixth on a throwing error from third with one out. He got his next batter to ground out into an inning-ending double play to keep his no-hitter going.
UBC got another run across in the bottom of the seventh when
Mike Fitzsimmons hit through the gap into shallow left, plating Weger from third. Valcke gave the T-Birds a 4-0 lead with a single to left for his third RBI of the game.
Windeler got even more of a cushion in the bottom of the eighth when Weger hit his fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot over the left field wall to make it 6-0 'Birds.
Staring history in the face in the top of the ninth, Windeler got Michael Tarakchyan to ground out and then struck out Austin Florez. The junior from Toronto completed the remarkable feat when Andy Schubert grounded out to short.
Windeler faced the minimum number of batters without allowing a hit or a walk while using only 106 pitches to earn his first career no-no and his fourth win of the season.
The no-hitter is the fifth in Thunderbirds history and the first since Mark Hardy did so in a seven-inning game in 2010.
GAME 2
The Owls wasted little time getting their first hit of the day in the second half of the doubleheader with a leadoff triple by Micah Jio. The sophomore then scored on a wild pitch. Bradwell got out of the inning without further damage and then settled down keeping the Owls off the board for the next five frames.
The 'Birds scored their first run in the bottom of the fourth when
Jordan Dray hit an RBI single to short stop and beat the throw to first allowing Valcke to score. UBC then went ahead 2-1 when
Austen Butler snuck a grounder into shallow left. Dray scored from third having stolen second earlier in the at bat and advanced to third on a throwing error.
Oregon Tech went back in front in the top of the sixth with a two-run homer by Emmett Covello who hit the ball off the top of the left field fence and out. With two down, Bradwell then got Tristan Shea to strike out to end the inning.
In their half of the sixth, the T-Birds got the lead right back with a two-run shot of their own courtesy of Dray who nailed his fifth long ball of the season.
The 'Birds went to the bullpen for the first time for the top of the ninth with
Barry Caine coming in to relieve Bradwell. The junior transfer from Surrey sat down the side to pick up his second save of the season.
Bradwell allowed three earned runs on seven OIT hits while striking out eight for his third win of the year.
Historic day for the @ubctbirds as we win both games from today's doubleheader. Pitcher Niall Windeler completed the 5th no-hitter in UBC Baseball history ?? ? Game 1 @windy_16 W, CG No-Hitter, 10 K, 0 BB @nolanweger_ 4-4, 2-run HR, 3 R ? Game 2 @jamesbradwell W, 8.0 IP, 8 K, BB, 3 ER @jordan_dray 3-4, 2-run HR, 3 RBI, 2 R ? Doubleheader tomorrow begins at 11:00am ??: @richlamphoto | #ubcbaseball
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"It was a close game, not a lot of room for error and all three guys who threw the ball today did a really good job," added Pritchett. "I thought we ran the bases really well in both games and we had a couple of key knocks."
Dray finished the second game 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBI including his two-run dinger. The sophomore outfielder had four hits on the day while Weger had five hits including a 4-for-4, two RBI performance in the series opener.
The T-Birds will look to win their third straight home series of the season Sunday with another doubleheader scheduled against the Owls. First pitch is set for 11:00 a.m. PT at Tourmaline West Stadium.
