SURREY, B.C. – The UBC Thunderbirds got to celebrate both their graduating players and the clinching of the final berth to the Cascade Collegiate Conference Softball Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, on Saturday at Softball City.
 
The visiting Corban (Ore.) Warriors, the NAIA's 17th-ranked team, won both games of Saturday's doubleheader, by scores of 10-7 and 8-2.
 
However, with a loss by Providence (Mont.) in its CCC league contest against Carroll (Mont.), the Thunderbirds got the final playoff spot thanks to their 2-1 record against the Argonauts in three conference matchups.
 
"I was pleased with the way some of our players played, I was disappointed with the outcome," said UBC head coach Gord Collings. "I thought we were in both games, and had opportunities in both games, but Corban is a quality team."
 
At the end of Game 2, both UBC and Corban joined in celebration of the four Thunderbirds seniors: Claire Eccles, Michaela Moore, Shaelyn Ogilvie, and Sierra Sherritt.
 
"I'm just thinking about all the memories I've had here with all the teams throughout the years, and we've had some big games, and now just getting ready for the playoffs," said Ogilvie. "The outcome wasn't there today but there were a lot of positives and hopefully, we can bring that forward into next week."
 
In her time as a Thunderbird, Ogilvie also got to play two seasons alongside her sister Lindsey, whose UBC career records include on-base percentage (.471), doubles (30) and innings pitched (386).
 
"That was pretty special having my sister out there," said Shaelyn Ogilvie. "I felt she could be really honest with me, and could tell me if I needed to get my stuff together and get it going."
 

 

Game 1

Corban was finally able to claim victory in a back-and-forth Game 1 with three runs in the top of the seventh, after UBC rallied to tie the game at 7-7.
 
Tatum Prechtel tripled in the eventual game-winning run in the seventh before coming home on the next play, a Jessie Isham double, to make it 9-7. Isham rounded out the offence by touching home on a wild pitch.
 
The Thunderbirds scored twice in the sixth to level the score at seven runs apiece.
 
Cassa Courtney and Emily Chorpita both hit one-out singles to start the rally. Nicole Salas then knocked a single up the middle to score Courtney. Jordan Britten-Yung tied the game with a single, the fourth in a row for UBC in the inning, to plate Chorpita.
 
Eccles made Thunderbirds softball history in the fifth inning. With UBC down 7-4, she nailed a triple to right field, to bring home Taylore Jones. It was Eccles' eighth triple of her career, establishing a school record. She also tied the UBC mark – also held by Alana Westerhof – for triples in a single season with five.
 
Mia Valcke hit a two-run home run down the left field line to give the T-Birds a 2-0 edge in the first inning.
 
Corban tied the score in the top of the second, only to see Eccles and Sherritt hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the bottom half of the inning to put UBC up 4-2.
 
The Warriors rallied with five runs over the next three innings to go up 7-4.
 
Eccles had two hits, two runs batted in, and two runs scored to pace the Thunderbirds' offence. Chorpita and Jones also recorded two hits.
 
Isham and Mahina Chong had three hits apiece for the visitors.
 

 

Game 2

The final game of the regular season for both teams, a non-conference contest, saw Corban jump out to an early lead, which proved to be insurmountable for the home side.
 
The Warriors scored a pair of runs in both the second and third innings. Megan Rybar hit a two-RBI bloop single to left field in the second before being thrown out at second base.
 
Jessie Isham doubled to center field in the third to bring in two, before Corban then tacked on one more run in the fourth.
 
Moore knocked home UBC's first run on a fielder's choice play in the bottom of the fourth.
 
But Corban added single runs in each of the final three innings to keep the game out of reach.
 
Moore, in the final home game of her university career, drove in her second run of the game with a single through the right side to score Emily Chorpita.
 
Rookie catcher Amelia Trembath led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to record the first hit as a Thunderbird.
 
Sam Woodley went 2-for-3 at the plate for Corban, and also scored a couple of runs. Mahina Chong also had two hits for the Warriors, who also got a complete-game, five-hit win from pitcher Ally Crakes.
 
The suspended game between UBC and Carroll, originally started on April 20, will not be played.
 
The next outing for the Thunderbirds will be at the Cascade Conference championship tournament on Friday against the third-seeded College of Idaho 'Yotes. The first pitch is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. PT, in Ashland, Ore. The winner of that game will meet Oregon Tech on Friday afternoon. The loser will play an elimination game on Saturday at 9 a.m. PT.