VANCOUVER — The UBC Thunderbirds have seen their 2019 NAIA season come to a close after suffering an 8-0 loss to the Middle Georgia State Knights Tuesday evening in Macon, Georgia.
After winning their first game of the Macon bracket in the opening round of the NAIA World Series over Huntington (Ind.), the T-Birds shifted to the losing side of the bracket after a 4-1 loss to last year's World Series champions from Southeastern (Fla.) Tuesday's loss to the Knights sealed UBC's fate in the double knockout tournament.
The 'Birds managed just one hit against the Knights while the bracket hosts scored five runs in the fifth which turned out to be more than enough, as Middle Georgia State advanced to the semifinals.
"They made some really nice plays in the outfield, give them credit defensively," said UBC head coach
Chris Pritchett. "We just couldn't square them up. Overall it just wasn't our best effort, I didn't think there was any facet of the game we really played well in."
James Bradwell started UBC's must-win game and had four terrific shutout innings. The junior ended up lasting four and two thirds allowing five earned runs on five Knights hits along with two walks while striking out six.
UBC's only hit of the game came by way of a
Jaxon Valcke double in the bottom of the seventh. With two down, the sophomore advanced to third on a passed ball. The 'Birds then ended up with runners on the corners thanks to a
Nolan Weger walk, but Middle Georgia starter Jackson Braden got
Zach Prisciak to pop out ending the threat and preserving what turned out to be a complete game shutout.
Allowing just the single hit, Braden faced a total of seven UBC base runners with four walks and two hit batters while he struck out seven. The T-Birds battled at the plate forcing Braden to use 135 pitches, but UBC just couldn't manage to get enough balls in play.
The game was the final appearance in NAIA action for Prisciak as well as
Lichel Hirakawa-Kao and reliever Pat van den Brink who pitched the final two thirds of the ninth.
While the official season is over for UBC, the 'Birds return home to Vancouver excited for what lies ahead with some unprecedented exhibition action coming to Point Grey in August, as well as a promising future for years to come with a young T-Bird squad.
"If nothing else I am proud of them, especially with some of the young guys getting this far," added Pritchett. "More importantly, they got some experience of what it looks like if we do want to win a national championship, where we need to get our game to. Obviously we're all disappointed right now but when we look back I think we'll feel we moved our program in the right direction and we know where the bar is set and we'll try to get there."
