ASHLAND, Ore. – The sixth-seeded UBC Thunderbirds came close to pulling off a playoff-opening upset but lost 2-1 to the favoured College of Idaho 'Yotes in their first game at the Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank, Friday afternoon at University Field in Ashland, Ore.
 
Hannah McNerney drove a pinch-hit double to the left-field fence that chased home Taylor Eakle with two outs in the seventh inning, to give College of Idaho the walk-off win.
 
McNerney and the third-seeded Yotes (36-13) made a winner out of pitcher Colette Robert (19-4), who allowed five hits in a complete game and finished with four consecutive scoreless frames.
 
Her counterpart for UBC (12-26), Kaia Gyorfi, matched Robert in the pitchers' duel. The rookie struck out eight and took a no-hitter to the fifth inning before Eakle stroked a double and Bentli Corta hit a game-tying single to left. Gyorfi was the tough-luck loser in a four-hitter.
 
UBC opened the scoring in the top of the third inning.
 

Senior outfielder Sierra Sherritt led off with a double to left center field. She moved to third on an ensuing pop-up before Cassa Courtney, who was named to the First All-CCC Team last night, drove Sherritt in with an RBI ground out.
 
The Thunderbirds had a chance to re-take the lead in the sixth. Emily Chorpita lashed a two-out triple down the right field line but Robert was able to induce a line out to right field on the next play to keep the game tied at 1-1.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Eakle set up the game-winning rally with a leadoff walk.
 
Chorpita finished the game with two hits in three at-bats. Sherritt, Claire Eccles and Nicole Salas had the other hits for the Thunderbirds, who will play Corban (Ore.) – the fourth seed at the CCC tournament – Saturday morning at 9 a.m. PT in an elimination game.
 
The two teams faced off last weekend at Softball City in Surrey, B.C., with the NAIA 17th-ranked Warriors claiming all four games.