PORTLAND, Ore. – The UBC baseball team won two of three non-conference contests at NCAA Div. 2 Concordia (Ore.) this weekend in Portland, Ore.
 
The Thunderbirds picked up an 8-3 win in the opening game Saturday, before hanging on for a 4-3 triumph in the night cap against the Cavaliers. The hosts took the series finale 7-4 thanks to a big eighth inning on Sunday afternoon at Porter Park.
 
GAME 1 – UBC 8, Concordia 3
 
CU starter Sasha Jabusch and UBC starter Garrett Hawkins traded zeroes through the first two innings of play, and the Cavaliers broke the silence in the bottom of the third on a solo home run by Tyler White.
 
UBC responded immediately in the fourth, as Nolan Weger drew a leadoff walk to start a big inning. With two outs, the Thunderbirds managed to collect three straight singles with the latter being a two-run knock by Cameron Sanderson to make the score 3-1.
 
Concordia pulled even in the fifth inning, with Travis Strickler leading off the frame with a bunt single. Presley drove in the first run with a knock to left field, and a Todd Reese ground-rule double evened the score at 3-3.
 
That ended the day for Hawkins, who picked up the win allowing three runs on eight hits with nine strikeouts and no walks in five full innings of work. Barry Caine and Adam Maier combined to allow just five baserunners over the final four innings, while striking out eight and walking none to secure the win for UBC.
 
The Thunderbirds plated three more runs in the sixth inning, with Austen Butler poking an RBI-single into center and Jake Lanferman driving Jabusch from the game with a two-out RBI-single to center. A final two-out knock off the bat of Noah Or made the score 6-3, which was enough of a cushion to last the rest of the game.
 
Concordia's best chance to score came in the bottom of the eighth, when singles by Tyler Pruitt and Strickler put runners on the corners with two outs. Maier stranded both runners with a strikeout however, completing a shutdown inning after a two-run double by Or made the score 8-3 in the top of the frame.
 
Or, Maier, and Butler each had a pair of hits in the opening game, while the former led the team with three RBIs. Strickler led CU by going 4-for-4 at the plate, while Presley was 3-for-5 and Peters added a pair of knocks.
 
Jabusch was dealt the loss, allowing six runs – three earned – on eight hits with four strikeouts and a pair of walks in 5 2/3 innings. Matt Watson gave up two runs on two hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief, while striking out four and issuing a pair of walks. Freshman Matt Bergevin threw a strong ninth inning, with a strikeout and a walk.
 

 
GAME 2 – UBC 4, Concordia 3
 
With their backs against the wall trailing by two in the bottom of the ninth, the Cavs made some noise and had a chance to pull even. Liam Knowles punched a one-out double into the left-field corner, and Darnell Calugay followed with a double to right-center to make it a 4-3 ballgame. 
 
UBC reliever Ryan Beitel weathered the storm however, with a strikeout and a ground out to strand the tying run in scoring position and end the game.
 
The Cavs received a strong outing from starter Ryan Gibson, who gave up four runs on six hits with eight strikeouts and three walks in six full innings of work. Erik Wisenor also had a good showing on the mound, as he didn't allow a hit in three scoreless innings of work with a pair of strikeouts and three walks.
 
Peters led off the bottom of the first with a triple to right field, but UBC starter Jared Spearing wiggled out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts and a ground out to keep the game scoreless. Spearing wound up allowing two runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and a walk in four innings of work.
 
Tyson Cooper used his legs to help create CU's first run of the game, beating out an infield single and scampering into scoring position on an ensuing wild pitch. Isaac Lovings delivered an RBI-single into center field, giving CU a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the second inning.
 
The Thunderbirds took the lead in the top of the third, plating a pair of runs with two outs. Jaxon Valcke delivered the big hit, with a deep fly ball into the right-field corner for a two-run double that made it a 2-1 ballgame.
 
Three straight hits by the Cavs evened the score in the bottom of the frame, with Knowles dumping an RBI-double into left field for the key knock in the inning.
 
The starters each put up zeroes over the next two innings, and the Thunderbirds were the next to strike in the top of the sixth. Valcke and Weger led off the frame with back-to-back singles, and Brett Corbeth ripped a two-run double into the left-field corner to push the visitors in front 4-2. Gibson did well to limit the damage, as he stranded two more runners in scoring position with back-to-back strikeouts.
 
The Cavs brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh, when Todd Reese roped a double into deep center field. Reliever Brendan Logan buckled down however, and struck out the next two batters to preserve his team's two-run advantage.
 
Presley and Knowles were the lone Cavaliers to collect multiple hits in the low-scoring Game 2, and Valcke was the only Thunderbird with two hits on his line in the game. CU stranded 13 runners on base, as the home team did not go without opportunities.
 

GAME 3 – Concordia (Ore.) 7, UBC 4
 
For UBC their lone hits came from Noah Or and Wyatt Schnorr. Schnorr also drove in a run along with Ty Penner and Austen Butler. James Bradwell was the best pitcher on the day for UBC working four innings in relief of starter Finnigan Duffield. Bradwell allowed one run on one hit striking out six before giving way to Brett Corbeth in the seventh. Corbeth was tabbed with the loss.
 
CU gave the ball to senior Kaleb Strawn in game three and the lefty delivered a fine performance going six innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on two hits. Strawn struck out six but was hurt by errors and control issues at times, walking two and hitting four UBC batters.
 
True freshman Max Ramirez unofficially notched his first collegiate win as he pitched three innings in relief for CU. He only allowed one baserunner via a walk and struck-out three. 
 
Offensively CU was led by Payton Presley who recorded two hits and a walk and scored two runs. Damon Peters added a hit and two runs batted in and Todd Reese had the biggest hit for CU driving in a run. Reese was also hit twice on the day.
 
The Cavs struck first for the third straight game as they scored three runs in the first two innings. Inning one was started when Presley reached on a one-out infield single and was followed by Reese being plunked. Presley moved over to third on a fielder's choice off the bat of Liam Knowles and then was balked in by Duffield.
 
Two more came in during inning two when Peters delivered a one out, bases loaded single that scored Dominic Enbody and Darnell Calugay.
 
UBC got its first runs on the board in the top of the fourth. A one-out walk followed by an error, hit batter, and second error allowed the first run to come across. Butler then drove in the second run on a sac fly to right and Strawn struck out the next hitter to end the threat.
 
With CU up 3-2 after 4.5 innings, Tyler Pruitt manufactured an insurance run seemingly on his own. Reaching on a lead-off walk, Pruitt would get to second on a base-hit by Calugay and then take third and home on wild pitches.
 
Both pitchers would work a scoreless sixth before things got interesting in the seventh for Strawn.
 
After hitting the first two batters of the inning, Strawn surrendered a single to Schnorr that drove in Penner. Schnorr advanced to second on a throwing error by CU setting the table for an intentional walk to Liam Vulcano loaded the bases with no outs and a 4-3 lead for the Cavs.
 
At this point Vance made the decision to turn to the freshman righty in Ramirez. The California product struck out the first batter looking before uncorking a wild-pitch that had Butler score and tied things at four. Ramirez got the next two outs both by infield pop-ups to Knowles and Tyler White.
 
After Corbeth came on in relief and worked a scoreless seventh for UBC, the Cav hitters saw more success with timely hitting started by nine hitter Jake Wikel. Then with one out, Presley recorded his second single of the day moving Wikel to second and setting the table for Reese.
 
Reese hammered a ball the other way to drive in Wikel and sending Presley to third, giving CU a 5-4 lead with one down and then gave way to pinch-runner Tyson Cooper. Immediately following Reese, Knowles doubled to left field driving in another run.
 
CU would add one more on a sac fly by Pruitt, taking a 7-4 lead into the ninth. Ramirez induced two ground-outs and then worked around a walk by striking out the final hitter.
 
Next up for the T-Birds is a four-game series (Friday to Sunday) at NAIA No. 25 Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.).