VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds softball team dropped both games of a Cascade Collegiate Conference doubleheader Friday at Eastern Oregon, falling 12-9 and 6-5 in La Grande, Ore.

The Thunderbirds (3-9, 2-3 CCC) and Mountaineers (5-12, 4-4 CCC) battled back and forth in both contests, but the home side came out victorious with some big late-inning hits.

GAME 1 – Eastern Oregon 12, UBC 9 
Game 1 featured a back-and-forth game with each team retaking the lead on three different occasions. The Mountaineers came through the biggest inning, however, scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth to turn a 7-7 tied into a 12-7 lead.
 
Cassa Courtney hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh for UBC, but it was not enough as EOU took the opener. Courtney, Hanna Hansen and Taylore Jones had three hits each, while Nicole Salas had a pair of hits and a walk.

The Thunderbirds started the game with two runs in the first on a two-run single by Hansen. The Mounties answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half as Alaina Carson scored on an error and Haley Ebner brought home Bertrand on a sacrifice fly.
 
UBC reclaimed the lead in the third on a run-scoring fielder's choice, but once again EOU answered as Dow hit a two-run double to center field and later scored on an error to make it 5-3.

The Thunderbirds scored two in the fourth on Mia Valcke's first home run of the year, to centre field, and a Hansen double to right. The Mountaineers responded with a run in the bottom half on a bases-loaded hit by pitch by Hall to make it 6-5. UBC took the lead with two runs in the fifth with Salas coming home on an error, and Jones knocking a single to right-centre to plate Jordan Britten-Yung, but EOU was once again able to answer with a sacrifice fly.
 

 
GAME 2 | Eastern Oregon 6, UBC 5 
A walk-off single by Brittney Bertrand in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Mountaineers to the doubleheader sweep. With runners on first and second, Bertrand hit a hard line drive to the shortstop that found its way through the hole and into left field, allowing Katie Silvestri to score from second to complete EOU's comeback. Silvestri led off the inning with a walk, moving over to second on a sacrifice bunt by Glori Cheevers. Carson kept the inning going later with a walk.
 
UBC opened the game with a 2-0 lead as they scored two runs in the top of the second inning. Olivia Malesku's single allowed Emily Chorpita to score. Later in the inning, Malesku came home on an error.

The home side tied the contest in the fourth, before taking the lead in the fifth on a two-RBI single to center field to go ahead 4-2.
 
Courtney then answered for UBC with her second home run of the day, another two-run shot that tied the game at 4-4. The Thunderbirds took the lead 5-4 as  Salas hit an RBI single. The Mounties tied the score in the bottom of the sixth, setting up the eventual walk-off opportunity in the seventh.
 
The teams finish the series on Saturday, with EOU having already won the three-game CCC portion. Games are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. PT.