VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds returned to Tourmaline West Stadium Saturday afternoon as they beat the Bushnell Beacons 9-2. UBC adds four wins to their season total after the series due to the Beacons forfeiting two games.
UBC's plate prowess was on full display as they exploded for 15 hits in the second game of the weekend series. Nine 'Birds registered a hit but they were led by
Noah Or, who went four for five with a pair of RBI singles.
Ty Penner added an RBI double and a solo homerun, while first year
Cole Alguire held starting duties and threw five solid innings alongside three punch-outs.Â
"I thought we had really good at bats throughout the whole game," said UBC head coach
Chris Pritchett. "I don't think anyone gave anything away at the end. Their pitching was pretty good so I was happy with our play appearances but even more happy with how we ran the bases. I thought we were really aggressive and took advantage of every opportunity so it was a good sign for our offence."Â
The Beacons added early pressure in the first, advancing runners to second and third before Alguire dialed in to strike out his first batter of the game. He followed it by successfully forcing a routine ground ball, leaving two men stranded on base.
Or began his effective afternoon by belting a single up the middle in the second half of the first inning. He was replaced on base by speed specialist
Luciano Letteri, who was driven in from a Noah Shute RBI single to right field. Letteri carved out success on the bases as he scored both of his runs off pinch running appearances.
The second inning saw the Calgary native struggle to find his rhythm as a few wild pitches allowed the Beacons to score one run. Alguire stayed calm and managed to battle his way out of the jam, forcing a ground out to escape the inning tied 1-1.
After closing the previous inning on a high note, the 'Birds stepped up to the plate in the third and peppered three more runs to take the 4-1 lead. Back-to-back RBI doubles from
Cameron Sanderson and
Mike Fitzsimmons energized the UBC dugout before Or slapped an RBI single through the middle to cap off the three run inning.
"It's tough to rely on two-out hits but I thought we had some really good two-out at bats," added Pritchett. "When the quality is there, you can produce some runs. That third inning which put us ahead was all with two outs, but we try to focus more on the quality of an at bat rather then trying to force something."
The Beacons cut into the deficit by adding a run in the fourth inning, but steady relief from
Brett Corbeth kept the visiting team at bay.
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UBC added a pair of RBI singles in the fifth inning, and two more runs in the sixth.
Ty Penner capped off the successful weekend in the bottom of the eight inning as he destroyed a solo home run to deep centre field. Smooth lefty
Oliver Duthie closed the game with three quick outs to give UBC the successful weekend series sweep.
The 'Birds make a quick turnaround as they travel to Bellevue, WA for a lone game against Seattle University on Sunday, March 6th with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (PT).
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