SALEM, Ore. – After dropping the opening game of their final road series of the season, the UBC Thunderbirds bounced back to earn the doubleheader split against the Corban Warriors on the strength of a complete game shutout pitching performance by
Shae Sever.
Shortly after the completion of the Saturday double dip, seniors from both teams were honoured in a special ceremony.
Senior southpaw Holly Gonzales threw a complete game for the host Warriors in the first contest and earned a win, while fellow senior Kaycee Arase hit a homerun in the third frame.
The visiting team came out strong and recorded two hits in the first inning, scoring one. For the Warriors, Maddie Ogles, combined with a Thunderbird error, plated a run after savvy base running from Taylor Beasley advanced her to third during Ogles' at-bat.
A hard-hit ball to deep left off the bat of Paia'Ala Wilcox-Molina got lost in the sun and scored both Madison Wyllie and Anastasia Iosia.
In the top of the third, UBC rattled the bats and scored three runs on four hits to take a one run lead with
Nicole Salas,
Hanna Hansen, and
Emily Horne each picking up an RBI.
Then, with two outs in the bottom of the third, senior Arase went yard to tie the game at four.
It was quiet at Warrior Field until the bottom of the seventh when Karla Calderon singled down the right field line, just in time for pinch hitter, Sarah Bradshaw, to homer to right to take game one in walk-off fashion by a final score of 6-4.
Gonzales went the distance for the Warriors scattering nine hits and four runs in the contest, tallying her eighth win of the season.
Game two of the doubleheader began in favor of the Thunderbirds. In the top of the third,
Mia Valcke homered scoring
Avery Hilpert to take a 2-0 lead. Then
Emma Dorval doubled to right and Hansen laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving Dorval to third. The Thunderbird shortstop later scored on a wild pitch taking the visitors to an early 3-0 lead.
UBC tacked on another run in the fifth and then held the Warriors scoreless throughout the remainder of the game.
Sever allowed just five hits with seven strikeouts for her fifth win of the season.
Sunday will see the conference series rubber match with first pitch set for 11:00 a.m. PT, followed by a non-conference affair.