La GRANDE, Ore. – The UBC Thunderbirds put a combined 35 runs on 37 hits in a pair of dominant 19-4 and 16-4 wins over the host Eastern Oregon University Mounties Friday afternoon.
Mike Fitzsimmons had a seven hit, six RBI day while the 'Birds (19-15, 5-5) also got strong starting pitching from both
Sean Heppner and
Ryan Beitel, both of whom picked up wins as the blue and gold now find themselves at .500 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play with five wins in their last six games.
Game one of the doubleheader in some rather inclement weather in La Grande saw both teams score a pair of runs in the first inning. The 'Birds slowly pulled away, eventually opening up a 7-2 lead after four including a
Brett Corbeth two-RBI double in the top of the third, the first of his three extra-base hits on the afternoon.
After allowing two Mountie (1-25, 0-10) runs on two hits in the opening frame Heppner was lights out the rest of the way, pitching five shutout innings featuring just one additional EOU hit. The Sophomore and reigning CCC Pitcher of the Week retired after six complete innings with four strikeouts.
James Brock threw the seventh for UBC.
Already with plenty of run support for Heppner by the end of the fourth, the T-Birds exploded for five runs in their half of the fifth. After a Fitzsimmons sacrifice fly scored two more, one via an EOU fielding error,
Jonny McGill hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot to make it a nine run T-Bird lead. UBC's next batter,
Russell Young, sent another one out of the park with his second of the year making it 12-2.
Tyler Harper took to the mound for EOU in the top of the sixth and pitched the only scoreless T-Bird inning only to see the 'Birds put up a seven spot in the seventh that included a
Kyle Matsunuma bases loaded two-RBI single and a two-run
Noah Or long ball.
The Mounties got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh but with the deficit still at 15 by the time the inning was over, the T-Birds secured their second mercy rule victory in their last four games.
Game two saw much of the same with UBC opening up a 4-0 lead after three innings. Fitzsimmons hit a two-out solo homer in the top of the first, one of four hits in the second half of Friday's double header that saw the junior short stop finish the game a triple shy of the cycle.
Meantime,
Ryan Beitel cruised on the mound for the 'Birds pitching seven complete innings allowing just four hits with five strikeouts as he earned his second win of the season. His only earned run came on a Danny Burns solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, cutting UBC's lead at the time to 7-1.
A four run eighth for the T-Birds was capped off with a Fitzsimmons two-out double as Corbeth scored for the third time in the game and fifth time on the afternoon.
EOU plated three runs in their half of the eighth but the 'Birds once again responded – as if the game was in any doubt by that point – with five of their own in the ninth.
Kellen Bourne pitched the final inning for the 'Birds and the freshman from Calgary went three-up, three-down to secure the 19-4 win and the Friday sweep.
The T-Birds will finish up their four-game series in La Grande with a Saturday doubleheader starting at 11:00 a.m. PT.
