VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (30-14, 15-6) saw their ten-game win streak come to a halt by way of the No. 9 ranked Lewis-Clark State Warriors (28-9, 14-3) who rode the strength of a solid pitching performance by starter Drake George to a 13-3 victory Friday night at Tourmaline West Stadium.

Picking up his sixth win of the season in a complete game performance, George was clinical, limiting the 'Birds to just the three runs on eight hits with nine strikeouts.

While the typically heavy hitting T-Birds were limited offensively Friday night, it was their inability to hold off the Warriors' big bats, allowing the visitors to put up three-plus run innings three different times including the pivotal fifth frame when junior infielder Dominic Signorelli nailed a three-run homer to open up a 5-2 lead.



"We know they can hit and that we have to play clean defensively. Each time they had big innings it was after a miscommunication on a popup or not turning a double play. Those are the kind of things you get away with against other teams but not against these guys," said UBC head coach Chris Pritchett after his team suffered their first loss at home all season. "We know that, we'll have to play a little bit better. I thought Ryan (Beitel) had some good stuff early. That game could have gone a bunch of different ways but it really got away from us in the middle there and I don't think we have anyone to blame but ourselves. Their pitcher was really good. If we're going to win that one, it was going to win a 3-2, 4-3 game and we just didn't play defensively well enough to make that happen."

Beitel got tagged with the loss for UBC but did good work of his own on the mound going six innings strong allowing four earned runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts.

The 'Birds had a solid start, taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Catcher Russell Young hit a leadoff double and got to third on an outfielder error. After Aaron Marsh earned a walk, Trent Lenihan drove Young home on a fielder's choice. George allowed another hit from Mitchell Middlemiss but limited the damage to the single run.



LC State took the lead back for good in the fifth after Ike George scored the tying run. With one down, Signorelli launched his three-run shot over the left field wall to put the Warriors up 5-2. Beitel struck out his next two batters to get out of the inning as the 'Birds remained in striking distance.

While the T-Birds were unable to get to George who continued dealing, the Warriors added to their lead in the seventh when Seamons scored on a fielder's choice followed by a two-run homer courtesy of junior outfielder Brandon Cabrera to make it 8-2.
Signorelli earned his fourth RBI of the game as part of a five run eighth that essentially put the game away.

As disappointing a result Friday evening was for UBC, they head into Saturday's critical doubleheader with LC knowing they are still more than capable of bouncing back as they've shown time and again already this season.



"I like our chances of still winning the series," Pritchett insisted. "It wasn't a good one tonight but we'll have to wash that away and get started again tomorrow. They've seen the fruits of their labours, they've seen games we've been behind and come back. Tonight was just one of those ones where in the middle of the game it got away from us and their pitcher was really good, so there was no coming back from that."

First pitch for Saturday's double dip is set for 3:00 p.m. at Tourmaline West Stadium.