PENDLETON, Ore. – The UBC Thunderbirds dropped both halves of a low scoring doubleheader Friday against host Eastern Oregon Friday afternoon.
The No. 14 ranked Mountaineers (9-3, 7-1) earned a 2-0 victory to open the series, both runs scoring off an Emily Barry fifth-inning double.
Keona Nordquist pushed game two to extra innings with a game-tying RBI single in the top of the sixth, but the T-Birds (10-5, 5-3) fell in the eighth when Kelly Monaghan launched a three-run walkoff homer for the 5-3 win.
Game One was a tight contest, with both teams struggling to break through offensively. The score remained tied at 0-0 through the first four innings, with EOU and UBC putting together solid defensive performances.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Mountaineers broke the deadlock with a two-run rally, Hannah Tyree and Kelsey Evans both being driven home by Barry. From there, Mountaineer pitcher Kylie Parsons kept the Thunderbirds off the board, delivering a shutout performance with dominant pitching. UBC's offense failed to capitalize on their scoring opportunities, and the Mountaineers held on to win 2-0.
Carleen Murray was tagged with the loss but had another strong outing on the mound allowing just four hits while striking out four.
The second game was another tight battle. In the fifth inning, Tyree delivered with a two-run home run to right centre for a 2-0 lead. However, UBC fought back in the sixth inning, tying the game at 2-2 with an RBI single by
Shae Sever and another timely hit from Nordquist.
The Thunderbirds briefly took a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning when Kelsey Ainge's single scored Nordquist. But in the bottom of the eighth, Monaghan secured the doubleheader sweep with the three-run shot to right.
Natalie Dimitrov started the game and threw five solid innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits. Taylor Brewer (2-0) came in for relief, earning the win with three shutout innings, giving up just one run on three hits while striking out four.
Monaghan finished 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Tyree also had a strong game, going 1-for-3 with two RBI from her home run. For UBC, Nordquist went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Sever contributed with two hits, and an RBI.
The T-Birds will look to bounce back as the series continues Saturday with another doubleheader. First pitch is set for 11:00 a.m.