EUGENE, Ore. – Sunday was sweet for the UBC Thunderbirds (7-2, 3-0), as they took down the Bushnell Beacons (5-7, 0-3) for the third and fourth time in their conference play-opening weekend series.

It was again a well-rounded display of reliable hitting and confident pitching, as the T-Birds combined for 11 runs and 22 hits over the two games compared to just three runs and 10 hits for the Beacons.

Carleen Murray and Shae Sever each earned a win on the mound, while Kaitlyn Eng was electric at the plate. The Richmond native recorded five hits, four RBIs and two runs scored on the day, scoring or bringing home over half of her team's runs.

 
GAME ONE

It was the third inning that proved to be decisive in the first battle of the day, after both teams scored a single run in the second. Clare VanSpall got the party going with a triple, and was brought home by Eng on the very next at-bat.

Then, the T-Birds managed to load the bases with two outs, an opportunity begging for someone to break the game open. Jessica Heutink obliged with a double to centre field that scored two baserunners to make it a 4-1 ballgame.



Eng tacked on two more in the sixth with a bases clearing triple, while the duo of Murray and Sever showed they had more than enough run support. Murray only needed to throw 37 pitches in five innings of work, giving up three hits and one run before Sever allowed just a single baserunner in the final two innings.

 
GAME TWO

The final game of the series was a bit of a different story from the first, as the T-Birds fell behind 2-1 by the third inning, a score that persisted until the top of the sixth.

With runners on second and third and just one out, Brielle Donoghue tied the game with an RBI single. That was soon followed by more RBI singles from both Eng and Madison MacGillivray, putting their team in front.



Keona Nordquist brought home Mattea Burrill with a single in the seventh for the final run of the series, as Sever was once again great in relief of starter Riley Woodward. Sever struck out six and allowed just two hits in four innings, shutting down any hopes of a comeback for the home team.



The T-Birds now head back home as one of only two Cascade Collegiate Conference teams to start CCC action unbeaten. This is the first time that UBC has swept their first series of conference play since 2019.



Next up is another road series, as the Thunderbirds will head to Portland to take on Warner Pacific University for two more doubleheaders on Friday, March 7th, and Saturday, March 8th. The Knights were swept in their first CCC series by the nationally-ranked Southern Oregon Raiders.