VANCOUVER – On a day with plenty to celebrate, the UBC Thunderbirds (29-12, 24-5) made it a series sweep over the Bushnell Beacons (29-13, 19-10), notching two more victories with massive ramifications on the battle for playoff positioning.
They left it a little late in the second game of the day, but 7-1 and 8-1 victories over the reigning conference champs shows the fire that the veteran-laden Thunderbirds are playing with.
In between the two games the team's graduating seniors were honoured, with 13 T-Birds taking part in their final career regular season home games. The highly impactful group consists of infielders David Draayers, Trent Lenihan, Aaron Marsh, Aidan Rose and Hilo Yamamoto, outfielders Kyle Anderson, Jonny McGill, Mitchell Middlemiss and Kaden Zarowny, pitchers Ryan Beitel, Evan Hoegler and Adam Khan, and catcher Russell Young.
A number of those senior players made big impacts on the day, including Beitel who had one of his best performances of the season in the first game. The Surrey native allowed two hits, no walks and just one run in eight innings while striking out 10. Marsh, McGill, Middlemiss and Young all recorded multiple RBI over the two games combined.
"I think there was a lot of emotion, so I never know how it's going to be channeled in games like that," said Thunderbirds head coach Chris Pritchett. "But both teams were going at it, so I think they were able to refocus and it was a good one."
Jordan Wilson scored both runs on the day for the Beacons, launching a pair of solo home runs, one in each game. Kai Keamo was lights out in his start in the second game, allowing just two hits and no runs against him over seven innings.
GAME ONE
UBC didn't wait too long to get the scoring going, with Middlemiss firing a two-out single to left that brought home pinch-runner Noah Grant. That RBI started a trend, as the T-Birds' first six runs of the game all came with two outs on the scoreboard.
Two more came right after the first run, as a Kellen Bourne single was followed by an overthrown pick-off attempt to first base that made it 3-0 and capped a perfect start to the game for the 'Birds.
With Beitel cooking early (he struck out four of the first seven batters he faced), UBC added to their lead in the second as Grant scored again as a pinch-runner off a McGill triple. Consecutive doubles from Bourne and Rose in the third made it a five-run lead.
The Beacons got on the board with a powerful homer from Wilson in the top of the fourth, as they hoped to spur a comeback. However, the only scoring plays that followed came from the Thunderbirds, including Rose once again bringing home Bourne after the latter hit his second double of the game.
A fence-hitting double from Young in the bottom of the eighth scored Jackson Boomer and was the final run of the first outing. While the visitors put some pressure on with a pair of baserunners in the ninth, reliever Lucas Huynh managed to close things out.
GAME TWO
The second game of the day started very differently, with the Beacons landing three hits over the first three innings, although they were unable to cash in a run. UBC didn't get their first hit until an infield single from Rose in the third, and couldn't score either.
Wilson stepped up to bat for the Beacons in the sixth, and threatened to hit another home run with a well-struck ball that went foul. Not to be deterred, he then went yard on the very next pitch with another long shot that stayed fair and gave his team the lead.
Still down 1-0 in the eighth, the T-Birds were in trouble as Bushnell managed to get runners on second and third with just one out. Jacob Richardson then hit a ball high to centre field that looked like a textbook sacrifice fly, but instead of throwing to home plate, Zarowny made the heads up play of firing the ball to third where Marsh snagged it and tagged the runner that was trying to take the base from second. That wiped out the run that was about to arrive home and ended the inning.
The 'Birds turned that defensive momentum into offensive momentum, as they lit up the Beacons in the bottom half of the eighth. A
Kyle Yip single followed by three straight batters getting hit by pitches tied the game, and the T-Birds then proceeded to land five RBI singles.
It was five of the graduating players – Middlemiss, Young, Draayers, Zarowny and McGill – who got the hits that made it 8-1, turning a nervy deficit into a massive lead.
"Our guys stuck with it, and the pitching was great too," remarked Pritchett on what made the comeback happen. "
Daniel Orfaly had a rough week last week and was outstanding today."
Orfaly might not have been credited with the win, but he threw seven good innings with just five hits and the lone run against him. The W instead went to Khan, who earned his first of the season in his final regular season home game.
It's now two road series to end conference play for UBC, first at Eastern Oregon and then Lewis-Clark State.
"The next two road trips are going to be difficult," added Pritchett. "We're going to finish with LC who we're tied with, guys are in finals…so we've gotta manage everything and just keep grinding. I love this group and I'm really optimistic with our future."
The T-Birds and Warrior both own 24-5 records in conference play, and are both vying to host the Cascade Conference Championship at the beginning of May. The 'Birds will first have to focus on EOU, who they face in a pair of doubleheaders on April 18th and 19th.
