KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The beauty of a double-elimination tournament? You get a second shot.
The UBC Thunderbirds (25-17, 16-11) were agonizingly close to a major upset on Friday, when they were walked-off by tournament hosts Oregon Tech in extra innings. Having their 10-game win streak snapped in such a fashion could have knocked the squad off their stride, but that was not the case.
Facing a pair of do-or-die games on the second day of the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship, the T-Birds first eliminated the Carroll College Fighting Saints (18-26, 12-15) in a 4-1 win, before they pulled off one of the biggest results in program history with a 6-3 victory over the Southern Oregon Raiders (45-8, 23-4), the No. 4 ranked team in the entire NAIA.
The results mean that the T-Birds have won three playoff games in a single season for the first time, and will play on the final day of the CCC Championship for the very first time as well.
"There's just so much buy-in from every member of the team," said a very happy Jennifer McKellar, UBC head coach. "Everyone is committed to whatever their role is. They're really supporting each other, helping each other…it's just a full team effort every pitch. It's been really exciting to watch them rise to the challenge and surpass a lot of the obstacles in front of us."
The T-Birds continued their well-rounded offensive play, as they've now scored four or more runs in each of their four playoff games. Rookie infielder Jillian Matsubara was the hero in the first outing, hitting 3-3 for two RBI (both season-bests). Kaitlyn Kim had a three-hit, two-RBI game of her own in the second, and is now hitting .500 in the postseason.
Shae Sever and Carleen Murray each earned a win on the mound, with Murray pitching a complete game in the morning before throwing another two innings in relief in the afternoon.
"They really work well off of each other and for each other," said McKellar about her two top pitchers. "But it also is really a reflection of our entire pitching staff, because they know that there are people behind them if needed and I believe that allows them to pitch with a little extra confidence."
GAME ONE
The Thunderbirds and Fighting Saints took the field at 9:00 a.m. in the tournament's first game of the day, knowing that it would be the end of the line for one of them.
Similar to their pair of regular season meetings back in mid-April, it was a low-scoring affair for most of the game. Matsubara got UBC on the board when she brought home Marin Jorgenson with a single in the second inning, but Carroll College tied the score in the fourth.
The deadlock remained in place until the sixth, with Murray and Fighting Saints' ace Kennedy Vedder both pitching very well. It was Kim who managed to provide the breakthrough with a leadoff home run, blasting her third of the season at the perfect time.
Matsubara and Jorgenson then combined again, as after the latter got on base through being hit by a pitch, Matsubara whacked a double down the left field line to bring her home.
Jessica Heutink also scored on a fielder's choice before the inning was up, and after receiving that run support Murray reeled off a 1-2-3 seventh to close out the win.
GAME TWO
After a few hours to rest and prepare, the T-Birds faced a daunting task in the second game of the day. They squared off against the SOU Raiders, one of just two CCC teams that they never beat in the regular season and one of the very best outfits in the NAIA this year.
The Raiders, after an extra innings loss of their own the previous day, were coming off a dominant win over College of Idaho earlier in the morning.
Once again, it was the T-Birds who got on the board first. After three shutout innings to begin the game, where Sever allowed just two singles and no other baserunners, the UBC dual-threat then hit a double to put a runner in scoring position in the top of the fourth.
Brielle Donoghue came in to pinch-run, and she showed her speed by coming around to score on a Kim single to right field. Heutink landed an RBI single of her own a couple batters later, making it a 2-0 lead. Matsubara made it a 3-1 ballgame the following inning when she crossed home plate on a single from Keona Nordquist, as the feeling of a potential upset continued to grow.
Entering the seventh, the T-Birds were in a solid position, which they then made an even better position with three more runs in the top half of the final inning. To make it more impressive, they all came with two outs!
With Madison MacGillivray on first base, Kennedy Ainge had perfect placement on a hit to right, which both stayed just fair and dropped just in front of the SOU outfielder. She made it to second while MacGillivray wheeled all the way around to score.
Next up was Sever, who promptly hit a single that scored pinch-runner Kaitlyn Eng. Kim then nearly hit her second homer of the day, as the ball bounced off the wall and stayed in, but it was still enough to score Sever.
Down to their final three outs, the Raiders made a massive push. They scored a pair of runs and then found themselves with runners on second and third, and the tying run at the plate with two outs. Murray steeled herself, however, and struck out the final batter to secure the history-making win.
"This has been a goal of ours from the very beginning in September," reflected McKellar. "These ladies never lost sight of that goal. It's not on me to take a ton of credit, I'm just so proud of their persistence and belief in our goals, and how they present a united front day-in and day-out."
The Thunderbirds now stand as one of the final three teams remaining in the tournament, although their path to glory does not get any easier. Next up is a rematch against Oregon Tech at 11:00 a.m. (PT) on Sunday.
The winner of that game then faces Eastern Oregon, who are unbeaten in the postseason, and must beat the Mountaineers twice to win the championship.
