LA GRANDE, Ore. – The UBC Thunderbirds (20-18, 10-9) were oh so close to winning their Cascade Collegiate Conference series against the NAIA No.4-ranked Eastern Oregon Mountaineers (32-6, 15-4), but ultimately suffered a 4-1 walk-off defeat in the rubber match to start Saturday's doubleheader, before losing the non-conference series finale 5-3.
The T-Birds were looking to win their second conference series of the season against a top four-ranked opponent, after they claimed the series opener 5-0 on Friday before dropping game two. Earlier this season, UBC took down then No.1-ranked SOU in Ashland for what was arguably the most impressive series victory in program history.
Game One
With ace
Carleen Murray toeing the rubber and looking for her second win of the weekend, nothing separated the blue and gold for one of the top teams in the NAIA until the last swing of the game.
Murray conceded a run in the first inning, then locked down the Mountaineers for the next five frames. In that time, she allowed only one hit, keeping the door open for her team to tie the game back up, which they eventually did.
It took until the sixth inning for the T-Birds to get to Mounties' starter Natalie Dimitrov, and they scratched out that run through patience, guile and good fortune.
With one out,
Brielle Donoghue reached on an error before
Clare VanSpall and
Jessica Heutink drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Then
Jillian Matsubara went to work against reliever Camille Schmitz. The star third baseman battled through an eight-pitch at bat before send a sac fly to centrefield to score Donoghue at tie the game at 1-1.
That tie held until the bottom of the seventh, when, with Murray at over 120 pitches, Emily Barry connected on a three-run walk-off homerun to give the Mounties a 4-1 win.
Game Two
UBC struck first in the series finale, with VanSpall launching a two-run homerun to centerfield in the top of the second.
EOU quickly answered in their half of the frame, with Brylin Field knocking a three-run homer over the left-centerfield fence to give the Mounties the lead.
The homerfest continued in the third, as Hope Burke smacked a two-run shot to centerfield to make it 5-2 for EOU.
The T-Birds tried to rally in the fifth. With one out,
Claire Hill stroked a triple down the right field line.
Tegan Harnett then grounded out to second to send her home, before
Marin Jorgenson knocked a single down the left field line to bring the tying run to the plate. However, Jorgenson was stranded after a flyout to center ended the frame, and eventually the game, at 5-3.
After playing five of their six conference series on the road, and 32 of their 36 games overall, the blue and gold will now return to Point Grey for a well-earned homestand to finish the regular season. They are back in action next against Warner Pacific in a doubleheader scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. (PT) on Friday, April 17
th at Collings Field at Nobel Park.
