VANCOUVER – Talk about ending the regular season in style.
Not only did the T-Birds (27-19, 15-9) earn a series sweep over the Beacons (6-35, 3-21) on their Senior Day, but they began Saturday's action with one of their most feel-good results of the season.
At the same time that the bats set a new season-high for runs scored with 14, fourth-year ace
Carleen Murray made history on the mound as she threw the program's first no-hitter since 2012 (and just the second all-time).
That fantastic milestone capped what has been the best pitching season in UBC history, with Murray breaking the program records for wins (17), ERA (1.14), strikeouts (174), complete games (17), shutouts (10) and saves (3) for a single year.
The T-Birds' other fourth-years got involved as well, with all four of
Jessica Heutink,
Kennedy Laird,
Casey Lo and
Clare VanSpall recording at least one hit on the day. They were honoured after the final out by UBC head coach
Jennifer McKellar and the rest of her staff, and hold the distinction of being the first graduating class to have only played under McKellar while here at UBC.
"It's obviously emotional and hard to say goodbye, but I'm so proud of everything they gave and sacrificed for the program," said McKellar. "We wouldn't be where we are without these five seniors, and they deserve all of the celebrations to come and all the success they've had this year."
Third-year outfielder
Brielle Donoghue had the best offensive performance overall for the blue and gold, batting 4-7 with three RBIs and four runs scored between the two games – the second of which was much tighter than the first.
GAME ONE
The Thunderbirds opened the scoring early off an infield single from Laird, as while Beacons shortstop Shyla Mead made a great diving stop to prevent the ball going into the outfield, she was unable to stop Donoghue from crossing home plate.
VanSpall then scored on the next play, taking advantage of a Bushnell misplay on the throw home off a
Tegan Harnett single. A
Mattea Burrill sacrifice fly capped off a three-run inning for the hosts, getting them off to a strong start.
The second was even bigger for UBC, beginning with
Lauren Hounsell smacking a triple to the left corner to lead things off. She then came home following a Bushnell fielding error, kicking off what became a six-run inning for the T-Birds. A two-RBI single by Harnett and a
Jillian Matsubara double that also put another pair of runs on the board were the highlights as the Thunderbirds went up 9-0.
After loading the bases in the fourth, Lo got an RBI on the board when she hit an infield single that scored Harnett. Donoghue then cleared the bases with a triple hit perfectly to the gap in right-centre, before she was able to score following another error to cap off the season-high 14 runs scored by the T-Birds.
Murray and the defence behind her were nearly flawless, only giving up two baserunners on an infield error and a hit-by-pitch walk in the top of the fourth. Other than that, it was four 1-2-3 innings, including five strikeouts.
GAME TWO
The second half of the doubleheader had a very different feel compared to the first, with the Beacons determined to end their season on a better note. Madison Johnson started things off brightly for the visitors, hitting a single in the opening frame and then stealing second. She was then brought home by a Riley Peeler RBI single, giving her team their first lead of the series.
The Thunderbirds were frustrated somewhat for much of the game offensively, with Gabby Garza allowing just two hits through the first five innings for Bushnell. Some of that was helped by some strong defensive play behind her, including a diving catch on a fly ball from centre-fielder Kaylee Lundeen, robbing what looked to be a surefire lead-off double from Heutink in the fourth.
The T-Birds kept pushing, however, and were rewarded for their efforts in a big sixth inning. After Donoghue started things off with a single, VanSpall laid down a bunt and then beat out the throw to put two runners on with no outs.
After a Heutink sacrifice bunt put them both in scoring position, Zoe Willington allowed them to do just that with a single fired up the middle. Wanting a little more insurance, Matsubara brought home Willington with an RBI single of her own, giving UBC a 3-1 lead.
That was all the run support that
Brynn Fortier needed, as she continued her fine performance on the weekend with a complete game, allowing just three hits and the one run while striking out nine of the 24 batters she faced.
"I think they showed so many different ways of coming together to win," remarked McKellar on the two performances. "They came together in game one and produced a ton of offence, and then in game two a bit of a pitcher's duel and coming through in the sixth to score enough runs to win the game. I think it's good going into the playoffs knowing that you can do that, and I think they believe in themselves."
With the regular season in the books, the Thunderbirds now have their sights set on competing for the Cascade Collegiate Conference championship. They'll once again head to Klamath Falls for the three-day tournament, after Oregon Tech (40-6, 20-4) won the CCC regular season title for the fifth straight year.
The T-Birds will face either College of Idaho (30-18, 12-12) or Simpson (17-30, 11-13) in their playoff opener on Friday, May 1, depending on how results elsewhere in the conference this weekend shake out.
