Thunderbirds oust Cavs to take fifth NAIA West Tourney title
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NAIA West Tournament Headquarters
NAIA West Tournament Schedule
Friday, May 1
Game 1: No. 5 College of Idaho def. No. 4 Corban, 5-1 (Box Score)
Game 2: No. 2 British Columbia def. No. 3 Menlo, 5-3 (Box Score)
Game 3: No. 1 Concordia def. No. 5 College of Idaho, 5-2 (Box Score)
Saturday, May 1
Game 4 (10 a.m.): No. 4 Corban def. No. 3 Menlo, 6-4 (13 inn.) (Box Score)
Game 5 (1 p.m.): No. 2 British Columbia def. No. 1 Concordia, 6-3 (Box Score)
Game 6 ( 4 p.m.): No. 5 College of Idaho def. No. 4 Corban, 5-3 (Box Score)
Sunday, May 2
Game 7 (12 p.m.): Concordia def. College of Idaho, 7-1 (Box Score)
Game 8 (3 p.m.): Concordia def. British Columbia, 3-0 (Box Score)
Monday, May 3
Game 9 (12 p.m.): British Columbia def. Concordia, 5-2 (Box Score) |
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Thunderbirds oust Cavs to take fifth NAIA West Tourney title
PORTLAND, Ore.—In the 11th meeting between familiar foes this season, No. 2-seeded British Columbia handed top-seeded Concordia a 5-2 loss to claim the 2015 NAIA West Grouping Tournament championship on Monday afternoon.
With the title, the team's fifth in seven seasons, British Columbia (38-16) earns the league's automatic berth into the NAIA National Championships Opening Round, which will take place May 12-15 at nine sites throughout the country.
Recording its second highest win total in school history, Concordia (32-23) will now have to wait for the announcement on May 8 for the 46 national qualifiers.
UBC turned to Tyler Gillies for the start in the team's fourth game in as many days. Gillies fared well in just his second start of the season, holding the Cavs scoreless despite surrendering seven hits in 4 2/3 innings of work.
Alex Graham allowed the two Concordia runs before recording the final out in the fifth.
With options limited, the Thunderbirds went with reliever Curtis Taylor (4-2) for the third time in the series. Already logging the final two frames in games on Thursday and Friday, Taylor allowed just three hits while covering the final four innings to pick up the win.
Both teams registered 12 hits in the game with Concordia stranding 11 runners. Including five left in scoring position.
The Cavs placed two on with one out in the first only to be turned away with a pair of fly outs. Escaping the initial threat, UBC plated one runner in the bottom of the first on a Kevin Biro single and returned with a Justin Orton RBI single in the second for a 2-0 lead.
Orton, the team's No. 9 hitter, led a strong attack by the bottom of the order as the final three UBC batters combined to go 5-for-10 at the plate.
The Thunderbirds added to their advantage in the fifth with a 2-run shot over the right-field fence by Jerod Bartnik, the senior's team-leading ninth roundtripper of the season.
Concordia split the difference in the top of the sixth inning after the first four batters of the inning reached successfully.
Nate Esposito was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and was followed by singles by
Konner Reddick and
Ian Erickson to load the bases.
Elliot North drew an RBI walk for the first run while
Hunter Weiss lifted a one-out sacrifice fly to right to plate Reddick. With runners at the corners, Graham produced a grounder to shortstop to end the assault.
UBC immediately got one run back in the bottom of the sixth with two-out hitting by Orton and Tyler Enns. Orton hit a single to left with Enns smacking a triple down the right-field line for the 3-run advantage.
The Cavaliers produced one final threat in the eighth, once again loading the bases without recording an out, but Taylor quickly got out of the jam with a strikeout and an inning-ending double play to Biro at shortstop.
With the pitch count mounting, Taylor retired the Cavs in order in the ninth.
Quinn Eldridge was charged with the loss after giving up the first two runs of the game and UBC never relinquishing the early lead.
Ryan McMonigle and
Ryan Garrett closed out the game for the Cavs, with Garrett allowing two hits and striking out two in the final two stanzas.
Going 3-for-4 on the day,
Ian Erickson led the Cavs at the plate.