Oregon Tech Splits with UBC in NAIA West Season Finale

5/1/2016 5:30:42 PM

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Michael McCall went the distance in the opener helping Oregon Tech to a 4-3 win, while University of British Columbia held off a late rally winning 5-4, as the Owls and Thunderbirds split the NAIA West series finale today at Kiger Stadium.
 
Oregon Tech ends their season with a 17-38 overall mark while going 8-27 in NAIA West action.  UBC heads into the postseason with a 37-18 record on the season and 23-12 in the league standings.
 
Game 1 (OIT 4 vs UBC 3)
 
Michael McCall went out on a high note, picking up his fourth win of the season in his complete-game effort.  McCall scattered five hits and struck out eight UBC batters.  Tech would pick up a single run in their first at-bat with UBC tying it at 1-1 with a run in the top of the fifth.
 
The Owls moved up 4-1 before UBC notched a pair of runs in the ninth inning.  With the tying run on first, McCall coaxed a fly out to left field, as the Owls earned the 4-3 win in the opener.
 
Danny Topps, Ryan Grant and McKinnon Bennett recorded two hits each.  Bennett added the Owls’ lone extra base hit, a double, while Topps, Grant and Matthew Moorehead drove in a run each.
 
Tyler Enns finished with two hits and two RBI for the Thunderbirds, including a triple, with Lucas Soper adding a pair of singles.  Vinny Martin doubled, while starter Brad Smith suffered the loss going 6.1 innings and allowing eight hits.
 
Game 2 (OIT vs UBC)
 
Oregon Tech got on the board first with a pair of runs in the first inning.  Ryan Grant doubled and Matthew Moorehead followed that up with a two-run blast to center field.
 
UBC answered with five straight, including three runs in the third and two more in the fourth inning to lead 5-2.
 
Tech came back with two in the fifth to close their deficit to 5-4.  Danny Topps and Grant would both double in runs in the inning.
 
The Owls would put runners on first and second in their last at-bat in the ninth inning, but a strikeout and groundout would end the game by the same 5-4 score.
 
The Owls recorded nine hits, including seven for extra bases.  Moorehead drove in two runs on his 10^th homerun of the season, while Grant and Topps had a RBI each.  Grant, Antonaras and Loren Cutolo came away with two hits apiece.  Grant finished with two doubles, while Topps, Cutolo, Antonaras and Colton Hinrickson each doubled in the loss.
 
For UBC Anthony Olson finished with two hits, while Lucas Soper drove in two runs and Vinny Martin one in the win.   Curtis Taylor improved to 9-3 on the year striking out three in 6.0 innings.  Tyler Gillies earned his sixth save of the season tossing the final three innings.