VANCOUVER – In the biggest game of his young university career, UBC Thunderbirds pitcher Garrett Hawkins, a rookie from Biggar, Sask., delivered with his best performance.
In an elimination contest at the California Pacific Conference Baseball Championship at HoHoKam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz., Hawkins threw a complete-game, three-hit shutout to lead UBC to a 2-0 triumph over the Marymount California Mariners.
The win sends the Thunderbirds to the Cal Pac Conference title game tomorrow morning against Antelope Valley (Calif.) at 11 a.m. The two teams met in Monday's first matchup, and the Pioneers used a seven-run 11th inning to pull out a 14-7 win. The two teams also met in last year's Cal Pac championship game, which the Pioneers won 16-3.
Because UAV finished atop the league's regular season standings, the Pioneers have already earned an automatic bid to the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening
Round, meaning UBC has captured the Cal Pac's second automatic bid to the national tournament.
In Monday's nightcap, Hawkins and MCU starter Chris Ibarra were locked in a pitchers' duel, as only three base runners reached scoring position over the first five innings.
The only offence came in the sixth.
Noah Or opened the inning by reaching base and getting to second on a throwing error. He then stole third, before touching home plate on ensuing sacrifice fly by Ty Penner.
The next batter, Brandon Hupe, doubled to left center, and then stole third. He scored the insurance run on the next play, a missed catch by the MCU catcher.
With a 2-0 lead, Hawkins allowed just one Mariner to reach base in the final four innings to complete the victory, which improved his season record to 5-5.
Hupe had two hits in four plate appearances, while Mike Fitzsimmons, Jaxon Valcke, and Jordan Dray had the other T-Birds' hits.
UBC's win also halted Marymount's historic post-season run. The Mariners, who won their first postseason contest during Sunday's opening round, upset host and 18
th-ranked Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.) 9-5 in Monday's first elimination game. The loss to UBC ends MCU's season with a 24-20-2 overall record.
Photo by Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds' loss to UAV earlier Monday was a rollercoaster, back-and-forth affair. UBC rallied from a 7-0 deficit to tie the game in the eighth and ninth innings, before UAV posted seven runs in the 11th.
In the bottom of the eighth, Valcke (double) and Dray (single) had two-RBI hits to get the T-Birds back into the game. Later in the inning, Nathan Shute came up with a two-out, pinch-hit single to right center to score Nolan Weger. UBC trailed 7-5 going into the ninth.
With Dray at the plate, the T-Birds were down to their final strike with two outs and the count at 2-2. But Dray delivered, with his second two-RBI single in as many innings to even the score at 7-7.
In the 11th inning, Antelope Valley recorded five hits and took advantage of two errors to plate seven runs to advance to the championship game.
Dray went 3-for-4 at the plate with four runs batted in, while Penner had two hits and two walks.