VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds are one win away from the NAIA World Series after a pair of elimination victories Wednesday at the 2022 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round in Lewiston, Idaho.
The 'Birds roared to a 9-3 victory over the Doane University Tigers Wednesday afternoon to advance to a must-win game against the host and No. 5 ranked Lewis-Clark State Warriors in the evening where UBC rallied from behind with a five run eighth inning to force a final game against the Warriors on Thursday morning with the winner advancing to the NAIA World Series beginning Friday, May 27 in Lewiston.
In the earlier game against the Tigers, Brandon Hupe led the way at the plate with three hits and four RBI while Brett Corbeth pitched a gem going the distance allowing just one earned run on eight hits for his fourth win of the season.
The win eliminated Doane from the regional tournament and set up a rematch between the T-Birds and Warriors, the eighth such meeting this year between the regular season and playoffs combined. Lewis-Clark State had won each of the previous seven, but that mattered little Wednesday night and the 'Birds proved as much with their gutsy performance.
Down 4-2 in the top of the eighth, Cam Sanderson got the rally started with a two RBI double, tying the game. Sanderson scored himself on a Mike Fitzsimmons sacrifice fly on what turned out to be the game winning run. LC's struggles continued later in the frame when with two outs, Ty Penner was intentionally walked bringing Hupe to the plate who himself got on base with a walk to load the bases. Nathan Shute then came through with a base hit, plating two more runs to give UBC the 7-4 lead.
Shane Laforest, who headed to the mound for UBC in the bottom of the seventh, held the hosts to just one run in two innings of work while Vicarte Domingo struck out two batters while earning the save in the ninth, keeping the T-Birds' hopes alive and setting up the winner-take-all final game of the double elimination tournament Thursday morning.
UBC out-hit the number one seeded Warriors 17-9, handing LC State their first loss of the post-season.
First pitch for Thursday's final game of the tournament is set for 11:00 a.m. PT, live streaming will be available
HERE.