Strong pitching leads UBC to Saturday sweep in Portland

UBC left-hander Will Anderson (Delta, B.C.) started and allowed just one run, while striking out nine, in six innings to lead his club to a 2-1 win over Warner Pacific University in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Photo: Vamsi Nadella, UBC Athletics

March 7, 2026

By Jeff Sargeant

UBC Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – The UBC Thunderbirds extended their Cascade Collegiate Conference win streak to five games with a Saturday doubleheader sweep over the host Warner Pacific University Knights.

It was a tale of two very different contests in Portland, Ore., with Will Anderson (Delta, B.C.) winning a pitching duel with WP starter Donny Tober in a series opener that saw the 'Birds out-hit by a 9-7 margin but coming away with a 2-1 victory.

The second half of the double dip had the 'Birds score three times in the second inning as part of a dominant 9-4 win.

Freshman UBC infielder Braeden Scott (Vancouver, B.C.) combined for six hits and a walk while the big story of the day was the blue and gold's pitching staff which allowed just three earned runs with 28 strikeouts.

Game one was indeed the Will Anderson story as the junior thrower struck out a season high nine batters through six complete innings having limited the Knights to the single run on six hits, an Alex Nesbitt RBI single in the bottom of the first.

Tober went toe-to-toe with Anderson until the 'Birds got to the WP starter in the fifth inning.

UBC managed to tie the game in the fourth when a Knights throwing error allowed David Krahn (Langley, B.C.) to score.

Tober's only earned run came in the following frame when Matt Vanslyke (Whitby, Ont.) came across from third having previously stolen second having got on base with a leadoff single.

Mason Chien (Langley, B.C.) was brought in to pitch the seventh for UBC and retired six straight batters to set up Lucas Huynh (Vancouver, B.C.) for his third save of the season.

The second game of the afternoon saw yet another strong start for the 'Birds with James Brock (Burnaby, B.C.) striking out seven through six innings of work having allowed zero earned runs, four hits and one walk.

Brock got some solid run support to the tune of a 4-0 T-Birds lead through four innings while Josh Cote (Midland, Ont.) hammered his third home run of the season in the fifth, a solo shot to left.

Warner Pacific cut UBC's lead to three runs when a fielding error allowed two Knights to score in the bottom of the fifth.

Stephen Waters (Toronto, Ont.) launched his second homer of the year in the top of the sixth while a Braeden Scott RBI single three batters later restored the T-Birds' five-run advantage.

Oscar Moy (Vancouver, B.C.) got tagged for a two-run Connor Hale homer in the seventh, but the T-Birds reliever allowed only one more hit over the final three innings, racking up six strikeouts.

UBC added a pair of runs of their own in the ninth, RBI singles from Kyle Yip (Calgary, Alta.) and Jordan Stewart (Vancouver, B.C.) while Hoy retired his only three batters in the bottom half to secure the Saturday sweep.

The 'Birds and Knights will battle it out for another doubleheader Sunday in Portland with first pitch set for 11:00 a.m.