UBC defeated twice by Lewis-Clark State

UBC’s Kansai Sugimoto had two hits in Saturday’s doubleheader against Lewis-Clark State. Photo: Chloe Green, Lewis-Clark State Athletics

April 4, 2026

By UBC Communications

LEWISTON, Idaho – After taking the series opener on Friday, the UBC Thunderbirds were beaten in both halves of Saturday's doubleheader by the No. 5 ranked team in the NAIA, the Lewis-Clark State Warriors.

The 'Birds fell behind early in both games and were unable to mount comebacks, meaning that they will need to bounce back on Sunday in order to avoid losing this crucial series between the top two teams in the conference.

GAME ONE

While it was UBC who scored the first run of the day - when a David Krahn (Langley, B.C.) sacrifice fly brought home Kansai Sugimoto in the top of the first - the trouble began right after as the Warriors put up seven runs in the opening frame.

The home team put up four more runs between the second and third innings, racking up seven RBI singles and two RBI doubles as they went up 11-1 in a great display of hitting. Homers from both Brandon Nguyen and Bryce Johnson in the fifth put the game solidly out of reach.

The 'Birds were able to get some more runs on the board in the seventh, when a Stephen Waters (Toronto, Ont.) RBI double was followed the very next at-bat by a deep shot from Kyle Yip (Calgary, Alta.). But that was only a consolation as UBC fell 15-4.

GAME TWO

It was another tough start in the second game for the Thunderbirds, as Izzy Madariaga homered for the Warriors in the opening inning before they scored another four runs in the second.

A Lewis-Clark fielding error scored Krahn in the fourth, and was followed by an RBI single from Waters to cut into the deficit further, but that was as close as the Thunderbirds were able to get as after a few innings of a tight game the Warriors were able to pull away with some more big offensive performances in the final two innings for a 12-2 win.

The two sides will face off one more time at 11:00 a.m. (P.T.) on Sunday, the eighth and final meeting of the regular season between the two rivals.