UBC splits doubleheader with Corban
UBC beat Corban 13-3 in the second game of their doubleheader on Friday. Photo: UBC Athletics
March 13, 2026
By Jeff Sargeant
UBC Communications
VANCOUVER – It was truly a mixed bag of results for both squads at a chilly Tourmaline West Stadium Friday as the UBC Thunderbirds earned a Friday doubleheader split with the Corban University Warriors.
After a frustrating series opener for the T-Birds that saw the home squad strand 11 base runners in a 3-2 loss, UBC responded with a vengeance in game two, plating five runs in the fourth and fifth innings en route to a 13-3 victory to head into a critical Saturday double dip with the second place Warriors.
"I thought Will (Anderson) didn't have his best stuff in the first game but he made really good pitches when he had to and certainly put us in position to win the game," said UBC head coach Chris Pritchett, who was just as happy with his team's resolve as he was disappointed with their play early in the day. "We had a number of opportunities, I think we just got over-aggressive and our guys just didn't sit within themselves. We just had a talk about it and we'll learn from it and hopefully be better."
It was a Jekyll and Hyde type of day as far as results go for the T-Birds who despite managing 10 runs in game one, couldn't manage to get hits at key moments.
Anderson (Delta, B.C.) held the 'Birds in the game but was tagged with his third loss of the season despite allowing just three runs on eight hits through 5 2/3 innings of work.
Mason Chien (Langley, B.C.) similarly held his own – and then some – entering in relief in the sixth after Knox Hubbard drove in the go-ahead run for Corban, their second run of the inning after UBC had taken a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Chien got Peyton Rickard to fly out to end the inning and limit the damage before the freshman went on to throw three hitless innings.
The 'Birds had two men in scoring position in the sixth and had the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, only to be unable to cash anything in. Rickard earned the save with starter Jack Kovanen picking up his third win of the season.
The first place Thunderbirds quickly dusted themselves off and showed their mettle come game two when the dam finally broke in the bottom of the fourth.
James Brock (Burnaby, B.C.) held the Warriors scoreless through the first four innings, allowing UBC's offence to get to work when Matt Vanslyke (Whitby, Ont.) hammered a solo home run to plate the first run of the game. Four batters later, Braeden Scott (Vancouver, B.C.) doubled the lead with an RBI single to right, followed by a three-run Oliver Clements (Vancouver, B.C.) homer to burst open a 5-0 advantage.
"That was really important, we didn't score a lot of runs in the first and we started out with three zeros to start the game but to have (Brock) hold them right there, I think everyone felt a little more relaxed at that point," Pritchett said. "Then Slyke's home run, everyone started to loosen up at that point and we just started rolling after that."
Lucas Mertlich answered for the Warriors with a three-run blast of his own in the top of the fifth, but Brock got out of the inning with the lead intact, picking up his conference-leading fifth win of the season in the process along with five strikeouts.
After David Krahn (Langley, B.C.) drove in UBC's sixth run the next frame, Kyle Yip (Calgary, Alta.) sent the ball over the centre field wall to plate another three runs. A Calvin Warrillow (Toronto, Ont.) base hit scored another for a 10-3 advantage.
The 'Birds scored twice more in the sixth while back-to-back Corban fielding errors in the seventh allowed Warrillow to score and invoke the mercy rule for UBC's eighth win in their last nine games.
Splitting Friday sets up a critical Saturday doubleheader between the top two teams in the conference who won't face each other again this regular season.
First pitch at Tourmaline West Stadium is set for 12:00 p.m.