UBC defeats Lewis-Clark State to earn top playoff seed

With their 9-2 win over Lewis-Clark State on Sunday, UBC are CCC regular season champions for the first time since 2010. Photo: UBC Athletics

April 27, 2025

By Jake McGrail

UBC Communications

LEWISTON, Ida. – For the first time since 2010, the UBC Thunderbirds are regular season conference champs.

And they will play some playoff baseball at home for the first time since 2017.

Back then, it was the NAIA West Grouping Championships. Now, it's the Cascade Conference Championship and the T-Birds enter as the top seed following a clutch win over the Lewis-Clark State Warriors.

Entering Sunday tied in conference record, both teams knew the stakes for the final game of the regular season. After missing on their first chance to clinch the top seed the previous day, the T-Birds more than rose to the occasion with an emphatic 9-2 victory.

All but one of UBC's RBIs came from the bat of one of their fourth-year players, with Aaron Marsh (Nanaimo, B.C.) totalling three of them. On the basepaths, Jackson Boomer (Vancouver, B.C.) showed his fantastic ability as a pinch-runner, scoring four times while not having a single at-bat.

Daniel Orfaly (White Rock, B.C.) pitched eight innings in a quality start, giving up eight hits and two runs against the nationally-ranked Warriors. The White Rock native earned his fourth win of the season.

Orfaly certainly got some good run support, as the Thunderbirds jumped on Lewis-Clark State starter Landon Webb early with five runs in the first two innings. Two of them were scored by Boomer, off of singles first from Marsh and then Jonny McGill (Richmond, B.C.). Trent Lenihan (White Rock, B.C.) also started hot, scoring on a Kyle Yip (Calgary, Alta.) sacrifice fly in the first and landing an RBI double in the second.

While the hit totals for the game weren't too lopsided (13 for UBC and 10 for LC State), the Warriors were unable to take full advantage of their opportunities. The T-Birds' defence and pitching were consistent throughout the game, leaving a Warrior stranded on base in all but one inning.

A Lenihan RBI triple in the top of the fourth was followed immediately by a single from Marsh, giving the visitors a commanding 7-1 lead. The Warriors got one more back in the fifth, before a pair of extra UBC runs in the sixth and ninth padded the final scoreline.

The Thunderbirds will now have their eyes set on the conference championship, where they will enter as the top seed. The tournament features five teams and is double-elimination, with all games taking place at Tourmaline West Stadium.

UBC will play their first game at 6:00 p.m. (P.T.) on Friday, May 2, against either Bushnell or College of Idaho.