T-Birds’ World Series odds take a hit
NAIA TOURNEY: Tougher path awaits UBC after qualifying tourney defeat; Clan’s Proceviat sets solid pace
The good news for the UBC Thunderbirds is that their baseball season will continue later this month in the opening round of the NAIA World Series.
The bad news is they won’t be starting from the best place in the draw and they won’t be carrying the wave of momentum they had hoped for after earning the right to play host to this past weekend’s NAIA West Grouping championships at Thunderbird Field.
UBC entered play Sunday against the College of Idaho Yotes trying to stave off elimination and at the same time battle for a spot in the tournament final against the powerhouse Lewis-Clark State Warriors.
A five-run seventh inning by College of Idaho, however, proved to be their undoing as the Birds fell 12-9 to the Yotes and were eliminated from further play at the double-knockout event.
T-Birds’ offensive leader Bruce Yari stroked a two-run single as part of a four-run bottom of the fourth, giving UBC a short-lived 6-4 lead.
UBC had opened play Friday with a dramatic 4-3 win in 11 innings over the Yotes, but suffered a 3-0 loss to Lewis-Clark State on Saturday.
Lewis-Clark State and College of Idaho were set to play later Sunday for the West’s top seed. The Warriors, Yotes and Thunderbirds will all continue their seasons at the NAIA World Series beginning May 17 in the Santa Barbara, Calif., bracket.
Track and field
Simon Fraser Clan senior middledistance standout Cameron Proceviat is peaking at the perfect time.
Proceviat turned in the secondfastest 800-metre time in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history Saturday, clocking a personalbest one minute, 49.28 seconds in his heat at the Occidental College Open in Los Angeles.
The time, just below the NCAA Division 2 national championship automatic qualifying standard of 1:49 flat, makes the 2011 grad of Burnaby’s Moscrop Secondary the fleetest of the 35 athletes who have provisionally qualified for the national meet May 26-28 in Bradenton, Fla.
Proceviat could potentially make the standard when he runs in the GNAC conference championship meet May 13 and 14 at Western Oregon University.
“It was a great sharpener and boost for the upcoming GNAC championships,” said Clan head coach Brit Townsend. “Cam is gaining confidence with every race towards his goal of capturing a championship title. I am excited to see what he can do in the next few weeks.”