EUGENE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University softball team welcomed the University of British Columbia to James Park on Monday, beginning a three-game Cascade Collegiate Conference series with a split. NCU took the opener 6-5 while the Thunderbirds claimed the nightcap, 8-2.
 
Anyone looking for high drama got more than their fair share in the opener as the conference foes traded leads three times and were tied four times before the Beacons emerged with a walk-off single from junior Alexis Westbrooks in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Both teams traveled far and traveled late from Saturday double-headers, though neither team showed any signs of fatigue. UBC, who arrived to town at 1:30 on Sunday morning after playing a pair in Caldwell, Idaho on Saturday, got on the board first, scoring two runs in the top of the third. On a two-RBI triple from Cassa Courtney. Remember that name.
 
NCU got one back in the bottom of the third when Sabrina Guerra singled through the left side of the infield to bring home Jordan Kuykendall. Kuykendall soon gave the Beacons their first lead at 3-2 when her RBI single down the right field line in the fourth capped off a two-run inning.
 
As quickly as it came, the NCU lead disappeared in the top of the fifth when UBC tied the contest on a sacrifice fly and reclaimed the advantage, 4-3 when Claire Eccles scored after an errant throw on a stolen base by Mia Valcke.
 
Guerra scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game and the Beacons once again claimed a lead, 5-4 when Jess Garner scored on a throwing error after Tra Kucera's sacrifice bunt had moved her to third.
 
The Beacons found themselves one out away from a 5-4 victory in the top of the seventh inning, but the Thunderbirds rallied to tie the game on an RBI single from Courtney. The home team shook off the brief disappointment as they moved to the bottom of the seventh and manufactured the winning run.
 
With one out, Avery Daniels singled through the right side and was lifted for pinch-runner Noel Balderston. Balderston promptly stole second base, NCU's fifth steal of the game, and was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from starting pitcher Emma Jegtvig. Westbrooks was the next batter up and she fired the third pitch she saw up the middle for the game-winning RBI.
 
Jegtvig (4-8) threw a complete game for the Beacons and allowed just one earned run, striking out five batters and allowing five hits. Westbrooks finished the game going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run while Kuykendall and Guerra each produced multiple hits.
 
For those of you keeping score at home, Cassa Courtney went 2-for-3 for the Thunderbirds with three RBI, a single and a triple. You may see where this is going…
 
Kaia Gyorfi (1-6) took the loss for UBC despite striking out five batters and allowing just three earned runs. The Beacons out-hit the Thunderbirds 11-5 and each team suffered from four errors.
 
After eight errors in the opener, the combatants cleaned things up in game two as they combined for 19 hits without a single miscue. NCU's demise proved to be an inability to capitalize on prime scoring opportunities as they stranded 11 runners including five at third base.
 
Eccles scored the first run of the game for UBC in the top of the first inning, coming around to score on a sacrifice fly after reaching on a walk.
 
The Beacons continued to show a knack for small ball as they took the lead in the bottom of the first. A one out walk to Kuykendall was followed by a stolen base for the freshman who scored on Kucera's RBI single. Two more consecutive singles brought Kucera around to give NCU a temporary lead.
 
British Columbia got both runs back in the second and took the lead for good as Avery Hilpert produced an RBI single and later scored on another UBC sacrifice fly. The visitors would end up with three in the game and four on the afternoon.
 
Courtney got her name back in the headlines in the third inning, hitting a leadoff double and then scoring on double by Jordan Britten-Yung to give the Thunderbirds some breathing room and a 4-2 lead. As if that weren't enough, the junior from Surrey, B.C. went on to smack a three-run insurance homer in the top of the seventh inning, completing a two-game cycle.
 
Courtney finished her impressive day hitting 4-for-6 with six RBI and two runs scored, adding in a pair of hit-by-pitch for good measure. Michaela Moore was also 3-for-4 in game two for UBC, giving more than enough to starter Shelby Kempel (5-3) who threw a complete game, striking out three batters while giving up eight hits.
 
Kucera went 3-for-4 for the Beacons with a run, an RBI and a stolen base, one of NCU's five swipes in the game which brought their daily total to ten.  Shay Shropshire (0-7) took the loss for the Beacons, allowing three earned runs in three innings.
 
NCU and British Columbia will conclude the series, which was been rescheduled from a rainout in early March, on Monday morning with the first pitch scheduled for 11:00 am.