BOX SCORE VANCOUVER, B.C. - British Columbia scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat Corban, 4-3, in a rain-soaked Saturday afternoon winner's bracket game of the NAIA West Grouping Baseball Tournament at Thunderbird Park.

With the victory, the tournament host and No. 1 seed Thunderbirds advance to the tournament championship game scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday. Corban, meanwhile, will play a loser-out game at noon on Sunday against the winner of the Concordia versus Menlo game being played later today. Should Corban get another shot at British Columbia, it would have to win twice - an "if necessary" game is slated for a noon start on Monday - for the right of playing in the NAIA national tournament. A loss for the Warriors would end their season.

Corban got a strong starting pitching performance from left-hander Austin Guzzon, who allowed just two runs, one of which was earned, on two hits in seven innings of work. He walked three and struck out seven before giving way to Daniel Aranda. British Columbia ended up scoring the game-deciding runs on three hits against the Corban freshman.

The Warriors out-hit the Thunderbirds, 11-5, but it was the host team that came up with clutch hits as Corban ended up leaving 13 runners on base. In fact, the Warriors left two on base for five straight innings - third through seventh - and the only inning in which they didn't get a runner on base was the ninth.

Trailing 1-0, Corban scored a run in the top of the third inning when William Koenig led off with a single, and after Landon Frost's sacrifice bunt, pinch runner Jon Mercer scored on a base hit by Jordan Johansen. UBC scored to make it 2-1 through three innings, but Corban tied it with a run in the fourth inning. Gregg Romero led off with an infield single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ryan Rosas, to third on a single by Stockton Taylor, and then scored on a ground out by Koenig.

That was all the Warriors managed against a trio of UBC pitchers, however, as they were unable to deliver clutch hits when they were needed.

British Columbia strung together three singles and two sacrifice bunts to score the two decisive runs in the bottom of the eighth.

Taylor had a great day at the plate for the Warriors with three hits, while Johansen and Marc Gallegos had two each.

"It was a championship type game and atmosphere," Corban head coach Jeff McKay said. "The Warriors put together a good effort. We will come back tomorrow ready to go; we are still capable of winning the tournament."