VANCOUVER – A record-setting offensive explosion by the UBC Thunderbirds softball team gave Gord Collings his first win as head coach on Saturday at the Northwest Cup in Clackamas, Ore.

In their second game of the day, the Thunderbirds beat Northwest Christian 19-14, establishing a new school record for most runs scored in a game. The two teams also combined for 12 errors on a rainy Saturday in Oregon. Earlier on Saturday morning, UBC lost a close 5-3 decision to NAIA No. 25 Oregon Tech.

Against Northwest Christian, UBC actually fell behind 6-1 thanks to a five-run second inning by the Beacons.

A series of errors helped the Thunderbirds put together a seven-run reply in the top of the third inning, which was capped off by a three-run home run by left fielder Olivia Zwick. None of the runs scored by UBC in the inning, which ended with the T-Birds ahead 8-6, were earned.

In the fourth, Cassandra Dypchey knocked a single up the middle to drive in rookie Shayla Kaplen. Lindsey Ogilvie then crossed home plate on a throwing error before Carrie McKewan drove a triple to center field to score Yasmin Bains and Dypchey. Quinn Dhaliwal then hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring home McKewan and give the Thunderbirds a 13-6 lead.

Northwest Christian got three runs across the plate in its half of the fourth inning but surrendered six more in the fifth to UBC, falling further behind.

After Leanne Jung, Carlyn Shimizu and Kaplen all drew walks to open the fifth, Shimizu scored in a throwing error by the catcher.

Dypchey then knocked a three-run home run to right field to make it 17-9. Two walks and a single later, Jung was back at the plate and proceeded to hit a two-RBI single to round out the scoring for UBC.

McKewan earned her first win as a Thunderbird after throwing 3.1 innings and giving up two earned runs. Dypchey drove in four runs, Zwick had three RBI's and Jung and McKewan both had two. Kaplen and Dhaliwal had the others for UBC.

The 19 runs were the most ever in the single game for the Thunderbirds. The previous mark was 18, set on consecutive days against the same school as UBC beat Mount Marty by identical scores of 18-4 on March 15 and 16, 2011.

The team opened the 2014 Northwest Cup on Friday with losses against No. 18 Concordia (Ore.) and No. 25 Oregon Tech.

In the early game on Friday, the T-Birds fell 5-3. Behind a four-run fifth inning that included a first career home run by senior Rielly Byrd, Concordia came back from a 3-0 deficit to earn the victory.

UBC struck first with two runs in the first inning before adding a solo run in the third innings. Ogilvie opened the account with a ground-rule double to score teammates Westerhof and Dypchey.

After UBC starter Westerhof retired the Cavs in order in the home half of the first and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second, the Thunderbirds plated its third run with a homer to center field by Dypchey.

The damage would be undone in the fourth inning as the Cavs used two walks and four hits to score four runs. Megan Malvick led off the frame with a walk which quickly turned into a run as Byrd connected on a shot over the right-field fence for her first collegiate homer.

Later in the inning, with runners on first and second after a walk by Katie Aden and a base hit from Kate Santos,Taylor Copher singled to center field to around Aden to tie the game at 3-3. Laura Luther capped the rally with a double down the right field line, bringing Santos home in the process for the go-ahead run.

The Cavs would cross the plate again in the sixth inning as Malvick scored on a passed ball after leading off the inning with a single. She moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a single to center field by Byrd.

Marshall allowed three runs on six hits in complete-game performance. Marshall walked three and struck out four in the outing. Westerhof went five innings and allowed five runs on six hits. The righthander also walked five and struck out six.

UBC again scored first in the Friday matchup against Oregon Tech but eventually lost 6-3.

Dypchey and Brittany Hince Siwicki both hit RBI-singles in the first inning to put the Thunderbirds ahead 2-0.

But Oregon Tech replied with five runs in the second and one more in the fourth to seal the victory.

Hince-Siwicki scored in the fifth on a throwing error to close the deficit to three runs.

UBC will close out the three-day tournament on Sunday with a 9 a.m. game against No. 13 College of Idaho before finishing with another tilt against Concordia (Ore.)

After the Northwest Cup, the T-Birds will head to Salem, Ore. for a doubleheader against the Corban Warriors on Tuesday.