VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds split their first two games in the Lawrenceville Bracket of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round on Tuesday in Lawrenceville, Ga.
 
With an explosive offensive display, the fifth-seeded T-Birds won their first game 12-2 over the fourth-seeded Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) Tigers. In the nightcap, UBC fell 3-0 to the top-ranked host Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies.
 
With those results, the Thunderbirds will need to win the rest of their contests in Lawrenceville in order to advance to the 2016 Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. UBC's next game will be on Wednesday at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET against either Olivet Nazarene or Lindsey Wilson (Ky.).
 
Against ONU, centre fielder Tyler Enns (East St. Paul, Man.) and right fielder Bruce Yari (Waterloo, Ont.) had three hits and two RBI each. First baseman Vinny Martin (Pender Island, B.C.) and shortstop Kyle McComb (Surrey, B.C.) also drove in two runs.
 
Pitcher Alex Webb (Surrey, B.C.) made the start for UBC and gave up just one earned run in five innings of work to improve to 10-1 on the season. Christian Botnick (Brampton, Ont.), Brad Smith (Vancouver) and Patrick van den Brink (Surrey, B.C.) combined to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard in the final four innings. With his 25th career win, Webb ties Jeff Francis (2000-02) and Doug Grant (2004-07) for first on the all-time UBC victories list.
 
Yari doubled to centre in the top of the first inning to open the scoring, as his hit plated second baseman Anthony Olson (Edmonton). Yari then came home later in the inning on a throwing error by ONU's third baseman.
 
UBC's big blow came in the second, as the T-Birds posted five times on five hits. After leading off with a bunt single, catcher Mike Orosz (Vancouver) scored on an Olson single through the hole at shortstop.
 
Then designated hitter Lucas Soper (Vancouver) knocked in an RBI single to make it 4-0 for the Thunderbirds. Cusati hit a sacrifice fly to right before Enns drove a two-out triple to right centre to score Martin and Soper, putting UBC up 7-0.
 
The T-Birds added three more runs over the next couple of innings – on two sac flies and a wild pitch – before rounding out their scoring with a run each in the seventh and eighth.
 
Runs were harder to come by against Georgia Gwinnett, the No. 1 team in the NAIA.
 
UBC and GGC recorded just four hits apiece. But the Grizzlies managed to collect all theirs in the top of the fourth inning, which allowed them to score the game's only three runs.
 
The Thunderbirds responded in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases with two outs, but GGC starter Davis Adkins induced a groundout to end the threat. UBC didn't get a runner into scoring position after that.
 
Olson, Martin, Enns and right fielder Griffy Goyer (Burnaby, B.C.) had the hits for UBC. Starting pitcher Curtis Taylor (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) struck out 12 batters in 6.2 innings of work, but took the loss to fall to 9-4.