LEWISTON, Ida. – After the first three games of the 2025 Avista NAIA World Series all went the way of the higher-seeded team, the No. 9 seed UBC Thunderbirds (39-18, 29-8) were unable to buck that trend as they were defeated by the No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett College Grizzlies (54-5, 8-0).
Grizzlies' ace Ben Harris had a great performance for the Georgia side, recording 12 strikeouts to pair with just six hits and one run allowed in 7.1 innings of work. The reliable pitching meant that the 'Birds were unable to take advantage of their early opportunities, which allowed the Continental Athletic Conference champions to break the game open late.
Jonny McGill notched a pair of hits at the plate and also scored UBC's lone run of the game, brought home by Mitchell Middlemiss.
That scoring play came later on, however, as in the beginning stages of the game it was a case of the T-Birds continually knocking on the door. The 'Birds managed to get multiple runners on base in three of the first four innings, but were unable to bring any home.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, put themselves in front with a big first inning. After a double from Alex Harrell put runners on second and third with just one out, the scoring began with a sacrifice fly before three consecutive hits made it four consecutive runs.
After that, the Thunderbirds did a good job settling in defensively as they then ground out four scoreless innings. The Grizzlies doubled their lead in the bottom of the sixth, however, with a three-run home run from Harrell to dead centre making it 8-0.
With runners on second and third, Middlemiss brought home McGill in the eighth on a RBI groundout, before the Grizzlies added some insurance late.
The Thunderbirds will now regroup and aim to keep their season alive in an elimination game tomorrow night. Their opponent is the Loyola University New Orleans Wolf Pack (41-17, 20-10). The No. 8 seeded Wolf Pack are playing in their first-ever World Series, and are coming off a 7-3 loss to No. 3 Tennessee Wesleyan in their opener.
Beginning at 6:30 p.m. (PT), the winner of the UBC vs Loyola bout keeps their season alive and pushes on to Monday. The losing side are eliminated and finish their 2025 campaign.