LAKELAND, Fla. -- Facing elimination for the second time on Wednesday, Southeastern extended its season once again, defeating British Columbia 12-3 in the NAIA Opening Round Lakeland Bracket Final to force an if-necessary championship game Thursday at noon at Ted A. Broer Stadium.

British Columbia struck first with unearned runs in each of the opening two innings, taking advantage of a pair of Southeastern errors to build an early 2-0 lead. The Fire quickly answered in the bottom of the third, stringing together four hits to move in front for good.

Braden Bartholomae opened the inning with a single before Nathanial Hopkins followed with a base hit of his own. Armani Cozza then ripped an RBI double to left center to put Southeastern on the board, and Jace Essig tied the game with a sacrifice groundout. Moments later, Cade Parry delivered a go-ahead RBI single to give the Fire a 3-2 advantage.

That lead held behind another strong outing on the mound from Blake Albritton. The right-hander worked seven innings, allowing just four hits and two unearned runs while striking out three to improve to 6-2 on the season. Albritton induced 13 ground-ball outs and stranded multiple Thunderbirds scoring threats throughout the night.

Southeastern broke the game open in the sixth inning with a five-run explosion. Cade Parry and Dayne Wimberly opened the frame with singles before Cort Pryor launched a three-run homer to left field, extending the lead to 6-2. Later in the inning, Essig added a two-run single to cap the rally and push the Fire advantage to six runs.

The Fire offense stayed aggressive in the eighth, adding four more runs on five hits. Hopkins delivered a two-run double to right center before Essig added another RBI single. Southeastern finished the night with 12 runs on 16 hits, marking the second straight game the Fire recorded 16 hits in postseason play.

Essig paced the lineup with a 3-for-5 performance and four RBIs, while Hopkins finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Bartholomae also collected three hits and scored three times, while Parry added three hits and an RBI. Pryor's sixth-inning homer proved to be the biggest swing of the night, accounting for three RBIs.

After throwing a complete-game shutout earlier in the day, Southeastern's pitching staff combined to limit British Columbia to six hits in the nightcap. Hayden Givens-Craig struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth before Aron Harrington closed out the ninth inning.

With the victory, Southeastern forced the winner-take-all if-necessary game on Thursday at noon. The winner will claim the Lakeland Bracket title and advance to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho.